Green things growing, birds calling, kids playing all day out side – these things tell me Spring is coming!
I wait through the lovely Holiday season…
I wait longingly through January and February – those two eternities of blizzards and snow and bitter cold.
In desperation, I thumb through the seed catalogs and order some strawberry plants and zinnia seeds. “I will have some bright color in my garden!”
So, when the weather actually starts to mellow, and the biting cold wind softens to a gentle warm breeze – I head out doors. I take my camera and I go searching. Searching for any and every hint of Spring. Of sunshine and warm air. Of new life and the color green.
And yesterday I found some.
I gently pulled back the dead leaves and grinned when I discovered green beneath them. I stared in delight at the tiny peppermint leaves that were uncurling. After I’d snapped a photo, I carefully covered them again with the leaves, to insulate them from the cold nights and the last few snowstorms that are surely coming.
I have a nice greenhouse in my yard, although I haven’t used it so far. (crazy, I know!!) I have been to scared to plant stuff in it – thinking I don’t know enough about greenhouses to actually grow things in there. I mean, if you go to our trusty friend Google, you will find articles that make your eyes glaze over and your mind shut down. talk of ventilation, fans, heaters, thermometers (remote, no less!!) drip lines and self-watering and timers and hydroponics.
While all that is good, I simply want to grow a tomato plant in there, with no heater, and nothing I need to buy, if possible. (except for the plant, of course!) So I decided this year to just dive in and see what happens. If I fail – well, I haven’t invested in fans and thermometers and special drip lines. If I succeed, perhaps I can help someone else who just wants to grow tomatoes. 🙂 I am all about simple, by the way. I may have the ability to devise or follow elaborate schemes, but rarely do I have the funds.
After a trip to my new favorite store (Menards), where I bought several bags of the cheapest potting soil I could find, I went to my trusty Wal-Mart and picked up a few tomato and pepper plants. I was going to get a cheapo thermometer too (just because it would make me feel more authentic) but I forgot.
I came home and filled some plastic pots with the soil, added my plants, and watered them well. Now begins the waiting! I love planting – but waiting is so hard! To fill my time, I plan to keep planting in there til the greenhouse is full of all kinds of plants. it’s a big greenhouse, so I may as well fill it up, right?! 🙂
I am hoping I will have a nice, picture-perfect kind of journey in my greenhouse this summer to share with you. 😉 But – grow or fail – I will try to keep you updated. 🙂
What signs of spring have you found this week? If you live somewhere sunny and permanently summer, please go out and enjoy some green grass and sunshine for me, will ya? 🙂 Thank-you.
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