Starting the Garden

 It has been a lllloonnnggg winter.  Today was actually picture perfect with a temperature of 56.  And most of the snow has melted from the ground.  But alas, it is to good to be true.  Tomorrow we are supposed to get 4 to 6 inches of snow again.  Bummer.....

I can not WAIT to be able to work outside!  We have plans for a chicken coop this spring and I have already ordered my girls for  delivery in May.  I'll have more about that later but if you are interested I ordered them from My Pet Chicken and you really do need to plan ahead because they sell out of certain breeds fast.  Anywhoo, something I have begun working on already is my garden.  We have a community garden and last year I got a plot and attempted a garden there but it really turned out to be a big ole pain in the butt.  It was hard to keep up with and very hard to water because you had to get water from this big ole tank and carry it back to your spot.  Mine of course was not conveniently located to the tank.  So needless to say I did not produce a lot of veggie for my labor!  This year I want to keep it close to home so may just do some container gardening or built a couple garden boxes in the yard.

If you are going to garden you need to decide how your going to do it first.  Are you going to start with seeds?  Or are you going to buy the baby plants from your local nursery?  I like to grow from seeds because you have so many more options that way!  Of course if your like me you tend to go overboard when having so many options :/

So another important thing to know and look into is what zone you live in.  You can only grow certain fruits and vegetable in certain zones and also when you start your seeds or plant your plants depends on the zone you live in.  Right now in Florida they can plant anything they want.  However, here in Ohio, my ground is still frozen so I have to wait until the last chance of frost to actually plant my precious veggies outside.  Sigh.....  This is a really great Website to check out.  You can put in your zip code, a landmark, city or state and it will bring up everything you need to know!!!  It is a lifesaver!

Now that I have my seeds picked out and I know what dates I need to start my seeds I needed something to nurture my little seeds in.

This is perfect for me because it is no muss, no fuss.  Everything you need is right there.  There are different brands out there and different sizes as well and can be found at most any hardware box type store.  This one has 72 cell but it is actually 2 separate trays in there so I just started with 36.  They have one pellet in each cell and all you do is add water.  And poof....

Instant, perfect soil!  All you have to do is add your seed to each cell and then water.  It has a tray underneath to catch any excess water.  You put the plastic cover it comes with on top until the seeds start to sprout.  It acts like a greenhouse.  Keep them watered, in the sun and loved.  And I am or am not saying maybe talk or sing to them.  Soon......

Aren't the cute?  Once they are big enough and the weather is right they will go to their new permanent home and produce beautiful veggies for me!  

COME ON SPRING!!