Is it spring yet?

Spring has been stubbornly refusing to take hold here, so this year I love it even more that I have little green seedlings growing indoors. I have a little bit of spring to look at, even though the view out the window still looks barren.



But that's not the only reason I start my own seeds instead of buying seedlings. I do it because I am crazy and I like to do things the hard way. True story. But, I also do it because I love engaging in the whole process from seed to garden to harvest. Plus there are so many unusual varieties of veggies available in seed catalogs and online. Yeah, I can't be satisfied with tried-and-true standard variety vegetables, I have to have black tomatoes, purple carrots and rainbow sweet peppers. Because I have such a small garden space (my front porch) I like different varieties of veggies and herbs to add color and shape, instead of planting a lot of flowers, which would take up valuable food-growing space. This is my 5th year starting my own seeds and I'm still experimenting with different varieties. I have found a few favorites (like black cherry tomatoes!), but my guess is I'll forever be experimenting and searching for weird seeds to try.