Veggie Tales

With temps hovering in the mid- to upper-40s and mounds of dirty snow quickly pooling into sloppy puddles, it's hard to believe we're in the midst of what is commonly referred to as the snowiest month in Minnesota. In the midst of this too-good-to-be-true warm-up, it seems everyone has been struck with a touch of spring fever. It would appear that my entire neighborhood spent the majority of this weekend's daylight hours outside. This afternoon, some guy was playing Ultimate Frisbee in the slushy field across from my house in SHORTS and a T-SHIRT (a little nutso, in my opinion).

Not surprisingly, I have also jumped on the spring fever bandwagon. This weekend I anxiously began the first steps in the long process of building a better vegetable garden.

First, I hung a homemade shelf in the bay window on the south side of my house. This window gets fantastic sunlight for much of the day, and I'm hoping it will be a good springboard for my veggie collection. Here's a summary of the veggies I have started:

• Bell Peppers


• Poblano Peppers


• Jalapeno Peppers


• Beaver Dam Peppers


• Italian Heirloom Tomatoes


• Brandywine Tomatoes


• Grape Tomatoes


• Eggplant


• Cucumbers


• Brussels Sprouts

Now all I do is become a Landscape Architect (or, ahem... tap the brain of my BFF who happens to be one) and devise a plan for incorporating all of these plants into the tiny strip of yard that lines the south side of my house.

I also have plans to rummage through the family farm in Iowa to find some wood to build a raised area for some of the veggies, bringing a little bit of my family's history right here to Minneapolis.

For now, I will leave you with a snap shot of my big dreams, preliminarily set in motion. Enjoy!





p.s. March 5 marked a full year from when I began the rather intense series of medical tests--which means the 1-year anniversary of DxDay is rapidly approaching (HOW is that possible???). I have a few commemorative posts in the works, so check back soon.