The beginning… of a spring garden

It definitely feels like spring in northern Arizona. In fact, it has been for some time, though the weather is what has been called variable. This past weekend was chilly, and just north of us there was snow. My dad and others always said “wait until May 15th to plant anything – the nights should be a low of 55 degrees”. I always acknowledge that there will be snow either on St. Pat’s or Easter (not this year), but we’ve now come up with a new test. There’s a tree in our yard that – if it leafs out – is the sign of no more freezing weather (unlike fruit trees that are nothing like that reliable).

Despite the windy, chilly weather, I decided that I would see about some plants. A few weeks ago, I bought some plant protectors (my others were “lost” in the clean-out of the storage building), hoping to both keep varmints out, and plants protected from the spring winds. So, off to the nursery I went. I might not have succumbed to buying plants, but they had the hard-to-find sweet 100 tomato plants that I’ve found are most successful here. I also bought a yellow pear heirloom cherry tomato, a jalapeño and guerro chile, as well as a few different basil’s (Thai, purple, and my favorite – cinnamon), thyme and oregano to replace the plants that didn’t make it through the winter.

It will be fun to see how they do in their cozy houses. Now that I have my fancy new watering system, hopefully they will grow and get a good start, albeit a bit early.

There is good reason for my rush to get things planted. The roses, dianthus and other flowers from last year are spectacular. Columbine and daisies are working on blooming and even the lilies are working on getting ready to show their spectacular colors.

Hopefully it will be a great start to a beautiful summer “garden”. It’s a constant joy to see how things grow. Hope your spring is starting out beautiful as well! If not in practice, then in your planning!