There comes a time in each unpleasant New York season-and I am speaking here of winter and summer, of course- when I just can’t take any more. (See: last two late-Augusts when I heard that the forecast was yet another day of “hot, hazy, and humid” and began crying. I wish I were exaggerating.) Well, this winter feels like it has been a long one. Maybe it is because most of it was spent waiting for, experiencing or recuperating from some type of surgery. Also, it has been pretty cold, but there has been barely any snow. What is the point of all the grey, cold, and wind if you don’t get to wake up the next day to a world transformed into beautiful, quiet brilliance? Last week I finally hit my breaking point. I just got overtired of being cold and of the biting wind and the cold rain (I mean really-rain has NO PLACE in winter).
Luckily for me, I had a very exciting and special treat waiting for me. As you may know, I love to garden. It is certainly challenging in New York, but it is not impossible. Where there is a fire escape and lax local fire authorities, there can be a garden. For Christmas this year, L’s mama gave me one of the most perfect gifts ever …a seed starter bio-dome and a gift certificate for a seed company. On Christmas morning I spent hours pouring over the seed catalogue thinking and dreaming about all the possibilities. At that point it was still too early for action, but last week, when I was at that breaking point, it was finally time to choose and order seeds for spring!
Our good friend M is also an avid urban gardener and she and I decided to start a seed cooperative. We are calling it “The Small Plot Seed Cooperative.” Our tag line (for the back of our imaginary shirts) will have a graphic of a fire escape and the words, “Escape New York.” At present our cooperative has a membership of two, but everyone has to start small right? In addition to coming up with our name and tag line, we also (and some might say more importantly) decided on our seeds and plants for this year.
Our overall concept can be captured in a single word: strawberries. We both got very excited about a product called “Growin’ Bags” that grow strawberries vertically- a very nice feature when space is an issue. So we both got a bit overexcited and decided to order a lot of strawberries- too many, in fact, for me to share the number here because I feel embarrassed. All I can say is that we were gripped by what I can only describe as strawberry fever – a virus for which there is no vaccine, nor cure. I am predicting a bumper crop this year.
I made our order on Friday afternoon and in addition to strawberries I also ordered:
Italian basil
Red Ruben basil
Carrots
Radishes
Salad greens
Heirloom tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Peppers
Lemon grass (for the cats)
Cosmos (for L)
Wow, making that list it seems like a lot of crops, but I swear I really held myself back. Honestly.
So now I wait for the seeds to arrive and to bring Spring with them. Although, I know it is around the corner. I can feel it trying to break through the cold. And if I needed anymore proof, I noticed this today…
These are the beginnings of my tiger lilies, which L found on the street two autumns ago and brought home with her. (We seem to get a lot of stuff that way.)
And I am not the only one excited for gardening season. As I was coming back into the house after taking the above picture, this is what I was faced with.
And just for good measure, this is the beautiful sunset tonight. Surprisingly, New York has some of the most beautiful sunsets ever. The sun setting over New Jersey looks better than it sounds.
