Pre-Spring Projects

Bill has decided to do some forest-clearing for his vacation project. He has the idea that he wants to clean up the various trash-dumps left by the previous owner(s) in the backyard, prune the desirable Redbud trees, cut down the insidious Black Locust trees with their vicious thorns and untidy growing habit. I think this is a fine idea, as long as I don't have to be personally involved.

My idea of fun is perusing seed and plant catalogs, while perched cozily on the couch. I want to plant some more of those "Magic Beans" from last year, and have started cleaning up the planting beds to get ready for early crops. Peas are wonderful too, although it takes a lot of pea plants to get a side dish of peas. Maybe snap peas instead? They are terrifically expensive in the store, and planting those would make me feel economical. Tomatoes and peppers will go in containers on the porch, as I found that turtles munch on them when planted down in the raised beds. Okra was a success last year, but we don't eat that much okra. Perhaps some carrots and beets, onions and garlic would go well down there.

For the last two years, my salad greens have not fared well in the containers I placed them in. I'm going to have to come up with a different system or a different venue--it just gets too hot for them to be successful.

Dreaming of the garden-to-be is one of my very favorite activities. It's especially appropriate on a rainy day in February, when I can procrastinate about the ever-looming chores, such as painting or doing taxes or washing dishes.