Happy 2014! I love this time of year when I can start dreaming big again about the coming season. The difference between how December felt and the New Year amazes me. Last month, even yesterday, gardening felt so over and done. Today feels like the beginning of the season some how! I’m excited to get something started even if it is too early. It seems a possibility that all of the seeds I start soon can and will turn into beautiful, healthy plants. Hopefully the reality isn’t as far off this year! It is the time to think about what new things to try. I’ve been going through my seed catalogs and dreaming of all the possibilities.
I have been starting my peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants in our kitchen garden windows the last week of January. This has been working. It’s hard to wait but in the past I haven’t had as much luck starting any earlier. I can’t wait though, so I am at least going to soak the pepper seeds and I think I’m going to have to soak some eggplant and even some tomato seeds soon also.
Right now we still have collards and kale growing outside and some carrots and beets that I didn’t get pulled before it snowed. We have some arugula still growing in the greenhouse despite the lack of water from the automatic sprinklers being turned off in there at the beginning of December due to cold temperatures. (And my lack of supplementing any.) It’s time though. It is 73 degrees in the greenhouse right now. Even on a cold winter day, if there is some sun, the greenhouse is nice and warm!