Seeds and snow

Veseys seeds have arrived!

So far, this year sucks – big time. The coldest winter on record for 35 years with record snowfall and storms practically every couple of weeks has been a constant topic of conversation and gripes during these past four months. It’s been dubbed “the winter that never ends”. Even though it’s the last day of March, Mother Nature isn’t done with us yet.

I’m sitting near the wood stove awaiting yet another nasty storm to arrive, this time with freezing rain (and more snow, of course). I’m not surprised. After all, tomorrow is April Fool’s Day.

Yesterday, I received an email from a cruise line advertising 70% off the cost of some itineraries to the Caribbean and other exotic locations.  Ugh. That’s where I should be right now!

Despite the ongoing outdoor dramas, there was a welcomed sight in my mailbox late last week – my Veseys Seeds order had arrived!

Those of you who garden understand the thrill of getting spring/summer catalogs in the mail. Flipping through seed and gardening magazines gives us hope that winter will eventually end and we’ll be out there doing what we love best. The catalogs normally arrive in December or January, just when the thick of winter is setting in and we’re already dreaming of our garden layouts, how much topsoil we’ll need, re-building the compost pile and how to save our precious plants from pests.

I ordered my seeds and starter plants earlier this month. The plants will be shipped in late April to mid-May.  Hopefully, by then we will actually have spring. Judging by the blanket of snow we have out here, I think that’s at least a few weeks away. It doesn’t matter what the calendar says; we’re not even close to spring-like weather in this region. It was a balmy +7C (44.6F) yesterday while I dug out more wood from the dwindling pile, snow blowed and shoveled slushy stuff, warm enough to don a long-sleeved t-shirt and no jacket. After what we’ve endured so far this winter, that’s a heat wave!

My energy level and mood are improving every week. I love the fact that sunset is around 8 pm these days and the birds are returning to the feeders regularly. Eventually, the snow will melt and once again, I’ll be spending most of my days outside weeding, digging, making raised beds and sowing seeds.

I’ve already done a preliminary sketch of the outdoor vegetable garden for what I hope will be another awesome growing season. I’m trying to be optimistic.

The first sketch of this year's garden.

This year’s garden will include a crop of artichokes and bok choy (I hope) and I intend to try sweet potatoes again. Last year’s sweet potatoes were very small. I already have some black plastic to cover one of the beds to warm the soil so that the plants will have a better chance of surviving and producing.

One 4’ x 8’ bed will be devoted to fava beans. We absolutely loved them last year. And, the corn bed will be surrounded by squash plants as I’ve read that their prickly leaves and stems deter pests like raccoons. I will be increasingly vigilant this year after last year’s night time raids by Ricky Raccoon.

If all goes well, we’ll be enjoying some homegrown asparagus and garlic this summer, too.
I’ll be planting more lavender, rhubarb, strawberry, cherry and blueberry plants, plus haskap and gooseberry plants. In late summer/early fall, I plan to plant half a dozen apple, plum and pear trees. I haven’t figured out how to predator-proof the fruit trees yet. But, judging by all of that white stuff still on the ground, I’ll have plenty of time to work out the details and prices.

And, we’re building a chicken coop equipped with solar powered lighting. Adding livestock is another step in our self-reliance goal. Maybe a couple of milking goats will be added to our homestead in a couple of years. If we can grow most of our vegetables and fruits, and raise livestock to provide protein and dairy, we’ll be well on our way to achieving that goal.