sprout seeds in february. reap your salad in may.

every fall, as the summer ends with the onset of less daylight, i begin to psyche myself up to endure the winter and the dormant gardening days. by february of this year i was so done with winter that my only remaining therapy against the drabness was to visualize the bright, neon green of spring. but the kentucky winter continued to taunt me with snow and ice, bringing up the grey, and dull days that turn a cold shoulder to the green. 

to combat winter's apathy, i started seeds in february to plant after the danger of frost. jim set up our card table for my recycled potting cups, and i carefully covered each seed with dark, fertile soil. then i coaxed the little sprouts along with the mister and the watering can, and together, we inched along toward the vernal equinox. now finally! these last few weeks, the planting days have arrived, and the wait for barefooted mornings is over.

this year my crop is mostly herbs, and micro greens, with some peppers: jalapeno and bell. and i'm also growing a crop of bright green arugula in a window box in our sun room to spice up a salad, or top off a piece of fish. 

so, from now until the end of summer, i will relish taking the kitchen scissors out to cut some of my verdant therapy to adorn our dinner plates. and with these little cuttings, i will celebrate the long, bright days of spring and summer.

window sill of arugula.

i planted thyme in the cracks in our patio.

winter savory.