Can I please plant my peppers yet? I am not a patient person, but I have to show restraint before I can plant my peppers. I love all type of peppers, sweet bell peppers, red peppers, banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, poblano peppers and yes even some cayenne chili peppers.
I get the itch to start planting in February. White, thick snow still lies on the ground. Light pads of rabbit footprints dance across sections of the yard. Somehow these rabbits prosper during the winter only to wreck havoc in the spring. But all I see out of the frosted window is where I will plant my peppers. I’m imaging the perfect location. Moving the garden a bit closer to the street to capture the most sun possible. However, I live in the Upper Midwest and the unwritten rule is to wait till middle of May. A surprise frost may sneak upon you and there goes all your hard work, destroyed by a simple cold spell overnight.
I repeat I am not a patient person. To help my need to plant I start the grow lights in the basement. I’ve given up starting my peppers from seed. Those will wait and I will let the farmers sell me their lovely pepper plantings in May. In March I will start my herb garden. A little parsley, a little dill, perhaps a couple calendula marigolds and my fascination in gardening is curbed for the moment. Each day I nurse my seedlings by providing just a little water, turning on the heating pad and illuminating the seeds with the specialized indoor grow light. Each day I care for the seedlings I am picturing my garden in full bloom.
It’s May now, but I still must wait. The sun shines, the birds sing and a cool breeze moves the leaves of the trees. Freshness is in the air and I am ready to head outdoors. It might just be the winter cabin fever that wants me to embrace every moment of warmth outdoors. I don’t want to plant annuals quite yet, but I’m ready to get out there and work in the herb garden. I never thought I would become antsy to go and pick some weeds. I wanted to get those weeds out of my herb garden before I could start planting my rosemary, dill and basil.
Can you actually believe I didn’t enjoy gardening, even five years ago? My husband would be out there gardening and all I could think was that he was wasting his time and there was plenty to do in the house. Perhaps my lack of ambition in going outside to garden was waking up every two hours in the night to a crying infant. At that time my children were my garden I nurtured. Now they are older and come into the garden with me. They have their own sections and plant vegetables of their own. I am so glad my children can identify vegetables outside as they grow in the garden. Even though the potato starts from the soil, they know it’s growing as the shoots climb from the soil and they imagine a beanstalk climbing to the sky. In the fall they hunt for their treasure in the soil and are ready to cook those potatoes.
The farmers markets begin in May. I may not need anything, but I get excited to walk through the farmer markets. In Madison you could go to a farmers market every day just by visiting different neighborhoods in the city. I restrain from constant purchases, remembering that the fresh produce doesn’t last long in the fridge. I just buy what I need for that day and next.
I found myself getting excited by just walking into the local co-op store. There is just something about the co-op store that makes me love shopping for food. And this comes from someone who is not a very good cook. Ever since I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, I have tried hard to eat organically and locally. It is not possible to do for everything. I still love bananas and avocados. And I could not survive without my coffee. It’s my shot of energy in the morning. But I try my best to purchase locally for whatever I can. I am still waiting patiently for strawberries to come into season now that my frozen strawberries from last year are eaten, and remember I’m not a patient person. The herbal aroma wafts through the store and walking aisle by aisle, I am excited to see all the local produce and products available to me. I am imaging all the meals and snacks I can make.
Back at home I go outside to admire the progress of my herb garden and yes pull a few weeds. I started with the herb garden because I thought it was a good beginning project a few years ago and it’s hard to fail an herb garden, oregano, lemon balm and mint grows like a weed itself. Ah wait, there’s an asparagus I haven’t picked yet. The fresh, crisp bite of the asparagus reminds me how glad I am we planted the asparagus three years ago. My daughter planted Sorrel, a sour tasting lettuce last year and she loves passing by her portion of the garden and snacking on her sorrel. My son is not big into vegetables, but he is tending to the raspberries and strawberries. Those disappear faster than they grow. My children even helped pollinate the fruit trees in the blossoming season of spring with their little paintbrushes. They know they will be enjoying fresh cherries and peaches in no time.
Once I’m done pulling some weeds I decide to bring the rosemary, basil and parsley outside, getting their first breath of outdoors. I admire my work and think only a week to go. But you know what? I think I’ll be buying those peppers this weekend. I’ll just cover them up, if a frost sneaks upon us.
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