Let the gardening begin!

Spring has come early to the Pacific Northwest this year (well earned after all our weather drama last winter) and while the other Olympians are skiing and skating just a few hours north in Vancouver, this Olympian is gardening!  So far I've created a lovely color-coded Excel spreadsheet with my master plan for the year and a log to track each crop.  I cleaned up a small section of my garden last week and planted peas.  This weekend I started the first set of seeds I'm planting indoors.  I've started geraniums and carnations.  I'm not sure carnations really grow here - I've never seen them in anyone's yard - but what the heck.  I love geraniums and they grow really well here.  In the fall you can hang them upside down by the roots in cool garage or move them indoors in pots to extend them from annuals to perennials.  I've always bought small plants in the past, though, so we'll see how seeds go.  They are certainly cheaper!  For $1.99 plus a seeding dirt and a $4 reuseable plastic tray, I may have as many as 30 plants. The carnations are even less expensive.  I planted two seeds in 42 pots and still had a whole bunch left over.  I taped the envelope shut.  I have a feeling I'll be killing a few flowers along the way and I can use them to replant.