Garden Dreams

We had unseasonably warm weather last week. It threw us for a loop and several times, in fact, either I or Josh have talked about Spring as if it was just around the corner- despite the fact that it is in fact still 2 months away. And even though today has been a much more average 20 degrees, it was still blue skies. So inside the heated house I was still thinking Spring; contemplating making pom pom flowers for my sometimes empty vase, spying eagerly out the window in search of a crocus bud, wondering what clothes await me in Mal's size in storage, and for that matter what size he will be, and how many things I had in 3T last year, I think Zeke was still mostly a 2, and what I will have to purchase to get us thru.

And I just couldn't resist it. I got out my household planner and I started planning out our garden.

I've decided on repeating last years' Peas, Spinach, Green Beans, and Tomatoes, throwing out the Peppers (which were too spicy for my boys' tastes) and the Lettuce (because it ended up really soft with no crunch, I don't know why), and adding Carrots, and Potatoes, and some sort of Squash...maybe a butternut or an acorn? Oh yes, and Zeke will be in charge of the Strawberries again, and adding Sunflowers to his domain. We might make them into a Sunflower house like this, I haven't decided.

So now I am looking up all my old gardening posts, and googling companionate planting, and searching for growing tips. Last year my basic plan was- throw as much compost as I could afford down (it wasn't much), stick in the seeds, and wait. It worked out great but I think this year I want to develop a real plan and grow my knowledge base a bit.

Gardeners out there, any favorite books, blogs, or sites? Want to send me your garden plan so I can shamelessly copy it?

I've got 4 months to overthink this.