Starting seeds

The end of February marks seed starting season for farmers. Even though we're technically 11 weeks before the last average frost date in our region, we sow seeds for vegetables that we want to have early in the season (e.g., spinach, scallions, lettuce, kale) and that have a long growing season so need a head start (e.g., parsley, fennel, chives, leeks). For the next several weeks we'll start seeds in organic potting soil in the sunniest part of our house, outside protected in our cold frame under double plastic, or directly outside in sunny spots under double plastic. If we had a greenhouse, we'd be starting seeds in there.

Here's to a productive 2012 season!