Spring!

Happy first day of spring! Even in Colorado, where spring comes late and slowly, we are seeing signs of spring. The aspens are fuzzy - something they do before they leaf out, willow trees are turning green, and many trees have leaf buds on them.

I just ordered 18 wild/alpine/musk strawberry plants for our patio. My oldest son saw them used on Jamie Oliver's cooking show, and asked for them. One summer day, years ago, I hiked around a ski slope while my husband rode his mountain bike. The other hikers kept bending down and picking something. I asked and was shown how to spot the tiny wild strawberries. The berries were about the size of large blueberries, they were sun warm and had a flavor twenty times their tiny size. I hope ours grow! I had no idea there were so many varieties, and so much folklore associated with these plants.

My husband and I both have the gardening bug this year, so we may end up with some very expensive produce. We always do a little bit, cherry tomatoes, some herbs, things like that. But it's been a long time since we really planned a garden. He's already built four boxes for a raised Square Foot garden. Gardening is a challenge here, small amounts of rain, big temperature swings, and hailstorms in the summer.

I know we can expect more snow, April is generally our largest snowfall month, but today the sprinklers are on, the sun is shining, and I'm dreaming of tiny strawberries.