Coupon queen, coupon queen, how does your garden grow..

Not very fast right now! But it's still sort of green out there.

I discovered this brilliant website where you can type in your zip code and find out your specific grow zone..

http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

Definitely helpful when thinking about plating your goodies in the spring.. or like me, thinking about when you can get your fingers back in the dirt again, and wondering how late in February does that mean you have to wait! Or June depending on where you are LOL I have lived in both types of places, and I much prefer the long slow cool seasons of the Pacific Northwest..

So this year I have been ordering a ton and a half of catalogs ( if you too want some, go here for a good list: http://freebies.about.com/od/homegardenfreebies/tp/seed-catalogs.htm) I have discovered some great heirlooms and am really looking forward to a few things this year:

Blue baby tomatoes.

Purple asparagus.

Tons and tons of sweet English peas.

Any tomato really- but bring on those heirloom colors. (See how they get 2 mentions.. yeah, I love tomatoes).

Various organic kales.

And start my list of herbs in the A section and just start listing form there.. the herb garden will be big, of this I vow. No more patio pot gardening, I have soil now! Mints galore and lavenders and, well.. the farmers market and the nursery will know me well this spring for sure.

And those beautiful heirloom spinach varieties..

I'm getting hungry now! And in the mood to plant things.. I have to pace myself though.. I can justify transplanting the potted things now and doing some of the work with the dormant things like that satan spawn english Ivy (That invasive destructive crap should have a flamethrower taken to it.) But I am starting to run a little low.. I still have some fruit trees to get in the ground.. I think our neighbors though we were insane to have a small patio orchard, but it was brilliant and now it will be grounded. The weather here is a meek 40's and 50's through this time of the year, dipping into the upper 30s with an occasional cold snap, so I figure I am safe.. they'd be potted outside anyhow.

To bed with this gardening girl now.. while visions of ORGANIC plums dace through this head..