Heather wrote in message ...
Well, the seed catalogs are coming! It's hard to envision being outside
and puttering around in the garden when it's so cold, but with the
catalogs comes this year's plan. What's everyone doing?

We've got the 6 raised beds, as usual.

One is already full of garlic, 6 or 8 varieties, including Elephant,
Siberian Red, Chesnok, and others. I plan to intercrop some greens in
that bed.

We'll have a bed full o' herbs; another with a mix of eggplant, pole
beans, greens...I will plant what I hope will be a bumper crop of
leeks (I have several friends who are already chomping at the bit for
'em)

We'll probably pass on growing corn this year; it always ends up with
us buying our ears at the farmers' market.

The usual carrots, but a few varied types. Sugar snap peas. Roma
tomatoes. A few types of bell peppers...a few types of warm to hot
peppers...

My lovely wife would like to see some broccoli this year, so that's in
the works. I might try to grow some onions, too.

Almost most-anticipated: my 4 artichoke plants which have been
wintering over under a thick layer of straw mulch. The lowest the
temps have gotten this winter (so far) has been ~15 (F). With the
brevity of the low temps and the mulch, I hope they'll take off this
spring and end up giving us a nice crop by late summer.

The MOST anticipated addition to the garden this year is the ducks.
The kids and I are looking forward to getting 4 ducklings this spring
to help keep the bug'n'slug population to a minimum. The wife? --
She's hoping my neighborhood reputation as "that odd guy" won't be
carried over to her by me having a flock of fowl in the middle of our
city. The way I figure it, if they have names, they're not livestock,
right? They're pets.

I'm hoping to hone my skills so that when the end of the world comes,
I'll be able to provide for me 'n' mine...I've been following other
threads on this N.G....

Mark

P.S. This marks year #2 for my hearty kiwi vines growing along the
back fence (no flowers or fruit yet). Mrs. W. gave me the green light
to plant them there as long as she is allowed to harvest what falls on
her side of the fence...a tradeoff I'm more than willing to accept.

P.P.S. The garden shed is done, but I still have to complete the
gutter system so I can water only with collected rainwater. And I
still want to construct a little lean-to greenhouse on the side...not
there yet.