Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Spring is in the Air

I realize many people reading this post title are thinking I have lost my mind! They are looking out their windows to see snow covering the ground. There isn't a hint of spring to be seen.

Here in the deep south, we are seeing a much different sight. We did not have much of a winter this year. It was pretty mild, and this is the warmest January I can remember in years. January is normally one of the coldest months of the whole year in South Louisiana, but not this year. We are getting a day or two of cold weather, but then it warms back up to the 70's and flirting with the 80's! I have even had to run my air conditioner a few times already this month. That is really crazy!

The biggest sign of spring are the clover patches in my grass, and many trees are already blooming along with my azalea bushes. The picture above are blooms from one of my azalea bushes. They are so pretty. I usually do not see this sight until mid to late February. My husband actually had to cut the grass earlier this month. Again our grass is usually dead and no clover in the yard.

All of this spring like weather has gotten to me thinking about my spring garden. If you want to grow your own transplants of tomatoes or bell peppers, then in Zone 9 you would have started earlier this month. I decided to skip growing tomatoes as we do not really eat them. I simply do not have the time to make sauces. I am growing bell peppers, but I have my fil giving me some next month as I only need a few plants. I usually chop them up to freeze. The main plant I want to grow this year is cucumbers. I eat at least 2-3 weekly in my salads, but I want to make Refrigerator Sweet Pickle Chips again this year. It was a huge hit with everyone. I will also get some blackberry shoots from my fil as I love fresh berries. One year I plan to tackle growing strawberries. I think I will also grow some red potatoes as well. Nothing like harvesting fresh vegetables and fruits.

Are you seeing signs of spring in your area, or does old man winter look like he is staying? Are you planning your spring garden yet? If you are, then please share with me what you are growing. I love reading about what others are doing in different parts of the country and world.

10 comments:

Mike said...

The same up here in North Texas. I was out looking at the gardens all ready and planning ahead. But I'm not too optimistic, yet. Last year in February, we became the icebox of the nation, for about 10 days,the worst winter weather I remember here paid us a visit. Remember the Super Bowl?

Unknown said...

I do remember that event Mike. I have some family that live around the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I remember them posting pictures of their yards on Facebook. I'm not too worried about snow, but you are right that we can still have cold snaps.

Dawn Conklin said...

Hi Bonnie,

I am in NJ so it is colder here then there. We have been seeing a warmer then normal winter tho. Usually January is the coldest and February is a close second but we have had more days above freezing then below. A couple years ago it was so cold New Year's Eve that many people just stayed home. It was below 0 with a wicked wind! This year it was around 50. We have been mostly in the 40's this month which is above average.

aynzan said...

Hi! The people over here in some parts the middle east have never experienced snow though the weather at this time is very cold and chilly.It's freezing in the morning and at night.Yes!I am looking forward to welcome spring and smell the sweet fragrance in the air..:)

Dearpoems said...

I got the same experience when I saw that my hometown is no longer has a cold weather. I used to wear thick blanket when sleep. But now I dont. I think that something must be going wrong.. global warming is the answer.

joeann said...

same here in Germany, we are having a mild winter.

revelations said...

I am sitting here in the frozen tundra of Canada green with envy... :)

unikorna said...

Oh Bonnie I live in blizzard-ville here, it's sooo cold it's about -14 Celsius right now. Oh how i wish spring were here...I love spring, it's like my rebirth...How about some pics with Your early spring?

Unknown said...

I can't even imagine unikorna. That is brutally cold. UGH!

The picture of the pink azaleas was taken in my yard. I did close-up so you wouldn't see the boards that we put up on that side of the house during winter. I have four of them and they are blooming, and lots of buds. :)

k and k world said...

love this flower. have a great monday BTW,