Dreaming of spring (again!)

So the entire city is covered with white crap (I think some of you lovingly call it "snow") and the sidewalks are ... how did I describe this to Rob the other night? Oh yeah... bacon grease on a sheet of glass. NOT the most pleasant stuff to walk on. I'm also not a huge fan of cold (especially since my landlord STILL hasn't fixed the broken window - bastard) and there's a two-inch gap at the bottom of the back door that lets in all kinds of wind and cold and such. I finally got the super to turn the heat back up when I showed him a picture of my thermostat pointing at 12°C. *sigh* I think this is going to be the year of getting the apartment into decent shape so I can move out LOL We'll see.

So long story insufferably longer (stolen from Rob, as he has a gift for that sort of thing), I got super excited the other day when I got home to find the Stokes Seed Catalogue in the mail :D

Now, most of you know I don't have a yard.... Heck, I don't even have a private balcony! There isn't a plant to be found anywhere in my house (with the possible exception of whatever may be growing in the twelve-year-old's closet, but we won't go there). I have never successfully grown anything in my life. A couple of years ago, I germinated some lovely pumpkin and butternut squash sprouts, but I came home one night to find that the cat had snacked on them *sigh* But I dream of growing things. I fantasize about having a vegetable garden that I can just go outside an hour before dinner and pick what I'd like to eat from what's ripe and ready. (I'm not kidding... I have major fantasies about this!)

I think I'm going to approach my landlord (who is basically a decent guy, just a bit slow about the whole "repairs" thing) and ask for permission to put window boxes around the edges of the shared balcony. My neighbor is all for it and is actually quite excited to teach her girls how stuff grows. If I can find a suitable planter, I may even try for a tomato plant or two (I don't want the hanging ones though. MESSY!) If I'm feeling particularly brave, I may ask for permission to plant some rhubarb in the "lawn" downstairs. :D

I am so freakishly excited about this plan that I can hardly wait until sowing season (mid-to-late MAY, for Pete's sake!). Instead of trying to start them from seed straight off, I may just buy small plants at the local nursery and see how those go, but I want SOMETHING edible growing SOMEWHERE this year. I waited too long to harvest the gooseberries that grow at the front door (they're sort of a half-assed hedge, but mmmm - berries!) and they went black (and were mostly stolen by birds and squirrels).

Now that I have a chest freezer (albeit a little one), I'd also like to hit a few pick-your-own places with the kids this year. I mean to do it every year, and then it's either a lack of space or money being tight, but something prevents it every year. NOT THIS YEAR. This is MY year. It feels like a very good year, and I think things will just be getting better and better this year :)