Oh, the sweet smell of....

Rain.

Yes it rained today in Fairbanks. It seems like it's been ages since I've smelled rain on the pavement and the dirt.

Maybe it's the Washingtonian in me, but I really love that smell. And I actually like a slow drizzle. Call me crazy.

The snow isn't gone yet, but its days are numbered.

Each day, a small portion of it melts. It's almost completely gone from my roof. Soon we will have a yard again. A yard full of leaves that I need to rake. The funny thing is that we raked in the fall - a couple of times. Unfortunately, the first snow came in September, before all of the leaves fell, so now there are tons of them that have been hiding under the snow for the past 7 months. I'm just glad that I don't have to clean up after the dog this year. Wow, was that a mess!! The only think I need to shovel out of the yard was left by the moose...

We planted more seeds today in the mini-greenhouses inside. Tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, wildflowers, lavender, mint, basil, thyme, rosemary, chives, and various flowers. The kids picked them all out. As soon as we can get into the greenhouse, I will move them in there. I don't have any garden area in the yard, so the greenhouse will have to do. It has large raised beds, so I think that it will work through the summer. I just hope that we can actually get some things to ripen before it gets cold again!

Hello Sprouts!!

We planted some seeds a few days ago in one of those indoor mini-greenhouses.

Wow, are they coming up. I obviously put too many seeds in each one. I suppose I will have to thin them out if I want them to survive!
Lexie chose corn to plant. I don't know what we're going to do with it. I'm not sure how well corn will do here - especially in my greenhouse! It is fun to watch it grow though.

The kids have been absolutely amazed at how quickly everything has sprouted up. I think we're going to have to start some more this week.

Now if only I could get to my greenhouse!!

Most of the snow is finally melting. You can see how much work I'm going to have raking up all of the leaves that fell right before the snow came last September.
But there are parts of the yard that still have pretty deep snow in it. There happens to be a very big "dip" right in front of the greenhouse door - and it's frozen over so that we can't open it. I think I'm going to have to put some ice melt out there this week so that we can get in there and start working :)

Heart of the Matter: Indoor Gardening

This is definitely not my area of expertise. Plants shrivel before my eyes. I think I scare them when I get near.

Maybe it's because I forget to water them? And then I overcompensate by drowning them? Just a guess.

This week's meme at Heart of the Matter is "Indoor Gardening: Best Tips and Tricks for Starting Those Spring Blooms".

I'm hoping that someone has some good advice to share, because I don't.

I have a huge greenhouse. It needs some TLC, but it has potential. The girls have their hearts set on having it full of plants this summer. I would love it too - especially since they want to do the work!!

I would love to know what is easy to grow. Our growing season is so short here in Alaska, but we have TONS of sunlight. Ever seen those mammoth-sized cabbage? You get the picture. I'm assuming that if I start some stuff inside now and then move it to the greenhouse when it starts warming up (May probably) that it will be ripe before the frost comes again.

It needs to be cleaned up, but there is a lot of room in here!

It has a huge potting bench too. Notice the dead potted plants. I think they used to be strawberries...

I will wait and hope that someone else posts some great ideas to help me get started! Oh, and I don't think that I can actually get to my greenhouse at this point in time. There is a lot of snow piled up in front of the door. These pics were taken last summer.