All my little seedlings...

My little seedlings are growing so fast! 

The peas are about seven inches long, the kale is getting its second set of leaves, the tomatoes are looking strong, and my son has his third tooth! All the kiddos are growing so fast. =)

Last week, we sowed lettuce, arugula, red and green onion, and pumpkin. The greens have sprouted, but the others are still below the surface so I'm getting a little nervous. I'm trying to find the perfect balance of water, in fear of rotting seeds, and making sure they are getting plenty of light since we've had a couple gloomy, sunless days in this neck of the woods. Today is day seven, and the onions can take up to 12 to germinate, so I'll stand back patiently and wait for my new arrivals.

Next on our list will be the beans, squash, rhubarb, and carrots. I'm quite certain we aren't going to have enough room in our garden beds for all these vegetables, so containers are going to have to work for some. I've heard that tomatoes and squash do really well in containers. And the pumpkin and rhubarb will be moved to a different spot in the yard where they can sprawl as they wish. As spring draws near, I'm getting really excited for our first planting session.

The garden beds are coming along nicely! We have one completed so far, and are getting ready to start on the other. They will be approximately five by ten, and facing north to south along our property line. My husband and I chose to use these cement landscaping bricks instead of wood because they will last much longer. Also, it was easier to level the garden bed area using the bricks. Our next step is to line them with cardbooard as a natural weed blocker, and then fill them with organic topsoil from a local vendor.

Also new to our back yard is a compost bin. I decided to go the easy route and purchased a pre-made bin that just needed some quick (or not so quick) assembly. As far as I'm concerned, the easier the composting process, the better, at least while there is so much to learn this first season. Its great to be able to reuse our kitchen scraps for food for the garden. Grass clippings, maple leaves, and garden trimmings are all going to add vital nutrients to our compost. So, here's to some happy healthy compost.