Mike, I battle green depression by ignoring it. If I didn't ignore it, I'd be starting seeds every single day in order to overcome it. It is so hard to wait until the right time, but I don't heat my greenhouse so I don't want to get so many things going on the light shelf indoors (which currently is in the garage unassembled, which helps keep me under control too) that I then have to move them to the greenhouse as they get tall AND drag out heaters and extension cords and start heating the greenhouse.

I have been doing my absolute best to ignore all the seed racks in the stores, and I avoid looking at new cool-season plant arrivals by not walking through the garden centers of the big box stores. I bet I can maintain this self-control until the fruit trees in general, and especially the potted citrus trees, arrive at CostCo, which probably happens sometime in February through early March. I don't remember exactly when they arrive, but since we shop at CostCo in the DFW metro area, it is still too early for us even when those trees pop up there. Otherwise, I'd bring home a new citrus tree in bloom every week.

I've hardly ordered any seeds at all this winter---just two small batches---because I have so many seeds left over that I didn't use last year because we were so flooded all spring and half the summer. I'm exercising self-control really well this winter, so far, and the fact that we have oodles of gigantic puddles of water everywhere does help in that regard because it makes me wonder how much usable, plantable ground I'll have at planting time. I have noticed our muddiest spot is starting to dry up, but it won't competely dry up for weeks yet. Perpetually wet soil is almost as bad as perpetually dry soil. I wish we could have it somewhere in the middle of those two extremes, especially in winter.

Dawn

I get green depression also. I try to ignore it by repotting every houseplant and cactus I have. In late Feburary I go up to TLC in Edmond and the big box stores and start bringing home cactus and small house plants that I put in pots outside in summer. I have so many already but it keeps me on the straight and narrow.

i am going to try and put up another raised bed this spring. I still need to figure out where to put it and dodge the rain.

Today I battled green depression by watering the plants in the greenhouse. That gave me 5 or 10 minutes in a warm, sunny spot with green plants. They look surprisingly good for January.

The potted fig is trying to leaf out, which I don't especially want for it to do just yet, so I moved it closer to the north wall of the greenhouse, hoping it will stay colder at night and not leaf out too soon. I also could just move it outdoors. It doesn't specifically need to be in the greenhouse. I just like having it in there so it stays slightly warmer in winter. I do wait until it has dropped all its leaves in late autumn before I move it into the greenhouse.

The other fig that is in the ground in the back garden is, obviously, more exposed to cold weather, and it usually leafs out much later than the one I keep in the greenhouse for part of the winter. The difference is that the one in the greenhouse usually gives me two crops of figs a year and the one in the ground sometimes produces one crop and sometimes two, depending on how cold the winter was and how much cold damage it suffered.

If I had stayed in the greenhouse another five minutes, I would have been dragging out flats, filling them with a sterile seed-starting mix and sowing seeds. It's too early for that, so I got out of the greenhouse before I could lose control.

It is another gorgeous winter day here, but that is going to end pretty soon.

Microgreens save my bacon! If I didn't grow those in the winter I would be depressed. Them and seed catalogs..

Well, I made it OK until this week when I ordered onions (too many) from Dixondale, and then an order from www.rareseeds.com. I got notification this morning that it had shipped. All I really needed was Yellow Monster Peppers, but you know how that goes, and I soon had a $50 order. I plan to buy bean inoculate, and seed potatoes, but I am hoping that I can resist everything else and use up the seeds I have on hand. Oops, I forgot that I bought some at the Mother Earth News Fair in the Fall.

I need to do some work in my garden, but it is cold and dreary and the ground is still pretty wet. We are supposed to be in the low 60s this weekend, so maybe I can get a few hours in. Hopefully no more seed buys, but I am going to buy some berry plants.

I worked against it a different way... I flew to Florida and went on a bike tour. Wow, that was a rude awakening coming back on Sunday.

YIKES, no more bike riding in shorts and short sleeves.... and just dead looking trees and grass.

Wish I could afford to go back. ;) The scenery wasn't bad, and the temps were awesome.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/warmridinginflorida