"...but it's the first time in a long time I wasn't too sick or broke to work on my garden, so I'm going to enjoy it."

I'm right there with you -- I'm coming out of a 5 or 6-year "funk", made worse by the death of my gardening buddy a few years ago and a recurring injury. I still gardened and took care of things, but without much joy. I'm feeling different this year, looking forward to getting out there, it's like all of a sudden the sunshine is back. :0)

I have a lot of native plants for the pollinators, so I've got that covered. Trust me -- plant it and they will come; may take a few years, but they'll find you.

I'm planting my usual flowers and vegetables, nothing new or out of the ordinary, but re-visiting some old favorite annuals. I'm still trialing tomato cultivars (slicers), so I'll get some transplants of new-to-me varieties; the others I know I like I'll grow from seed, like the majority of my vegetables. I'm on the lookout for a couple more hazelnut bushes and a seedless Concord grape and another apricot tree. It's too early up here for nurseries to have anything out yet, that usually doesn't ramp up until mid to late April, so I'll be busy shopping in another month and a half or so. :0)

For my Spring garden I've already planted Peas and Lettuce seed in ground and have Spinach almost ready to pick (planted last Nov). Today I'm busy prepping the rows for Broccoli and Cabbage transplants to be put out in a few more days. These will be followed by carrots and beet seed planted by Apr 1st. Up next, the Summer crops by late April/early May.

If I had your wonderful soil dirtygardener I'd plant far more than I do. I was born and farmed on that soil where it runs East along Red River. As it is I'm o n the miserable black clay South of the good stuff and I hate it. Anyway I do have huglekultur beds where I grow tomatoes, green beans, squash and a few other things. Like many other plants, tomato verities are suited to various zones. I've had the most consistent success with Celebrity tomatoes over the years, I recommend you try a plant or two for comparison to others. Grayson County Master Gardeners are having a meeting and plant sale in a month or two (too late imo) so you might enjoy that if Cooke doesn't have something similar.

Fava plants went in two weeks ago. I have lettuce and brassica seedlings coming on and a few artichokes which haven't yet emerged. These days I raise my plants indoors in a greenhouse and then transplant. I've tried direct sowing over the years and more often than not seedlings area eaten by the snails the moment they emerge. Plants stand more chance. Next to sow will be runner beans, courgettes and squash.

I am planting peas (already in), spinach, swiss chard, lots of pak choy, bok choy --- all the choys. And my favorite is Tatsoi. My ginger is also coming up in the greenhouse. If you are on instagram I am @kitchengardensdaily if you would like to see what I'm up to!

If you are interested in a planting calendar (it's free) - I created one. I'm a long time gardener and data nerd, so this is what I spent the last couple of winters working on. :)

We use NOAA historical normals from the last 30 years to determine exact frost dates for your zip code, and then we dig into your microclimate to make sure your planting calendar is completely solid for YOUR garden. There's 44 plants in there at present.

Free garden calendar

I'm 76 with severe Fibromyalgia and Arthritis, so I'm trying to force myself to cut back on my garden, but it sure is hard! Especially when I always get Spring Fever. :) I will continue to plant things I've planted for years: County Fair cucumbers, Waltham butternut squash, Roma and Rutgers and Sun Sugar cherry tomatoes. Haricot vert and Blue Lake bush beans and maybe Romano beans again...but I'm trying to limit myself.

I'm tempted to not plant peppers again and maybe only Swiss Chard instead of other types that I end up not paying attention to. I usually grow the Butternut squash up fencing on my children's old swing set, but I think I'll put fencing on the ends now too, to grow the cucumbers up this year, instead of using an arched cattle panel. I hate cutting back. I hate growing old.

So do I cat but it beats the alternative.

Will replace many of the freeze-killed things; have not thought about planting any others.

Well, it's April and I still haven't planted a thing, other than some cuttings I rooted over the winter to save for spring. I'm going to try to plant some pigeon peas this weekend, some for the squirrels and some for me. Some of my veggies survived the freezes, so I'm babying them.

I am planting [God willing] 8 plantings of sweet corn...Incredible, Honey Select, Simply Irresistible, and Ambrosia. Also Brandywine Pink Suddeth Strain tomatoes, broccoli, cauuliflower, lettuces, sweet potatoes, potatoes [mostly Kennebec], strawberries [4varieties...planted last spring....Galleta, Flavorfest, Jewel, and Dickens], watermelons, green snap beans, lima beans, onions, carrots, sweet peppers, beets, butternut squash along with decorative pumpkins, glads, crested cockscomb, zinnias, and poppies.

No more veggie garden for me - we sold our hurricane damaged house and closed April 9, and we've been renting a condo since December 2024. It does have a small south-facing screened balcony and I have 2 earthboxes, herbs in pots, and today I finally finished potting up some things I brought from my former yard: crinum and zephyr lilies, garlic chives, ponytail palm seedlings, plumeria, dracaena, bilbergia.

The herbs are rosemary, sage, marjoram, basil, arugula, and Italian parsley. I started the sage, basil and rosemary from fresh cut herbs I bought @ Trader Joe's, marjoram and parsley are from seed. I also have mixed lettuces and 2 small cracker rose plants I managed to start from cuttings - I think it's Louis Phillipe. I also have a couple of sambac jasmine cuttings that are finally putting out new growth.

I also have some cuttings of pink turk's cap, and will try rooting those.

Man - I miss my home grown tomatoes! I grew indeterminates in ground. Tomande was the best, very disease and pest resistant with wonderful flavour and extended harvest, but I couldn't find seeds for that starting a couple of years ago. I did try some others that did pretty well, but I can't recall the varieties now.

I miss rattlesnake pole beans too - so tasty and pretty - multiple harvests too.

I'm trying two new greens (I like greens and freeze a lot) this year that I'd never heard of before--Amara and Madeley rounded leaf kale. The Amara, which is a mustard, is doing well and so far I have mixed the young leaves with other mustards of various types to add to salads for depth of flavor. The Madely will be a fall crop, along with collards.