Who wants to be right as rain its better when something is wrong

How could this be? Over a month gone by, and not a speck of garden-to-be progress? Yes, it's been a quiet month on the garden front-- partly as a result of the not so quiet month I've been keeping up with otherwise. But, some new and excellent developments have come through the pipelines, and for that reason, it's time to resume!

Firstly, the weather: though we've had a gray slushy mess here for weeks on end, the sun is shining and temperatures have risen to above fifty today-- a sure sign of spring's nearing.

A plant we had all but destroyed a few months ago is reviving, in a slow, hesitant way, peeking up new growth and unfurling beautiful small leaves of green and deep purple. We open the curtains every morning and on the weekends, I move the plant with the passing sun. In its struggle, I feel optimism for all the plants I'm going to nurture. I know they all won't make such valiant recoveries if they die, and I know many will die. But, what a thrill to nurse this one back to health!

According to my UMASS Extension calendar and apparently all gardeners anywhere and everywhere, its just about time to start planting things indoors. I went to the garden store last weekend to do some research and potentially procure some seeds. While I stupidly stared at the different "seed starter" kits (for dummies only implied) the woman next to me was asking the attendant about the micro-organisms present in flourishing myocropulas kindomalis pretentiousitous plant, and I almost ran in the other direction screaming. I have really no clue what I'm doing.

Instead of fleeing, I discreetly wandered over to the seed section, where hundreds of delicious looking vegetables beckoned to me from the covers of the tiny packets. I hoped and prayed that no attendant would ask if I needed help, and studied the cryptic descriptions and directions on the back of the packet.

Unfortunately, most packets do not have enough space/or willingness to include information about container gardening, so I sort of had to think that up on my own. At the end of my browsing, I felt somewhat more encouraged as I managed to figure out what all the phrases and numbers meant, but was still unsure what to buy. So, I left the store vowing to do some research into the more ethical (and local) options for seeds, and went home to eat a thoroughly unseasonal, culturally inappropriate, but all the while delicious thai curry.

I have now selected Fedco, a seed company in Maine that is both relatively local and highly rated by various organizations for its sustainable practices. If you know of a better one, please let me know, since I won't be placing my order for a day or two.

As I said before, I'm going to work on a few kinds of herbs and some vegetables to start-- rosemary, thyme, garlic, summer squash, lettuce, and radishes. I don't even like radishes, but I hear they're good and giving, and I may need an ego boost when everything else is dead. Also, this is a shorter list, but I want to start a little more conservative, and when things get going in May and June, maybe branch out.

So, immediate next steps include: purchasing seeds, procuring good soil, arranging a container appropriately sized for starting seeds indoors, and acquiring three good containers to get things going when the world outside is fully warmed.

Glad to be back in action, and hope you've got some advice to share...

p.s. Bruce Springsteen, Dry Lightning