Rain, rain, rain. We have been experiencing quite a few rainy days lately. The damp weather is not conducive to complete any early spring outside clean-up chores or garden tasks. As I stare out my window, I can see dozens of small self-imposed duties needing my attention through the blurring veil of drizzle. Although I began this read with rain, rain, rain; I do not dare say, “go away.” The rain is a welcome intrusion to my cultivation plans that will continue to bless my garden far into the spring and early summer. The moisture is doing wonders for the soil and my sleeping plants. While I watch the rain, I am waiting for an opportune break in the weather which I will use to run out and strow about some seeds in a manner that will more resemble scattering chicken feed that sowing intentional crops. I will take scant moment to scratch the seeds into the soil, but not much else. I plan on throwing out some carrot seeds. Carrot seed is very small and needs to be sown on the soil surface or very shallow. This makes germination more difficult when the weather is drier. You can take extra measures like covering the seeds with a piece of wood to hold the moisture and checking daily for germination. But I find it easier to plant them early when Mother Nature provide the optimal conditions effortlessly. Also on the list to sow are hollyhocks. Hollyhocks do best for me when they have the cold early spring to settle in before sprouting. I love a tall few hollyhocks to add a stately background in the flower bed. Additionally, I have a few seed packets that are old making me doubt the germination rate as neither sprouted when I last planted from them. Parsnips and Dill. I cannot say if the failure was due to the germination of the seeds or my friendly neighborhood birds’ dining habits. I loose quite a bit of small seeds such as dill and lettuce to the birds. It is for this reason that I start most of my lettuce indoors and then transplant out. For the parsnips and dill, I plan is to plant the entire remains of both packets. Maybe some will come up as the weather warms or maybe the birds will eat them all. Either way, at least someone will benefit and they will be purged from my seed cabinet. Soon, indoor seed starting will be in full swing. Remember to enjoy the beautiful rainy days. Here’s to growing all the things,Shannon

Here we are in 2025. I am not a big New Year’s resolution person. I have never really made resolutions like lose weight, etcetera. I do set goals for myself for the year. These are things that I want to accomplish; such as, cleaning out the garage or painting the […]

Happy Winter Solstice! I sit this morning and contemplate after the longest night of the year. Today is the official first day of winter and also the first day that our daylight hours begin to increase in the Northern Hemisphere. The gardening season will soon again be upon us. The […]

When I was a teenager, the most dreaded of all Fall chores was raking leaves. Oh how I loathed it. I would rather stack fire wood. These days the fifty-something me looks at fallen leaves in a new and glorious light. The more you get to know my gardening style, […]

This past weekend boasted gorgeous sunny days with highs in the 60s. Why is Fall the best time to plan for your upcoming spring garden? It may seem a bit untimely or jumping the gun to think about gardening but bear with me. NOW is the time to plan what […]