Spring Planting Fever

I have it.

Bad.

Two years ago, we had the giant weed trees removed. Some time after that we had the stump ground down into mulch and then the remains just sat there. Of course, twins had something to do with ignoring it for so long, but you know...time passes.

A week ago I was looking at that mound of decomposing mulch and the 6' boards laying around it that were used to form a triangular bed and I thought to myself, "Self, wouldn't this make a fine garden for Caitlin if we cleared out the mulch, turned the triangle into a square and filled it with soil?"

"Why yes," I answered myself back, "Yes it would."

And Lo! I set forth (dragging Eric behind me for the grunt labor) to make it so. Today, I set out with Caitlin to the store for bags and bags of compost, since it seemed kind of crazy to order a dump truck delivery of less than 1 cubic yard of soil. The delivery charge alone would be more than just going out and buying an equivalent pile of bags, sadly enough. So there we were, just the two of us, looking at piles and piles of plants.

Um, I mean soil, of course.

And plaaaaaants. (Hey look! A gardening zombie!)

It's spring and thus the local stores have got their spring fever inducing plants out flaunting their beautiful greenness at me wantonly. I...I gave in to the temptation and bought a few things. At first, it was just a few seeds. I don't have Delicata squash seeds, I thought. Or straightneck yellow squash, or yellow pear tomatoes, or cherry tomato seeds and I might be out of Buttercup seeds, so I definitely need to get more of those since they were so yummy. Then I saw them: rack upon rack of the cutest little Echeverias and Sedums you ever did see! In so many different forms! I have magazines aplenty that show container gardens filled with them, but I never dived in since they seemed so expensive. Yet, here they were, in weensy little pots, so inexpensive! and I did have some cash burning a hole in my pocket.

You can guess what happened next. I had to buy nine of them. I may have to go back for more, after having watched a few of these videos and found out how easy they are to propogate. There are so many different kinds and they come in such lovely colors and ohmygod! did you see how this one is fuzzy?!

Top left: The fuzzy one! Echeveria harmsii "Plush Plant" , right: Echeveria 'Perle von Nurnberg', bottom: Sedum 'Burrito'.

Top: Echeveria 'Lucita', bottom left: Graptoveria 'Spirit of 76', right: sexy black Echeveria 'Black Prince'.

Top: Echeveria imbricata 'Blue Rose', bottom left: funky textured Senecio scaposus 'Silver Coral', right: Echeveria agavoides.

Then I went here and saw lots and lots of pictures of containers and...and...!

I need to get out more.

Or at least get to work on my garden! Did I mention that I finally started prepping some pots on the deck and planted seeds for cold weather crops? I sure did! These last two days I've planted seeds for cilantro, lettuce mix, parsley, green onions, string peas, snap peas, carrots and spinach. I decided to put more vegetables on the deck and a few less flowers. Don't worry, I have a lot of flowers to put in, too, but I thought getting something yummy closer to the kitchen door would be a good idea. I also cleaned out the library/plant nursery in the basement and set up my planting rack. Now I just need to start the seeds for the warm weather plants.

Yes, I know I'm really late to be starting now, but I figured I usually get a really great response time indoors in idealized conditions. I'll put them outside at the end of May like I normally do and they'll just be a little smaller than normal. I hope!

Tomorrow I'll put seed potatoes into pots on the deck, just to see how they do in pots and maybe a few into the raised beds as well. Oh and I'll also pour bags and bags of compost mix into the raised bed we put together for Caitlin. I figure I'll set her up with her very own square foot garden and let her go crazy with it. This way she can have her very own tomato and raspberry plants. Ooh and lettuce and cucumbers and snap peas and marigolds....

Did I mention that I also bought 3 Heritage raspberry plants and a sand cherry? Oh yeah.

I've got spring planting fever baaaaaaad.