Zone 7a

Retrieving the newspaper from the end of the driveway for my wife to read when she first goes downstairs has developed into a morning ritual, right after starting my first k-cup and maybe washing a few dishes.  I wear night clothes for the short trip, typically with flip-flops.  Seasonally cold and dark for this short errand.  While it provides momentary stimulation to begin each day with more prolonged stimulation once the caffeine has been absorbed.  I don't think about warmer weather ahead, though the earth and my geographic 7a zone will eventually heat up enough to support any number of vegetables and herbs.

Gardening mostly brings joy with a few disappointments or frustrations to balance.  I set this in its global form for the current semi-annual projects.  Aerogarden and chia pots with herbs avoid climate considerations.  Chia going well.  Aerogarden needs some revision.  Not nearly as much joy from these as what the outdoor efforts achieve.  I will need to revive the front containers a bit, though last season went OK.  The backyard needs real work.  Trimming branches to better expose my two 4x4 foot beds.  And deciding what and where things go.

While I could purchase established vegetable plants, having mostly failures from attempts at indoor winter planting, I'd like to give the from seed indoors another go with tomatoes and pepper, maybe eggplant.  My soil probably is not thick enough between surface and weed block cloth for serious root vegetables, though I like beets and they are expensive in the supermarket, so possibly a square or two of these as direct plantings.  Lettuce and chard never do well.  Green beans flourish but can be tedious to harvest.  Cucumbers take up more space than they are worth and are cheap at the supermarket.  And this year, plant in sequence rather than all at once.  Better planning.  With some luck, better joy when harvest arrives.