Seedlings are coming along nicely. Several lilies are in their pots, and the first little marigold is showing it’s sweet face.

A balmy 55 degrees here this morning. Looks to be a fantastic day for getting the Spring chores done. Still lots of clean-up of accumulated winter debris (and trash from whatever the dog chewed up last night).

I planted some of these in the greenhouse yesterday.

I may leave them in pots to protect them from bulb-eating critters.

A little out of season, but here’s a baby green zinnia for St. Paddy’s Day.

I decided this tree could use some spring color, so I dug a clump of my tiny “Tete-a-tete” daffodils, and planted them among the ferns and hostas, that are just starting to make their appearance. They didn’t seem to mind at all and will get a good drenching with today’s rain.

When I was growing up, times were pretty hard, and it was a little difficult for lots of folks to put food on the table.
But thanks to my parents inginuity, we ate really well.
A huge vegetable garden prospered every summer,and other fields provided potatoes, and field corn (which was ground into corn meal for our bread).
Wild greens supplemented the vegetables, to put lots of vitamins in our diets and were free for the taking.

One spicy plant that provided a “spring tonic” was Upland Cress, (commonly and locally known as Creece, Creecy greens, creasy greens.) The large rosettes of leaves were at their best in late February or early March, just before the plants burst into bloom. They could be found growing prolifically along small streams or ditches where an abundant water source kept them growing during the winter. Shrugging off the cold, they grew right along, and it was common to find large plants the size of a dinner plate.

Preparation was the same as any other green, such as collards, kale, spinach etc.
Any extras were canned to be eaten at a later date.

I am so happy with my desktop greenery!! They are growing rapidly and really looking good. It has been such a joy to watch them develop. Pepper plants are almost five inches tall.

My baby marigolds have their first bud showing!
It will be amazing to sit right here in my chair and watch that first flower develop!

It’s beginning to look like Spring here in the West Virginia hills.

It’s getting close to the time for greenhouse planting/seed starting, and I am always on the lookout for things that will not only cut expenses, but enable me to work more efficiently .

Plant tags are a necessity! Otherwise, everything would be one big blur!

There are dozens of fancy tags sold in garden centers that work well, but add to the cost of growing your own bedding plants, and, if you are like me, growing them to save money, then you certainly don’t want to put out that extra cash.

One of the best sources of plant tags, in my opinion, is a plastic slat venetian blind.
It can be an old used one or one bought in a “dollar” type store for mere pennies, but needs to be plastic and preferably white.

The slats can be cut in any size or shape needed, providing hundreds of tags. One blind has lasted me around five years.