thinking about spring

today D and i got to spend some time goofing off and wandering around town together, going to hardware stores and grocery stores, making plans for home improvements and gardening in the spring.  earlier this year we got this beautiful catalog from baker creek seeds, and we've been looking through it and reading books about backyard gardens.  well, to be honest, i've been reading the books, D already knows how to garden. he grew up on a working farm, so in some ways gardening is a lot less romantic for him than it is for me.  our plan, lofty as it is, is to start kind of small this year; a simple square foot garden, basic veggies, figuring out how good or terrible our soil is and whether or not i have a black thumb.  eventually, we'd like to be able to turn much of our front and back yard into edible landscape.  we've been making an effort this year to eat greener, more locally, and incorporate way more veggies into our diet.  being able to grow our own food is kind of a natural extension of that, i think.  that isn't to say that i'm going to go full-time hippie mama, i just think it makes sense to use the land we are fortunate enough to have to do something other than grow grass.  gardens used to be an important part of home life, and now many people can't even tell you when fruits and veggies are in season.  we eat bananas that have giant carbon footprints and tomatoes that have no taste.  i'm not saying that i'm never going to eat another tropical fruit or enjoy the occasional hamburger, but i think those should be special occasion things.

in any case, i'm excited about trying my hand at growing stuff, we have a million ideas for the back and side yard (we're going to encroach on the front yard slowly to acclimate the neighbors), and i think so far i've actually been pragmatic about all this.  i bought very few veggie seeds; i don't know how good i'll be at starting plants from seeds, and am more than okay with building the beds and then using starts for most everything. i haven't bought anything too crazy yet (although i did splurge on chinese long beans and tiny, thai eggplant), and i understand that there's a good chance i won't grow a lot of things well, if at all.  i'm excited about trying, though.  i love that i have a house that give me the opportunity to try this. i love that my husband is as gung-ho about it as i am. hanging out with him today, making lists and plans and schematics was a blast.  even if i end up growing some sad lettuce and sickly beans, i know i'll have fun, and will learn enough to make next year's garden better.