The groundhog predicted an early spring and it looks like he was right. We’ve had temperatures in the 70’s this week and the plants in my yard are coming alive again. Tiny green shoots are popping up and the trees are starting to green up again.

With the Corona virus scare, I’ve been staying home more than usual and taking some time to work on my spring garden. I have a plan for a container garden in a different spot in my backyard, a sunnier spot where I’m hoping I’ll get a better yield for my efforts. In the past I’ve tried to garden in an area that doesn’t get full sun and I get a few vegetables each summer, but nowhere near what I want. I’m turning the partially sunny spot into an herb, flower and salad garden and moving the vegetables into containers in the backyard where they can soak up the sun.

I went to Lowe’s and bought three more planters to supplement the ones I already have. I’m in the suburbs and everything has to look matchy-matchy and attractive to make the neighbors (and my husband) happy.

I have a compost pile and all winter I’ve been adding to it. It has food scraps, leaves from last fall and lots of rabbit poop. After sitting all winter, it is nice and wormy now! I filled my planters 2/3 full with compost, some completely rotted and some still in process, added a layer of potting soil and then topped it off with a little mulch. That should provide plenty of nutrients for my plants.

A few plants were on sale at Lowe’s and I picked out two cherry tomatoes and a jalapeño. Those got planted yesterday and as the weather continues to warm up, I’ll add plants to the empty containers. I’m planning on cucumbers, squash, potatoes, and more varieties of tomato.

In the side yard where it’s shadier, I still have chard growing, as well as onions and garlic. I picked up some romaine lettuce to add to that same bed. It will be the salad bed where I can put things that can’t tolerate full sun. Ideally I’ll have salad greens growing most of the year.

Each year I add something to the garden and little by little it becomes more productive. I have lots of herbs that come back year after year, strawberries that survive our mild winters, and my front yard is starting to fill up with perennial flowers. I spend money here and there, little by little, so that eventually the yard will be an oasis of food and flowers tucked in among the more traditional suburban lawns.

I’m starting to see the fruits of my labors. With the bird feeders attracting songbirds, my rabbit hopping around and plants blooming, my yard is becoming a peaceful, beautiful spot to enjoy nature.