"Spring is here," said the bumblebees.

Right now I hear weed-eaters and lawn mowers and edgers beating up my over-grown nasty lush lawn. It's going to be BEE-YOU-TEE-FULL. I'm already so pleased. Next step, repairing lawn mower (it's already in the van to be dropped off at the shop) and renting a rototiller. 

Next Saturday would be the day I'd love to do the garden bed prep, but Ali will be flying home from California that day (job training), and that's a job I'd want help with. But we'll see. Maybe I'll get a bug up my butt and do it all by myself. If the lawn mower would fit in the back of my van, wouldn't a rototiller?

My friend Tamara is coming over Friday morning to do some garden plot planning. She wants to grow some corn here, so we'll have to find a good spot for that.

I need compost brought in to amend the soil, and a bit of wood chips (and maybe some landscape cloth) to border it. Then I'll get some metal T-bars and some chicken wire, and fence off the garden space from rambunctious doggies.

Chickens last.

Gardening With Ancient Seed Packets?

To kickstart my suburban homesteading while I anxiously wait to hear if I'm eligible to even apply for a VA loan, I re-read Made From Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life. It's inspired me to fix my lawn mower and sewing machine, go to a flea market or antiquing, bake bread, start some tomatos and peppers on my kitchen table, learn to play a strumstick, dig up and transplant raspberry bushes, and start a container garden. Wow! What book have you read lately that inspired you to do that much? (Note* Just because I felt inspired to do all that did not mean that I accomplished any of it. Just felt like clarifying.)

I discovered some ancient seed packets (three years old) and wondered if I could coax them into growing. I divided them all up into when I thought I needed to plant them. I even looked up the last estimated frost day for my region to help me with the estimations. I also bought three rose bushes that I need to put in the ground now. They've been leaning up against the fence in their plastic vendor bags for the better part of a week.

I want to plant my sugar snap peas (February's almost half over!). I don't think containers would be great for peas, but maybe. I'd rather have them in raised beds, but I'm not ready for that. I don't want to put beds in until I know if I can get a loan to buy this house.

Containers it is.