Seedlings started...medicinal herbs...

This week we are starting various herb seedlings!  Most of the medicinal herbs take a long time to germinate.   For example, lavender, thyme, sage, hyssop, arnica, and a few others. Maybe we'll start some flowers too, even though it's early for those. It would just be so nice to have marigolds blooming in the greenhouse by April!

So, hooray, it's finally time to get our hands into some nice warm earth again. Our 2 1/2 year old couldn't wait - she already planted some Jacob's Cattle beans (that we saved from last season) in small containers with her Papa last week, and has faithfully been watering them. She also tends to all the indoor house plants, checking and watering daily as needed. We have a great south-facing window in our strawbale addition, with extra wide ledge because of the width of the bale wall.  It's perfect for herbs and plants over-wintering.  This year our little one is going to have her own plot in the garden - so she's been practicing!  She has already declared she's going to be growing "everything" in it! Well, I think for this year we'll encourage her to try cherry tomatoes, beans, peas, carrots, spinach, lettuce - things that can be eaten fresh right off the vines!