Garden planning started in this house in mid-February. With sub-zero temps and snow piled high outside, the planning and dreaming brought a bit of warmth and hope for spring into my living room. Some may think that February is a bit early for such hopes in Minnesota, and while I may agree, I must say that it truly made February more enjoyable.

The early planning was also necessary for me, as my early-bird heirloom tomato, pepper, and basil order was due early March, I had a week-long vacation planned for mid-March, and my chicks (formal introductions to follow later this week...) were scheduled to arrive late March. So with the busyness of March, February was the perfect time for me to dream about the dirt hiding under the piles of snow outside my windows.

The other day, as I was busy being distracted by chicks (a now normal occurrence in this house), I realized that April is now upon us (April!!!) and that I need to get a few seedlings started inside if I want them to be ready for planting in May. So, this morning I pulled out my dear little garden journal and trusty Garden Primer, by Barbara Damrosch, and made a few plans for what needs to start germinating in the next few weeks. This will be my first time starting seeds inside in this house and so I'm curious to see how they'll do. I think I'll keep it simple this year and just start with broccoli and cucumbers. Hurray for planting! And hurray for a reason to go to my favorite garden store this afternoon!

How about you? Have you started your garden planning/dreaming? Are seeds spouting up in your sunny windows yet?