Garden 2011

Well, it's February and I have been busy planning the garden since the day after Christmas when I got my first gardening catalog of the season!  In January, I started some seeds- celery, oregano, mint, parsley, italian parsley, and thyme.  So far, only the celery sprouted and one little mint sprout is peeking out.

The weather has been fantastic!  Hard to believe that a week ago the ground was covered in snow!  We had a couple a big storms, then the temperatures warmed up and we've been in the 70s for about 4 days now.

I went to Atwoods and bought a small greenhouse for $20.  It is basically a 4 shelf stand with a plastic covering, but it's something.  I've bought some seeds for this year, but I'm mainly going to use last year's leftover seed.  I attended a gardening class on the 15th at the county's Ag Extension office.  It was very informative and I enjoyed it very much.  The class was free and if they offer any in your area I would recommend taking one.

I bought some onion sets and potatoes.  Come to find out that I've been planting too late in the season the last two years.  I should have been starting earlier.  Going to rectify that this year!  Today, I am starting brussel sprouts, cabbage, kohlrabi and broccoli.  Pictures to come soon!

A word about 2010

I feel like I owe you an explanation about the garden last year.  In May 2010, my father passed away.  He was my gardening buddy.  Even though he couldn't physically go out into the garden often anymore, I would come in every morning and give him a run down of what had sprouted and what was growing well and what problems there might be.  After he passed, I couldn't look at the garden without feeling pain.  I just quit going out to the garden.  I let weeds take over and the plants all developed insect problems.  Last year's garden was pretty much a total loss with the exception of some tomatoes, peppers, okra, and a handful of peas. In some ways, I even hated that garden.  I didn't want it--I wanted my dad back.  I know my dad would have been disappointed that I let it get that way, but I couldn't bear the pain.  It was too fresh of a wound.  I missed him too much.

I'll be honest, it hurts this year too, but I have to go on with it.  Although I usually have so much fun with the garden- isn't just my playtoy, it's responsible for feeding my family healthy foods and saving us money.  This year, I hope and pray for a bountiful harvest --and I also pray that I find the peace I need to enjoy the garden like I used to.

Enough of 2010 - It was a horrible year and it's over.  Let's get started on 2011's garden!