Swear to be better

Let's see, it's been over a year and a half since my last post...I feel like I'm at confession. So much has happened since the July 2008 harvest that I just don't have to energy to go over it all, so I'm going to pretend I don't have a 36-month hole in my posts and start up again today.

This is turning into more of a gardening blog than the fiber one it used to be, largely because it is very difficult to knit or spin with a 2 year old and also because I have become addicted to gardening. It's also something that the whole family can participate in one way or another. So what follows is my gardening life...

I am dying for spring to come, and this warm sunny weather is a great sneak peak. Just yesterday I planted a few spinach and lettuce plants -- Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinach andGotte Jaune D'or Lettuce from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and some Viroflay Spinach seeds I had left over from last year from Seeds of Change. Maybe it's a bit early to be planting outside, but I only planted a few to see if they would take. The soil was only workable for about 3", and then it's still frozen, but I think that's more than the seedlings need to start out.

I would have loved to start them indoors but our indoor sunshine spots are non-existent. That doesn't mean I'm not going to try with some other seeds that don't like the cold weather as much as spinach and lettuce. Jonah and I already started some tomato and eggplant seeds in soda bottle greenhouses that I've been moving around to various windows in the house as the sun makes its way through the sky, and we have some sprouts, which is very exciting for both of us. We planted Thai Long Green Eggplant and Dr. Wyche's Yellow Tomato, both from Baker Creek. I think the sprouts are the eggplant, but I'll have to wait to see their true leaves to know for sure.

I'm interested to see what happens in the strawberry patch I dug behind the house last year. I'm not sure if it gets enough sunlight or not, but the plants seemed to do pretty well their first year as far as growing and branching out. Hopefully we'll get some fruit this year.

And of course, the crocuses, tulips and daffodils are starting to peak up out of the ground. Yay!