This might be my favorite season. But is it even a season, in the true sense of the word? This transitional time when winter wanes and the spring rises.
To see green returning to the crunchy, dry, brown ground, to feel the ever lengthening days fills me with excitement for what is to come.
Another turn of the wheel of the year, another chance to see blooms, fruits and harvests of the fruit trees and garden herbs.
I love to see the blossoms forming on shrubs and even this rosemary plant growing in the herb spiral. And the other day I was surprised to see a couple of blossoms forming on an old almond tree in our front yard.
I took a stroll around the garden and our trails to see what else is in bloom.
In our chicken coop a few volunteer peaches grow from what was probably once a compost pile years ago. I love the pink and white blossoms and eagerly await their fruits when summer weather sets in.
In my mini-garden of microgreens things are moving much more quickly than a month ago. Seedlings that grew at a glacial pace in the depth of winter are suddenly stretching towards the sun and unfurling fresh leaves to catch the rays.
Mustard and radish greens are protected under the make-shift greenhouse while this pot of light green lettuces are looking so beautiful on my front patio. Probably the time to transplant them into a garden bed or bigger pots is upon us.
As for my traditional garden that I tended too for years, all that is left are fava beans. The garden had it's moments of bounty but, for the most part was just a drain of time and a source of frustration.
As the last round of fava beans grow there I am saying goodbye to that garden and instead focusing on a couple of beds and a large collection of potted plants that are just outside my doorstep.