Optimistic about getting the garden going early, excited about getting the garden going, Winter had one last gasp. Our weather had been reaching 7-10*C for the week previous to this unfortunate morning sight. The day before we had been out in the yard, taking photos of some of our plants that were starting to wake up, cleaning up the driveway and talking about getting some plants going in our indoor greenhouse. All spring activities. Then we wake up to this beautifully awful sight.

Don’t get me wrong, we love winter. We do lots of winter activities that make the snow and cold weather enjoyable, but we are ready. We are ready for new growth, to bike rides, to continuing to landscape our yard, to getting in the fishing boat, to sitting on the balcony with a good book, and so much more spring activities. I even got the rocking chairs setup on the deck, ready for a good book, a cup of tea and maybe a light blanket, because let’s be honest…it’s not that warm yet.

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What we forget every year around this time, is that Winter always has one last gasp before going thawing out and ushering in spring. Every March, we get excited, we get optimistic and we get over-eager for spring to start. And every year, we have one day where it all comes temporarily crashing down with a big “SLOW DOWN” reminder from mother nature. I assure you that this trend will continue for years to come.

The good news is that this last gasp of winter never lasts long. By 10 am, the sun was shining, the temperatures were climbing and any remnant of winter had been replaced once again with the sights and sounds of spring.

We have listened to the friendly reminder that we are not yet ready for gardening, but we are ready to start some plants in the house. This weekend we plan on starting our tomatoes, peppers and herbs. A lot of the plants we have chosen this year will need to be started in the ground, so we will just get the plants that need a little time in a cozy space before being transplanted to their permanent summer homes. We plan to visit the nursery that we always buy our plants from around mid-April. Last year we started planting in our beds on April 10th, so will hopefully be doing the same again this year.