Have you started your garden?

by Rachel Bartels March 08, 2021

I know, I know...it's still winter here in Colorado. So much so that we are due to have a blizzard of 4 feet this weekend. That's typical here though. March and April are usually snowy, wet and sunny so we can thankfully get out a lot.

All that to say, spring is still in the air around here. This last week, we enjoyed amazingly warm days and I was itching to get my hands dirty. Late February/early March is the time to plant your seedlings indoors so they'll be ready to transplant in mid to late May.

I've tried lots of plants in lots of containers over the years, and last year, I found these little reusable gems. They are sturdy enough to use over and over, but pliable enough to easily get the plants out without destroying the root balls. Plus they come with little saucers to catch any water. I usually make a little greenhouse by adding some plastic wrap over the tops until they sprout. Below is the link to these containers if you'd like to try them out yourself...I promise...you won't be disappointed!

Mini Seedling Container link

I've currently got 2 large windowsills filled will these containers and I'm anxiously awaiting them to break ground. I'm not a very patient person when it comes to this step! This year we are planting lots of veggies and the fruit is already established outdoors. Some veggies will be seeded directly into outdoor pots in May (think carrots, beets, lettuce), but we have lots of starters too! Here's what we chose for this year:

12 shell pea plants (we had 6 last year and the kids ate literally all of the pods straight out of the garden so I didn't harvest any)

6 snap pea plants (I was shocked my littlest requested these!)

6 different peppers

Cilantro

Parsley

2 Cucumbers

4 Purple daisies (which won't bloom until year 2...so these are a labor of love)

It's not too late to start your plants though! Last year was, well, 2020...so I didn't get my seedlings started until early/mid April. I know, really late! But they still produced full sized veggies by the end of the season.

What are you planting this year?