So, we have made tremendous progress in the garden, and I'm just counting down the days till we can comfortably put things in the ground after fear of frost.

Before Easter, the guys filled the raised beds with good quality garden soil, cared for the lawn and other tasks. We've been weeding and pulling and cleaning and carting away heaps of yard waste and just getting everything in excellent condition. The yard is starting to look very lush and healthy and in a few days it will be safe for a good mow. We'll look like we actually care about our property!

I am totally in love with the seedlings as they push up from their little pods. How cute is it to watch brand new life? And the thing I did not know is how similar all the plants look as they first emerge from the soil. The "first leaves" (or cotleydons) all pop out of the seeds looking like little teardrops. Then, after they grow and expand and help the plant absorb sunlight, the true leaves emerge. Here's what I mean:

First, little seedlings push out of the soil and they look like this:

Tiny little green flecks just peeping out of the soil. They are tiny and short and start to absorb sunlight. As the stem grows and the leaves grow, the plant starts to absorb energy from the sunlight. The cotleydons develop and grow and soon "true" leaves pop out, like you can start to see growing on these tomato seedlings:
Now the plant is ready to get moving! I swear, some mornings I come and look at the little guys and think they grew a whole inch or more over night! On this next picture, you can see how the seedlings still have the cotleydons, but their true leaves are really big and they're getting a second set!




As the seedlings grow, I've been putting them under a fan for a few minutes in the morning and afternoon, which forces the plants to grow deeper roots. Also, when the sun is nice and bright, I've been putting the trays outside to give them a day of bright sun- more than they'd get on the window seat! Of course, it's back inside again by sunset!

I'm surely going overboard with tomatoes this year, but I can't help myself. Whenever we have homemade, canned tomatoes it just tastes SO fantastic! There's something special about knowing that you can do these sorts of things for yourself. When we can go outside and pluck food out of our garden that we grew ourselves, I will be so very excited. For the time being, we'll have to just wait and buy produce from the grocery store. But when my garden is full of juicy tomatoes, you're all invited to come over and bite right in! Bring your own bib!