First Plantings of the Year!

So, every year, I start to gardening too late. It seems like every year we start gardening too late. The last frost of the winter comes and goes without any advanced planning, and certainty without seedlings. Maybe I'll get inspired and throw a few peas in the ground in early March, but usually leave them to fend for themselves. Last year, sometime in February I insisted we start RIGHT NOW and build new raised beds. I wanted a french-style kitchen garden in my sunny, postage-stamp-sized front yard. It involved about a week of mid-winter transplanting and scavenging of appropriately sized lumber. I was so ready for the spring! But before we knew it summer had crept up and we found ourselves once again shameful in the isles of home depot's clearance racks, buying $2 big boy tomato plants the last week of June.

This year - we've managed to start off the year right by starting winter crops indoors. Maybe a little too right - I'm a few weeks ahead of seed starting for any reasonable estimate for last frost, but I'm hoping that our cold frames (which will be added to the aforementioned raised beds sometime in February) will help me out and start the season early. For those of you at home, don't try this. If you start your seeds too early, and they will be weak and leggy. Seedlings that are leggy are long and thin and weak, stretched way out because they are reaching for the light. I'm hopeful that I'll have somewhere bright enough to put them when they are ready.
More, after the jump
Anyway, while mother nature dumped 2" of snow of these garden beds and everything else outside, we were in the garden room and winery getting ready for spring. In a seed starting mix, I've got Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts, Arugula, American Flag Leek, Red Winter Kale, Bordeaux Spinach, George Southern Collards, Lavewa Spinach and Ruby Swiss Chard. I've also got 2 egg cartons planted with Zinnias and Peas. (More on the egg carton set up tomorrow.) Most seeds are organic, no GMOs from Botanical Interests.

Of course, very little gardening can be accomplished around here without wine, so we hit up A. Litteri's first for something good to sip. And honestly, I picked this bottle because it had a plant on it. Doesn't the label just LOOK like a seed packet? Anyway, it's a 2007 Le Mire "Rosso Di Toscana," with what i think is bee balm on the label. I lucked out because this 60%/40% blend of Sangiovese and Merlot was perfect. Rich for a Sangiovese/Merlot, but drinkable, tasty with olives; nice cherry notes without being too jammy.

In 2 weeks, we'll be planting more seeds, for our early spring garden, so I'll need suggestions for other plant-labeled bottles of wine!