The Smell of Spring

Monday, March 22nd. Today I've finished planting all of my flower seedlings. The cosmos have grown to be about five inches tall. Next week it will be time to start the vegetables. I am still trying to figure out how many of each I want. There was one year that we have forty tomato plants. It was an excellent yield, but it took up too much room. The year after, I decided to stop planting greens like lettuce, swiss chard and spinach in the garden itself. Instead, I sprouted them in long trench containers - the kind you hang off the balcony. I think that's what I'll do from now on.

This will be the first year we plant corn. My husband finally gave in to it, because there's an area beside the asparagus that hasn't been used for anything yet.
The side where the raspberries, grapes, blueberries and red currants are will have to be fitted with a small chain link fence. We put up netting attached to wooden bars that can open and close, but it turns out that Icewind couldn't care less. He just barrels right in and Keani is hot on his heels. So we have to find a fail-safe way to keep them away from the grapes (which apparently is poisonous to some dogs)
In the front, the rose bush is starting to flush green, and tiny reddish-pink buds are beginning to bulge from the branches. The zebrina are defying the last of the snow and poking their heads up.
I love this time of the year.