Going green

You know how it is when you're feeling overwhelmed, devoid of creative spark and in need of something new to think about, to get you excited and in the frame of mind to keep going, try something new or put a twist on what you've been doing to make it that much better? I have a great reading list of blogs that I follow where I can get inspiration and find new ideas to put me in that place. I also am lucky enough to be in a place that offers up some great inspiration whether it's my neighborhood, the Metro Vancouver Area or in my living room where the seeds we planted last month have sprouted and are now adding a degree of life to our living room I never realized we needed until the thought of taking them out to the garden to plant them.

I know that it's one of those cliches that growing a plant from a seed is a bit like a miracle. In fact it's one of those things that I have a habit of overlooking because of the cliche in a kind of yeah yeah yeah, miracle of life blah blah blah kind of way. But really, since we brought home the tomato seedlings we were given earlier this year, and we planted our own seeds; I have to say that I'm enthralled, I stop every time I go by the table they are sitting on to look and see how they are, to marvel at how tall the sprouts are to gasp at how big the pumpkin leaves seem to have grown each time I look at them. It's my next best thing to being pregnant again; something that gets less and less likely with each passing month. And another great side effect is that I'm feeling more and more in tune with the earth which is such a good thing.

So the seedlings will be headed out doors soon and I'm going to be missing the living green. Obviously we are going to have to remedy this situation. Did I mention that I have a lot of great blogs in my reading list that are a fantastic resource for me? Of course some of the ideas are less achievable than others; the living wall for instance. Oh how I would love, adore and am coveting a living wall after reading this post.
With my Student Loan interest relief coming to it's end this month little extras like a wally pocket are out of my price range but I'm thinking I might start small with a spider plant. Since I've had luck with them in the past, but wouldn't it be lovely to have a wall of living green to add inside your home?

Planting and Eggs

We started working on the garden this weekend. What better way to observe Ostara and the first day of spring than to wake up the earth in our garden and sow some seeds for planting next month? Oh yeah and the eggs, we coloured some eggs and decorated the window with some tissue cherry blossoms.

So, what will we have in our garden? Onions, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, lettuce, parsley, basil, thyme, rosemary, peas raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. We are also trying our hand at a pumpkin and a watermelon and the Peanut grabbed a packet of Velvet Queen Sunflowers which will be adorning the small plot in front of the front steps because; as she said, we have to have flowers!

Now we have to start planning where everything is going to go... I've taken some books out of the library which have been helpful and not so helpful. My next step has been to see how other people do it. I'm wanting to go as green as possible, using companion planting and natural ways to help discourage pests. It's a little daunting when there is so much to learn and so little time to pick it all up. I've been reading this great book called Eat More Dirt by Ellen Sandbeck. It's full of advice and suggestions and reads like a magazine article in book form which is my way of saying that it is full of personal anecdotes and fun little illustrations and tidbits. As far as planning the garden goes, I came across a link to this site called GrowVeg.com that we are thinking of using to set everything out. I read about it on Flicker's Lair's blog.
in her post she also mentions a few books she finds indispensable and I'll be looking for them in the garden section of our library to check out too.

Next week we continue the celebration of the beginning of spring with chocolate and an egg hunt or two. Any chocolate in your future? what about gardening? Am I the only garden virgin out there this year?