Spring? In January?
It all started last week. On my way to work I noticed a dogwood tree, and the very beginning of some blossoms. I thought to myself, no way, my eyes are fooling me! I live in a warm climate, but it’s only the second week of January!
Upon further inspection of any plant I could find I saw the signs of spring everywhere.
Roses were forming buds, the apple trees in people’s yards even had tiny buds, bulbs are coming up left and right.
I went out into my garden, which quite frankly was horribly neglected last year thanks to my hectic schedule and the lack of rain, and saw the signs even at my own doorstep.
It’s official, I think it might be spring. However, before I get too excited I’m still a little worried there might be another cold snap until it’s really warm enough to get started. That hasn’t stopped me from starting to plan and get everything together for the season.
My little eucalyptus seedling that I didn’t even think would survive the winter has new leaves forming. In mid-January no less!
Seedlings (of what I believe is shasta daisy) and my container garden is springing to life.
The rosemary is even ready to bloom.
And even the rudbeckia is blooming.
This year I’ll have a lot more time for gardening, which I’m ecstatic about to say the least. I’m thinking of extending my little plot by about 3-6 square feet. I’ve started to compile an idea of the seedlings that I want to start, as well as what new plants to put in. More tomatoes and carrots this year for sure, unfortunately I don’t have room for more veggies than that. My goal this year is to make it a lush (albeit small) urban oasis of plants. I’m even going to try getting in on a community plot this year so I can maybe grow some cucumbers. Community garden space is NOT too easy to find in this city though - I’m on two waiting lists and one has 40 people ahead of me and one has 9. Needless to say I probably won’t be getting one this summer, but I can always wait and hope!
In all truth I’d like to start up my own community garden, we’re desperately in need of more because they’re so popular, but I somehow don’t think the city will go for it considering there are three within a 15 block radius of me. But if there’s demand for it, why not? I’d love to organize something like that. Maybe it’s something to look into.
January 17th, 2006 at 12:34 am
ooh, first post of the year!
HA!!! there was snow up here today…melted of course, but such different climates in such close proximity!
hope your eager little plants don’t get frosted!
January 17th, 2006 at 11:45 am
I hear you! I’m in southwestern Connecticut but have the same budding trees/leaves. The weather was in the 50’s for over two weeks, and then all of a sudden everything froze (dropped 30 degrees in three hours). I hope the confused bulbs aren’t damaged.
January 17th, 2006 at 12:42 pm
Ooooo I am almost too scared to look at my garden. We had warm weather over Christmas, then freezing cold now it’s warm again, it was 10 degrees C last week. But this has happened in Windsor now for two years running. Last year I lost thyme plants, if you can believe that….The freeze/thaw out here is scary and almost precludes us having anything remotely tropical.
January 23rd, 2006 at 3:48 pm
We’re having weird, mild spring-like weather, here in Bowmanville, too. Over the weekend I had a real itch to go outside and work in the yard but then I heard it was going to snow. It’s weird. I want real spring.
January 27th, 2006 at 1:33 am
I know the winter has been mild in the Pacific Norhtwest. Lots of rain though (as usual). The violets have already started coming up though!!
January 30th, 2006 at 7:53 pm
i am also from vancouver and we went blossom hunting saturday when the rain gave way to the glorious sunshine and i was just amazed at the early signs of spring! we even saw a rhodedendron that was not to sy to stay in her green bud! i can not wait to get my hands dirty!!
January 30th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
Last spring I was a research assistant for EYA and SFU’s Centre for Sustainable Community Development for an assessment project of Vancouver’s food system. One of the things I did was call every community garden in the city (of which there are way too few) and ask them if they had any plots available, or more often, how many people they had on their waiting list. There’s so much demand, not enough garden space. Anyway, the Cottonwood Community Garden in Strathcona (operated by Vancouver Parks Board) said they have a high turnover rate. Another one, the Collingwood Food Security Community Garden, had just started up at that time and had many plots available. It’s possible that they’ve all filled up, but it’s worth checking out.
The link to the “Vancouver Food System Assessment” is http://www.sfu.ca/cscd/research/foodsecurity/home.htm
If you scroll down, you can click on the Community Garden Appendix (Appendix C), and get the contact information, as well as some other information, for each garden.
Good luck!
February 16th, 2006 at 11:04 pm
yes, three cheers for Spring in January! I live in NW Illinois, but transplanted from CA…it’s cold here! I have been looking at my plots and beginning to dream…