January -- Where'd you go?

Today is the last day of January -- one-twelfth of 2013 has passed so quickly, and at my age I prefer time to move slowly.  Tomorrow  has us sliding into February, the middle month of winter.  Often this is when we have the worst and coldest weather but the last several years our weather has been mostly mild.

February, no matter how icy and nasty it might be,  can be the time gardeners begin to itch to get started. Some scratch that itch by reading seed catalogs, something I  once did but have been off the catalog lists for a long time. That doesn't mean I'm not dreaming of having a garden this year.  I accept my limitations but I can drop seeds and set out plants if I can get someone to till my garden.

When I was a kid on the farm we were always able to get Irish potatoes in the ground by Valentine's day. Some days after I was home from school I would clean the chicken house and spread the manure over the garden.  Onions plants could be set out in February and English peas could be planted if the ground wasn't too wet.  Early planted took the risk of frost, and I remember dad  pouring warm water on peas after a light snow and ice hit in April.

Yes, February can be bad but it is not too early to plan vegetable and flower gardens.