Snow is melting and I can even see grass in the backyard (a tiny bit of grass where David ran the snowblower to the solar panels). I know you are all waiting for spring like we are so I thought I’d give you a glimpse of what we’re all waiting for via photos from our garden last year.

Our hoop houses look so happy!

I was shocked at all the bright colors! GREEN. RED. ORANGE. Wow! My eyes are so used to white.

Color! We really miss things like these colorful peppers this time of year.
Remember red, ripe tomatoes on the vine?

Last night David helped Will boost our last wall cabinet into place and screw it down. Then this morning I got an e-mail saying my last two cabinets which will be added to the island are in at Lowe’s! What good timing. Yep, we’re all still sick. But even though we’re slow, we are getting a few things done: seed orders filled, chores done, seeds started inside, etc.

Just a little FYI: I had some packages of two-year-old onion seed. All my life I’ve been told they were only good for a year. We tested them, just to see what would happen and they all made 100% sprouts! Now I can send them on to Uganda with a box of other seed for folks in need there. (I didn’t want to send bad seed.)

Doesn’t a summer garden look lush? Better than snowbanks, for sure.

I bought four rolls of 6′ high 2″x4″ wire for garden fencing, and hope to buy another couple soon. We’ve found if we keep pecking away at big expenses like that on the off season, we have a ready supply waiting for us come spring when we need it. The folks at the store gave us the “weird eye” but we just smiled and loaded it up. Spring IS coming. — Jackie

7 COMMENTS

  1. I’m looking through your seed catalogue to find good varieties to send with my daughter to Sierre Leone. She will be there 2 years with the Peace Corp and they recommend bringing some seeds with you. I want to send OP varieties so she can save seeds and be able to leave some varieties behind when she finishes her time. Would love possible suggestions if anyone has experience with West Africa.

  2. Love the pics! I am getting antsy for spring too. Feel restless. We started our tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and marigolds the other day. We bought 2 heating seed mats to try out. We’ll see if they work for providing some warmth to give the seeds a good start. We don’t have a wood stove, but do have a nice sized south facing window for light. We had to put our black lab to sleep (brain tumor) and since then we have had deer in the garden and jumping the fencing. So will have to get that higher this spring. Do you remember our ? about her eating goose poo? You put that weird ? in the Backwoods Home mag. We miss her, and realize the importance of a guard dog on the farm. Deb from Littlefork, MN.

  3. I have used 5 year old onion seed in the past and still had an acceptable germination rate. You may have to sow more heavily, but viability is still there. I generally only plant hybrid sweet Spanish types because of resistance, uniformity and larger overall yields. I use the left over seed because it is so expensive.

  4. Spring will get here someday but will have to wait until sometime after the next snow which is coming in on Sunday !!!

    I really like the appearances of your hoop houses. Have you elaborated on them before or would they make a good article coming up ?
    Either way with a bit more information we would really like to make a couple for this year.

  5. The pictures are good for my soul and make me yearn for spring all the more. Hope you all are well soon. Thank you for the always wonderful update!

  6. Thanks Jackie for the uplifting pics. Can hardly wait to play in the dirt. Seeds to sow, and weeds to pull, bring on spring.

  7. Ooohh….yes! Red and orange and yellow. Beautiful! Here in East Texas many folks are watered in. So much rain! I have cohabitated with several lady bugs all winter. They were restless today…and this morning I heard geese overhead. They were flying South?? Cold front due In tomorrow. Keep the posts coming, Jackie.

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