This time last year

This time last year I had already planted lots outside and had started so many seeds indoors that I needed to use my Simpson’s DVD cases and books to prop the shop fluorescent light up and out of their way. I know, I know- far too early. However, I spent the winter reading Square Foot Gardening (twice as much in half the space!), Plenty, Bountiful Container, The $64 Tomato, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, etc etc. after having moved in the fall to a small house with a yard thinking a garden or a dog might be nice here. The landlord had a no pet policy but was fine with me tearing up patches of lawn, so then it was all downhill from there. From reading to planting to watching things grow, I fell in love with the whole process hard. Seeds are so tiny- and they turn into such amazing powerhouses. Starting everything from seed that first year was an odd thing for a beginner. Most experienced folks I know plunk starts in the ground and garden from there- and I completely respect this- in a lot of ways it makes much more sense to garden like this in a city when space is limited and you can’t just plant an entire row of something. But, that first year, though the lack of experience surely killed a few otherwise willing seedlings, I decided to stick with starting everything myself. I used a ‘one seed at a time’ sowing technique which was tedious but worked out easier in the long run, and kept most things to scale for a manageable kitchen garden. Economics of starting from seed aside, just watching something poke out of the soil tiny and vulnerable, then watching the same plant turn into a 3-7 foot tomato behemoth with a little dirt, a little water, and a little sun is amazing, plain and simple.
This time this year the seeds are still safe in their packets and I am just looking and debating whom to start when, how, and where. With the first impatient year down, this season’s planting doesn’t seem quite so pressing.