It’s February, which means it’s time to take stock of my garden and plan what I need to get into the ground ASAP.  I did some planting in October and November, and I put a few herbs in the ground at the turn of the new year.  Together with the hearty plants that survived the desert summer (and chronic neglect as family called me out of state several times), the garden is currently doing a-ok.  Here’s a glimpse at what’s going on here in Arizona.

In addition, one of the two eggplants is bursting into blossom, the nasturtium has taken off, a couple sunflowers are growing quite rapidly, the herbs are going strong, and there are a couple odd lettuce plantings coming up.  I planted radishes last week, and they have just sprouted.  The chichequelite (garden huckleberry) is covered in tiny blossoms, and the snapdragons, pansies, calendula, and butterfly bush look to have a bright future.  Even the okra is getting set to unfurl new flowers.

Did I mention we’ve eaten the first three tiny garden strawberries?  Nothing is quite so delicate and delicious as the first berries of the year.

I wish we could plant tomatoes, but we planted several of those in our small space last year.  Plus, we have eggplant and peppers that survived.  Too many plants in one family (Solanacea, in this case) mean a good breeding ground for pests.  We’re planting other things in the soil and working in plenty of ground eggshells for calcium to plant again in the future.  I might cave and put in one plant still (a cherry or an Early Girl), but I may not.  However, the neighbor loves them.  Surely I could squeeze another pot out there and go for it?

Regardless of where you live, what are you planning for your garden?  What stage are you in?  Are you just now ordering seeds, have you started plants indoors, or are you, like me, putting them in the ground already?