I'm not waiting for Spring!

Anyone you bump into these days in Alberta doesn't wait too long before hoping or declaring that the weather is going to warm up soon. And I certainly hope it does! This is my yard right now, and it doesn't leave me with an overwhelming love for winter. I'm sooo done with winter!

But I'm not going to wait for spring to start planning and dreaming about what this summer will look like. It's going to be my first year with the farm business - Beef and Greens! And I'm thinking about seeds and baby chicks, the clover that grows wild all over my lawn, and the lilac bushes we planted last year - I sure hope they dazzle me this spring with heavenly-scented blooms!

I just installed a countdown app on my phone for our family holidays, and I realized that whether it looks like it or not, spring is not very far away! In two months I will be digging in the dirt, planting the seedlings out of the greenhouse - yikes! So even though it's white and cold, I need to be placing my seed order and cleaning out the greenhouse (it's basically a storage shed in the winter!). There actually isn't much time!

For a market gardener - like me - winter is homework time. I've been plotting out my garden, sourcing materials for my caterpillar tunnel (kind of like a greenhouse in the garden), and figuring out how many vegetables will grow in the space that I have. I'm reading books, watching videos, drawing charts - you name it! I've had my garden on the brain for a couple of months now. And yet, spring snuck up on me!

So, armed with my garden charts and a little bit of guessing thrown in for good measure (who am I kidding, it's more than a little bit of guessing!), I'm going to log on to the seed company website and select the seeds that will become food for my customers this summer! And for us - because the very first garden salad is a closer reality than it seems - and I can't wait!

Feeling just a little warmer already! - Aleah de Gier

*Note: if you're curious, we are using William Dam Seeds for everything this year (less shipping and handling). They are a Canadian company, and they offer a good variety of heirloom and open-pollinated seeds. Plus, they're Dutch, so it was pretty much a no-brainer for me!