Spring Fever

onlineHere in East Tennessee the weather has felt like spring these last couple of weeks. I have noticed my tulips and Easter lilies are up out of the ground. I have also noticed my lavender is starting to green up too! I am so excited about my lavender this year. I have many ideas on how to use it, just hope they all turn out the way I plan.

As I think about spring I cannot help but think about my garden. This will be my fourth year planting a garden. My very first garden produced so much I couldn’t keep up with it. Of course I didn’t have children then so I had plenty of time to tend to it. This year will be a different story since I have twins who will be turning two soon and they LOVE being outside. Maybe I can use them for child labor? Just kidding! Although, I cannot wait to teach them how to grow their own food.

This weekend Kevin not only plowed my garden but he made it bigger. I have to say it is a bit intimidating because that means I need to find more things to plant to fill it up. Which I have a feeling won’t be a problem. I already have my seeds in the cart at my favorite seed store, online. Now to place the order!

One of my favorite plants to start growing in the spring to be ripened by summer are tomatoes. They are so refreshing and there is nothing better than a bright red, juicy, fresh, home grown tomato bursting with flavor. Plus, when I think of summer time, eating tomato pie comes to mind. Another one of my favorites is jalapeños. You cannot go wrong with growing them and I always have such an abundance that canning jalapeños has become something I enjoy so much and to be able to eat them all year round is wonderful. Lastly, there’s the sweet, juicy, watermelon. Nothing says summer like watermelon! Other things I enjoy growing are eggplant, herbs, okra, kale, cucumber, pumpkin, zucchini, cantaloupe and summer squash.

There are a few things that I have tried growing and never had any luck with is spinach, fava beans and corn. I still try to grow them every year thinking that this year with trial and error will be the year, for at least one of them.

Most seeds that I like to start in the spring need to be started indoors and then transplanted outdoors. Since my garden is a lot bigger this year I will defiantly need to find other things to grow. So, I figured I would try my hand at growing Brussel sprouts, carrots and beans and anything else that sounds interesting. Also, I’m going to try growing bean and alfalfa sprouts indoors. I have read they are easy to grown and are fast growing and of course good for you. I will keep you updated on that experiment.

What are some seeds you like to grow in your garden? And do you have any ideas of things that I could try growing for this season? Thank you and I look forward to your input!