Seed Joy

Last week in Central Pennsylvania we experienced our first substantial snow since October. I can’t speak for everyone, but that was enough winter for me and I am ready for spring.

Ah, spring – daffodils emerging as the soil warms, trees swelling to life as water uptake begins, chickweed flush (you have to take the bad with the good), and seeds…. oh, so many seeds. The seeds have become my favorite part of spring, with beautiful photography in catalogs and on packets. They share the promise of new life in the garden, as well as the anticipation of LOTS of delicious, local fruit and vegetables.

Next, we direct our eyes to the flower seeds… all the beautiful colors, the insects and wildlife that will benefit from those flowers, the joy the cut flowers bring to us, gracing our dinner tables and our workplaces.

As gardeners we love them all and we are forced to pick and chose as our garden space and time become limiting factors. We have the physical challenges of bed preparations, pest and disease management, and wildlife management (love those groundhogs) – but we press on, year after year, because we love the feel of soil in our hands and between our toes, the satisfaction of a weed free garden bed, and the joy of sharing the harvest with friends and loved ones.

Winter will end, as it always does, and spring will arrive. But that doesn’t mean you can’t experience some seed joy. Orders can be placed, stores can be visited AND seeds can be sown indoors! It is time to start enjoying your garden now and share some of that joy with a friend.