With Thoughts of Spring

It isn’t exactly spring. There are no crocus or daffodils blooming. The hummingbirds have not arrived. But we can see the bare ground once again – in spots – and there are green plants pushing their way through the ice near the creek bed. It still snows, falling lightly during the darkness of night or early morning hours, but by afternoon the pristine new snow is only a memory, leaving behind the tattered remains of winter.

Looking out my window at that snow-covered meadow, it is hard to imagine a garden lush with rows of carrot tops, potatoes, lettuce, beans, and summer squash. We must wait for the spring thaw – April or early May – to prepare the garden bed. Some gardeners have started seedlings inside – a clerk at the hardware store told me she starts her tomato seeds on Valentine’s Day. I like to use organic and heritage seeds from Johnny’s Select Seeds , Dancing Tree Seed Farm, and Victory Seed Company. For anyone interested in self-reliance gardening, I recommend Steve Solomon’s book, “Gardening when it counts – growing food in hard times.” Steve Solomon is the founder of Territorial Seeds in Cottage Grove Oregon.

... P. L. Morningstar
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