Spring Equinox

My loves, today is the first day of spring! And just to be implausible and silly, Mother Nature will be bringing us snow.

Don’t despair. This March snow will melt almost as soon as it touches ground. And then, we’ll be planting.

I’m so ready for summer.

I was shopping for Franchi seeds this morning (www.growitalian.com) when the thought crossed my mind that seeds are amazing things. Here you have this small speck of something seemingly inert, that when offered some warmth and water, grows hundreds of thousands of times in size and then gives you food. Or flowers. I mean, that’s just the most astonishing thing there is.

We have added three items to this year’s food garden: Charentais cantaloupe, purple tomatillos, and Lungo Bianco di Sicilia summer squash.

I want to try cantaloupe again, and this seed is a shorter-season, 75 to 85-day variety. My husband wants squash. He loves fresh, HG summer squash with lots of pepper and butter.

I swoon over a cold, ripe cantaloupe. But cantaloupe doesn’t do the best in New England. I tried it once years ago. Now, we're going to try again, with this variety.

I ordered purple tomatillo seeds from Seeds of Change (www.seedsofchange.com). The purple tomatillo is a bit sweeter than the verde, and perfect for salsa. Those will get started in the sunny window late next month.

Did I mention that I'm ready for summer?

Namaste. Happy Spring.