Beginning of Spring!

I’ve been busily transplanting seedlings in the ground since the weather has been so nice. I transplanted the cucumbers (Marketmore variety) in the ground. I transplanted my peppers in the ground too. Peppers, eggplant, and especially tomatoes need warmth from the beginning of their life cycle. It took my pepper seeds 10 days to sprout but once I put them in the sun, they thrived and grew exponentially. We've been getting steady temps of 70's and above so I thought it would be okay to put the peppers in the ground. Just make sure you cover them with some cloth or a cloche (I use an old washed out 1-gallon milk jugs with the bottoms cut off) if you're expecting a cold spell.

I have been pulling the cold-weather veggies out of the ground and enjoying them in dishes or salads. I made my first ever Swiss chard dish that included garlic, oil, butter, lemon juice, and onion. It was good but I think I put too much lemon juice and it was a little sour. I was amazed at how much it shrunk. No wonder it's a close relative to spinach. I've been having a salad daily since my lettuce plants are growing so well. The only thing I've added are some store-bought cucumbers and salad dressing. Hopefully, during the summer, I'll have some home-grown cucumbers to add to my salad.

I've also been unloading the extra tomato and jalapeno seedlings to coworkers and family. My backyard garden looks so green with all the healthy seedlings but I definitely don't have enough space for them all so they've slowly found homes elsewhere. A perk with this is that I get the extra fruits from the people who are growing my seeds. In other words, I'm enjoying the "fruits of their labor"!