Blossom

Thank you all for your kind and sweet condolences on the passing of my grandfather last week.   I am still exhausted and tender from the week.  Tate and I flew from Cville to Florida on Wednesday night and returned home Friday morning for a total of 30 hours on the ground down south.  Whoosh!  It was a bittersweet family reunion, my Zeyda would have absolutely been in blissland to have us all together like that.

One thing that’s helping my energy level and mood is

SPRING!!!

It’s that sweet spot in Central Virginia  it’s warm to hot but not boiling, everything is flourishing, and the mosquitoes haven’t descended yet.   If you are in a colder climate (or another hemisphere!), I don’t mean to brag, your Spring will eventually come!

Naturally my mind is in the garden.  I’ve been eating up my winter greens to make space for new plantings.   Charlottesville is fairly mild in the winter and I was able to keep kale, arugula, chard, and lettuce growing, although very slowly.

It’s been in the ground since last fall and it’s still so little!

This week I’ve planted sugar snap peas, lettuce, beets, radishes, more kale, and more arugula, all from seed.

It’s so hot here this week (in the 80’s today!) that I’m chopping at the bit to get more seeds in the ground but we could have a frost still.

I have a lot to learn about gardening but my method is this;

Plant from seed late-winter thru spring

• greens
• radishes
• beets
• sugar snap peas
• carrots

Plant from seed after danger of frost

• cucumbers
• summer squash
• bush and pole beans
• basil

Plant from start after danger of frost

• tomatoes
• peppers

This list is by no means comprehensive for a home garden but those are the veggies/herbs that I prioritize growing.   Check out my gardening page and the post Seed or Start for more info!

Perhaps the best thing in my yard this time of year are the cherry blossoms!

These gorgeous blossoms remind me to stop and smell the flowers and be grateful for SPRING!