Blooming flowers and blowing snow

I’ve been giddy about spring arriving early in Kentucky. The first crocuses bloomed in my yard in February, followed by the snow drops and the daffodils. Now the purple finches have returned to the bird feeder and they ate a quarter of the seed in a month. I checked the yard and found henbit and bluets (above), sure signs that more growth is to come. Yesterday I cut hyacinths to bring their sweet smell to my desk.

Yet, as I sit at my desk to finish this column, it’s snowing, blowing straight at the window behind my computer screen and making a subtle ping as it hits the side of house. I’m writing with an electric blanket covering my legs and thinking I should put on my fingerless gloves to warm my hands.

Wasn’t it just two days ago that we sat at our picnic table and ate ice cream?

Change is inevitable. I see it around me daily at work and in news of the world. Close to home here in Kentucky I know there’s never a guarantee about which direction the weather change will go.

Gardeners like me get excited about putting our hands in the soil as soon as the sun persists for a few days and we think we’re finished with the winter coat. Maybe you’re part of the clan that has already been digging dirt from under your fingernails.

Some stores capitalize on that excitement and put out flowers and other plants that it’s really too early to put into the ground. I’ve learned my lessons over the years and I content myself with early gardening activities that won’t get me into trouble. Here’s what I’ve been having fun with on recent weekends.

1. I located the restaurant takeout containers that I like to use for sprouting seeds. The containers with the clear lids (and a few breathable holes) allow the light and heat to penetrate the seed-starting soil. My job is to keep the soil moist. So far, I’ve planted seeds for Chinese cabbage, eggplant, parsley (below), fennel, basil and beefsteak tomatoes.
   
   
2. Once the baby plants nearly reach the top of their container, I put them in individual containers with potting soil. The parsley is far ahead of the others so yesterday I repotted 24 of them. If they all thrive, I’ll have plenty to share.
   
   
3. When the temperature was 72 degrees yesterday, I added compost from the tumbler to the garden soil and Jim ploughed it in. I followed with a hoe to work up the dirt where I want to plant peas. Peas and potatoes are typically my first two vegetables that I put in the ground. I’m hoping to drop the peas into furrows next weekend.
   
   
4. A picture of where I want to place everything in my garden is slowly evolving. I’ll soon pull out my gardening notebook to draw a rectangular plot and note where I want to plant everything. I’ll try my best to update it when I get creative and don’t follow the plan.

Gardening has taught me to adapt, to the weather, the availability of light, the growing mediums that work best for individual vegetables and herbs. Gardening also gives me something I can count on in the midst of change. At least some of the planted seeds will germinate. I’ll cut my fingernails to make it easier to clean the soil out from under them. And at some point, I’ll be on my knees pulling up weeds. It’s not a pleasant task, but at least that’s one thing that remains constant.