Spring in Seattle

You know the sun is shining in Seattle if there are numerous people out laying in the sun despite it only being in the 60’s! Nick and I decided to partake in the “first” true spring day by taking the top partially off the Jeep, buying cold coffee drinks and taking Jack to the park where we read, took pictures and threw the Frisbee around. The day could not have been better!


Another spring-like weekend was spent working out in the garden. This year I decided to just use compost from Cedar Grove and I’m so glad I picked up 1½ cubic yards because I’ll have just enough to top off my potato box. This year our goal with the garden is to make it be primarily for freezing and small amounts of eating, but our main fresh veggies will come from the market. That being said I’ve planted a ton of beans (sugar and snow peas and green beans), squash, zucchini, lettuces (arugula, green, butter crunch, mesclun greens, spinach), radishes, potatoes, carrots and onions. Plus all my lovely herbs. To top it off I planted an array of flowers as well. Finally all the seeds are in the ground and the plants in the new greenhouse. I finally found a greenhouse that allows me to walk inside, put lots of plants inside, is removable for winter storage (if I want), has room for a shelving unit and secures to the ground so it doesn’t blow away in the crazy winds we get in our backyard. My tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant and peppers are thriving inside and I’m excited to maybe grow some warmer weather items! The garden is totally planted and just yesterday I walked outside and while checking the boxes discovered that my radishes, arugula and lettuce are starting to all sprout. Nick thinks I’m funny when I squeal in delight over the little plants and tell them how cute and sweet they are. They like it though – I know it!

The other very exciting thing was that my red worms arrived and have been placed in the worm bin. They are working hard and my food compost is turning out beautifully. Not quite sure how to move them into a new pile once the old one is ready, but I’ll figure it out. Maybe I can train worms…

I think everyone knows how passionate I am about greening up our lovely planet and reducing waste, and I was so excited to discover these fantastic little bags at Central Market on my last shopping trip:

If you want to buy some ecobags of your own, just visit: www.ecobags.com They have the mesh bags for produce and solid cotton bags that are for bread or other bulk items. The bags are made with fair trade, 100% cotton and can be washed if soiled and reused over and over versus using plastic bags. I was also thrilled to find out that Central Market will let you bring in your own jars, containers, etc. for items like cheese, meats, bulk items, etc. Just remember to ask one of the staff members to weigh your container before you put items in it. Talk to your local market and they may allow you to do the same.

Spring is finally in Seattle and while there have been a couple of light frosts since the first day of spring and definitely many rainy days – the air smells different, the green is brilliant, the cherry trees are blooming, the tulips are nodding and the garden is growing!