Spring is coming

It's a funny in-between time in the garden.  It's winter still, but buds are swelling and birds are starting to sing. 

My onion sets arrived today, but I'm not supposed to plant them until 6 weeks before the last frost. Hmm. That means the 1st of March, but that's still 3 weeks away. I definitely don't want to be too early, but even dormant onion sets can dry out.... We'll see. 

My 'seed' potatoes will be coming soon, too, so I hope we continue to have moderate (eg. normal) temperatures for awhile.

But the beds are ready for both onions and potatoes, so I'm keen to get planting....

Mountains, winter, and spring vegetables

Bare branches, open landscapes and remnants of snow greeted us in the mountains. The air was clear and the mountains visible, without the humid haze of summer.

With more normal winter temperatures, it's not frigid, thankfully.

But happily it's time to be thinking about spring and summer vegetables.

I just have an order or two to still put in; I've already received the tomato, pepper, eggplant, and tomatillo seeds for growing for transplants (most will be donated to produce transplants for Garden Fest, an event to promote vegetable gardening in home gardens at the botanical garden where I work). The rest are for vegetables that benefit from direct seeding -- also many will be offered at Garden Fest.

It's so encouraging to see the interest in growing vegetables and other edibles expand. It's part of a sustainable garden, for sure.