i don't bother thinking about the garden until the equinox. usually. it depends on the weather. March is traditionally our snowiest month, and this year it's been unusually dry. i like to wait until i see the perennials start to grow a little and give the insects a chance before i clean up the leaves.
this year i want to plant some spring vegetables. i didn't plant anything early last year because i started work earlier than usual and missed the window; missing the seasonal changes has been one the the saddest parts of work. but this week i got down to the hardware store and naturally blacked out in front of the seed display. when i came to i had more seeds than i'm going to be able to use but all my old seed is simply too old and barely viable. plus i like to try new things. last year was the Year of the Nightshades so this year i'm focusing more on greens and herbs and root veggies, maybe some squashes for later.
my usual varietal critera are: open-pollinated so i can save seed, able to direct seed (i can't trust my roommates with starts while i travel), short growing season, heat tolerance. i might buy some starts from a garden center later to fill in a bit. and once the peas are done it would be nice to have green beans to stock the freezer with. i would like rutabagas too but need to save the space for squash. tbh these little raised boxes we have are a joke i need ROWS. i need a BIG GARDEN to fuss in. i require CALORICLY DENSE CROPS IN STORAGE.
but i am especially excited to plant sorrel for the first time. it's a perennial and i have to decide where it's going to live. i love making soup with this old european garden plant, the poor man's lemon.