I love Michigan for the change of the seasons.  The best transitions are from winter to spring and from summer to fall.  Michigan is absolutely beautiful in the fall, as the leaves turn brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red.  But, there’s something particularly enchanting about the coming of spring.  With winter comes a sense of death as trees and plants go dormant.  Animals hibernate, and I tend to hibernate as best as I can, too.  The short days and the cloudy skies make me rather lethargic.  With spring comes hope and new life; sunshine and rain; warmth, flowers and colors back in the landscape.  I am extra excited for the coming of spring this year, because I can start my gardening (my second year).  Last year, I started my seeds indoors at the very beginning of March, and I think I will do the same this year.  I just ordered the seeds for my garden and the first shipment is on its way to me!

I wanted to get a head start on spring, though.  I have a window box in my kitchen, where I tried to grow herbs last winter.  The problem is that it’s still very cold in there, because the “window” is poorly insulated. So, the herbs didn’t want to grow.  Last year, I learned that there are some plants that actually thrive in the cold weather.  Among them is lettuce.  My first planting of lettuce did amazingly well, and I had an abundance of greens come spring.  So, my thought is to try growing some lettuce and salad greens in my window box, starting, well, as soon as I get my seeds!  If I had thought of this sooner, they would’ve been planted as soon as it got cold out.  I guess we’ll see how it goes, and I’ll know for next year.  I’d love to be able to pick a salad from my kitchen and to be able to grow things indoors when nothing will grow outdoors.  It will make me feel like spring came early!