Home With Mommy: Finding Spring

For most of this country there has been a lot of snow this winter. We had a few inches left from a 13 inch snow fall when we got more snow last Monday then again this past Wednesday. In December, the snow leads to hopes of a white Christmas. In January, it's annoying but accepted. But it's February. We know to expect snow in February but at this point we are usually outright sick of it!

At some point in January most of us long for spring. By February, we ALL long for spring! It's ironic that the shortest month of the year feels like the longest. It might still be cold and snow in March but with March there is that hope that the end of winter is in sight! In March, any day could feel like spring. In February, we count the days to March.

February is full of distractions. Between Valentine's Day and President's weekend there are things to focus on other then snow and cold. January doesn't have those distractions. But in the midst of these distractions we are all looking for our own ways to find spring early.

We can thank Punxutawney Phil for that. On Groundhog Day the thought that spring could somehow not be far away comes to mind. We know the results don't change what will happen with the weather but it's still fun. It's the first thing I do on February 2nd. He seems to always see his shadow. But we start finding our own version of spring after that.

For Zach, that means short sleeves. He is tired of wearing long sleeves all the time and starts asking if he could wear his short sleeves around the house. It also means he wears his short pajama bottoms around the house during the day instead of his long pajama bottoms. He wears long sleeves and long bottoms to sleep, but during the day he prefers the shorts. Even when spring starts it will be a while until he can wear his short sleeve shirts outside comfortably and short pajama bottoms to bed. But it reminds him of the warmth to come. It happens every year and this year is no exception. As long as he doesn't feel too cold, I let him. He doesn't like playing in the snow for that long. He's never liked playing outside when it's cold. Like all of us, he'll put up with it to shake the cabin fever!

For most gardeners, finding spring means planting seeds. The seeds are in the stores and it's a way to get an early start on your garden. I don't have the space for that or we would plant seeds. I can never figure out how many seeds to use in a cup. Last year, I even got a packet of seeds to see if it tells you inside. It doesn't. So I called Burpee to ask about planting seeds. The notes are below.

Growing From Seeds:

Notes From Burpee

Indoor:

1. 2 seeds per cup no matter the plant (add 1 seed per pot inch for 2" and up)

2. Must use flower tone organic soil

3. Need the growing light

Outdoor:

1. Plant directly into the soil as per directions

2. Frost over: 5 days in a 7 day period without frozen soil

As you know, I am trying forced bulbs this year. The Hyacinth bloomed but never grew it's stem. However, it also started budding long before it should have. My Tulip and Zach's Tulip are right on schedule. They haven't bloomed yet but ARE growing a stem. My Daffodil is a growing bud but still small. If these don't work, I might see if there is a way to make seeds work. But that would also mean putting a special light on my Christmas list.

Pictures from today

My Tulip

Zach's Tulip

Daffodil. It's my first year with them. The green on the sides are the petals and the stick like part in the center is the stem.

My plan at the start of winter was to have the bulbs inside and Blue Spruces and Cabbages outside. To keep winter depression away, I wanted to find a way to continue to garden. It's working! Even with all the snow I haven't been depressed. The snow is preventing me from throwing out the dead Cabbage but it looks a lot fuller then the past and I still love looking at our beautiful gardens.

Ever since Groundhog Day the bulbs have gone from a way to garden indoors in the winter to a way to bring spring at a time we are sick of winter! I might try to find a way to do seeds and bulbs next year. If I had a house with a basement this wouldn't be a problem. I would definitely do both!

Some people wear shorts and short sleeves even when it's cold out to help "find spring" in the winter. Others force spring bulbs and/or plant seeds to help "find spring" in the winter. Whatever you do, I hope it works! So I'll post some pictures of my garden from last spring. Maybe that will help us all find spring in a very white winter!!!

March 6, 2013. It's always fun to see the bulbs sprout out of the ground. Last year, that started for some in December so the garden didn't look as planned come spring? It was a mix of an odd patch of warm weather in December and I hadn't planted them deep enough. This year, there are 3 sprouts out of 31 and they are only slightly sprouted. It takes forever for these sprouts to flower. Seed starting might sound like a great idea but I might not have the patience for it! I would only start one annual flower and it would be a different one from what we get at the nurseries. Zach and I would share the seed pack