LONG Overdue Garden Update

Okay! I suck! I know!

Now that I've got that straightened out... I'm here to bring you the most overdue garden post ever. But hey... I'm here.

Back at the end of April, when I really wasn't sure if we'd ever see the ground for all the snow we still had, I started planting seeds in trays under lights, hoping beyond hope that we might get the chance to plant them outside someday. Never mind the fact that I was a good MONTH behind in starting the tomatoes and peppers, and two months behind starting the leeks. Just you never mind all that. 

Anyway I started my seeds as I always do, but this year I scaled way back. Turns out, I don't need 30 tomato plants. Nobody needs 30 tomato plants! Besides all the extra effort it was to take care of a bunch of plants I really couldn't use, it was a little heartbreaking to have to toss a bunch of them after babying them in the furnace room for months last year. I couldn't even give them all away (though I tried!).

SO -- this year I kept it fairly simple, starting:
- tomatoes (Tiny Tim, Scotia, and Sungold)
- peppers (Early Cali Wonder and Yum Yums)
- green onions
- leeks -- only two leek plants survived a particularly forgetful few days of no water, so I'm bailing on these
- Romaine, spinach, kale -- which I didn't label and had to wait a few weeks before I was able to identify it. Kids let this be a lesson: don't drink & garden!
- cucumbers (lemon cukes and burpless something or other)
- a few annuals (zinnia, marigold, coleus)

There's something so awesome about getting all the seed trays out, filling them with fresh dirt, and plunking little seeds in them, willing them to grow. It's like I CAN CONTROL NATURE. Well, it's a great fresh start to the season anyway.

Ahh another season of dirt manicures has begun.

A week or two later, lo and behold, the little green things had emerged! Confession time: I love planting cucumber seeds, because they grow so darn quickly. :)

Boldly go, buddies.

WTH spinach?? Too good to sprout?

These smell so good!

Since those photos (taken April 30) I've planted more spinach - because what the hell? They refused to sprout the first time - and transplanted a lot of the tomato plants to bigger containers. I've also moved the romaine, spinach, green onions to the garden (under a hoop tunnel with light fabric), and planted peas and more lettuce seeds.

And I was also reminded that gardening comes with a little bit of tragedy - life imitating art, or whatever - when I had to thin the seedlings. For some reason, every year, this makes me a little sad.

It's for the greater good, guys.

Veggie Garden 2015 is officially (finally) underway!