First outdoor planting session

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Maybe I should have entitled this post "First Therapy Session of the Year".  Seriously.  I enjoy planting so much that it feels like therapy - letting go of the frustrations that go along with a long winter.

Although there is still snow on the ground here, I have one small garden plot located right up against the southern foundation of my house.  Although I am in a zone 4/5 area, this southern-exposure ground probably barely freezes in the winter.  I have no neighbor on that side, so the house is not shaded at all - it gets that full southern sun.

I was so happy yesterday when I discovered the ground was ready to plant.  Last week, it still had snow on it.  After 4 straight days of temperatures in the upper 30s, the snow was melted and the soil  workable and soft.

This plot is small - only about 10 feet by 3 feet, but boy did I cram in the seeds.  No need for rows here, I can reach it all from the edge.  So I just broadcast all the seeds.

I planted some hardy, cold-tolerant seeds: Watermelon radish, Chioggia beet, Bright Lights swiss chard, Waltham brocolli (might be a bit early for this but what will I be out if it fails?!), and the 3 varieties of lettuce I saved from last year: Freckles, Cimmaron, and Amish Green Deer Tongue. I also tossed in a few cilantro seeds right up against the house foundation where it is warmest.

It made me so happy to realize that spring is just around the corner.

And although my backyard garden and farm plot are still covered with snow and frozen, it was nice to be able to use this southern-exposure foudation garden plot.  3 cheers for free therapy!

Now, for even more therapy... with temps in the mid 40s today, we're having our first grill-out of the season!  Hooray for grass-fed beef steak, local brats, our own potatoes, and our own onions on the grill.  Yum!