Life in the Slow Lane...: March 2011

It's finally Spring time out on the plains of Southern Colorado! As much as I like all of the seasons, Spring has got to be top on my list. Since it's Colorado - I'm sure we'll still see some unexpected Spring blizzards... but that's fine by me! Less watering for me to do... =)

I'm excited that I finally get to put in a garden this year!! I'm hoping that since we live in the warmer "desert-like" area east of Pueblo that our garden will out-do itself... and contrary to planting "rule" (i.e. don't set your tomatoes out until after Memorial Day), I believe we get a head-start on gardening.

I'm planting watermelon, 5 different Heirloom tomatoes, 2 cucumbers, 2 types of peppers (hot & sweet), sugar snap peas, onion, carrots, lettuce and a new-to-me plant - Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry (not the reason we named the dog Molly lol). I once read about ground cherries when I was a little girl & reading the Little House on the Prairie books. Laura Ingalls recalled planting & harvesting these husk-covered little jewels and canning them. They are not "husk tomatoes" (aka tomatillos)... they are instead a fruit-like berry that are super sweet & fall off the bush when ripe. I hope to entice my mom to show me (once again) how to make jelly using these tasty little "cherries". Yum!

All of the plants I'm HOPING will grow are all going to start out as planted seedlings... I purchased my seeds from Seed Savers Exchange out of Iowa. They are known for their Heirloom seeds and continue to pass down seeds harvested and saved from fruits, vegetables and flowers - some as early as the 1800's!! I can't wait to see how they turn out!

On another note... Shane is home at last for a few months! Yippee!! He will be working out of Colorado Springs at the power plant there (Ray Nixon). He's been home since the end of February - & while he's had a little time off, he's certainly been BUSY! He has been working on enclosing our front porch to make a sun room... he put in beetle kill pine siding and an old wood stove he bought up in WY. The other week he put the tile in where the stove would be. He's very handy (mechanic, home builder, boilermaker, masonry, etc.) and creative so he laid in a tile elk head at one corner. I think he did a fabulous job!! =)