Where are the crocuses?

My crocuses are nowhere to be found so far this year. I was thinking that they are usually up by now. I have them in three different spots, and there is nothing in any area. The squirrells could not have gotten them in two of the spots for sure. There is now change in the grass in the area they are planted.

While I was out looking, I did notice some other growth starting on the south side of the house by the foundation. Surprise lilies and daylilies are coming up and some iris are greening. I also found a peony bud.

Peony bud

Daylilies

Surprise lilies

Seed Inventory

I just finished doing an inventory of all of my seeds on an excel spreadsheet. I love excel for this type of work. I wanted to post a copy on here, but I cannot figure out how to do it. When I figure it out, I will post it. I have emailed Kathy of Skippy's Vegetable Garden. She seems to have a lot of blogging experience and can maybe help. If this can even be done. Any other suggestions?

Another delivery yesterday

I received my Johnny's seed order yesterday. Zucchini squash Costata Romanesco. The description from their website is as follows:
Best-tasting. Distinctive Italian zucchini, prominently ribbed. Medium gray-green, with pale green flecks and ribs. Big, large-leafed bush with only about half the yield of hybrids, but much better tasting; clearly better textured, nutty, and delicious, raw or cooked. Also a good producer of heavy male blossom buds for cooking. Packet: 30 seeds.
Days to Maturity or Bloom: 52
I have never grown this variety before. It sounds delicious, and I am looking forward to eating it!

First mail order seeds

My first delivery of mail order seeds came today from Seed Savers Exchange. I am excited more and more every day to get into the garden! The lettuces look yummy. All are open pollinated varieties. I see some colorful salads in our future!

The following are the descriptions of the lettuces, pepper, and the tomato:

Mascara - One of the most beautiful in SSE’s collection of 1,024 lettuces. Curly frilled oakleaf-shaped leaves retain dark red color in hot weather. Nice mild flavor. Bolt resistance. Looseleaf, 65 days.

Yugoslavian red - Red-tinged leaves form somewhat loose heads that can measure up to 12" across. Cutting the head in half exposes solidgreen interior leaves and an almost white center. Excellent mild flavor. Butterhead, 55 days.

Forellenschuss - Our perennial favorite, hard to find an all around better lettuce. Austrian heirloom that translates literally as “trout, self-enclosing” meaning it’s a speckled romaine. Gorgeous romaine lettuce with medium green leaves and splotches of maroon. Superior flavor. Holds very well in the summer heat. Romaine, 55 days.

Buran pepper - Extremely sweet and productive Polish heirloom. Great flavor! Medium-sized plants grow 18-24" tall. Fruits are 3-lobed and measure 4" long by 3" at the shoulders. Fruits are almost equally sweet when either green or red. Sure to be a favorite. 90 days from transplant. SWEET

Sheboygan tomato - NEW! Grown since the early 1900s by Lithuanian immigrants in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Pink paste type fruits have excellent flavor and weigh 4–6 ounce. Excellent yields, great for canning. Indeterminate, 80 days from transplant. CERTIFIED ORGANIC

Ordering seeds

Well, I ordered my abundance of seeds today. Not that I don't have any seeds mind you. I have plenty.

These are all of my left over seeds from last year and some longer than that. As you can see, there is no shortage of seeds.

I did my part to stimulate the economy of various seed companies today. I ordered from Johnny's, Bountiful Gardens, The Maine Potato Lady, Seed Savers Exchange, Baker Creek Seeds, and Pinetree Garden Seeds. Many of the varieties that I ordered are open pollinated. I tried my best to not order any hybrids. I want to start saving my own seed for following years. If I do that, I can place them in the Seed Savers Yearbook for others to buy. I also bought some heirloom Burpee seeds from Wal Mart.

Now I need to make a listing of all of the seeds that I have available for this year...

Happy Groundhog Day

Well, according to groundhog lore, there will be 6 more weeks of winter. Not that I really mind. I have enjoyed this winter with the snow staying on the ground longer than usual since the temps aren't fluctuating as much as they seem to. Plus, I need extra time to figure out what seeds to order and from which of the multiple catalogs that I have received this year. The pretty pictures and unique descriptions of each type of seed make my choices so difficult! I am really leaning toward open pollinated heirloom seeds that have not been genetically modified. Googling GMO foods will give you a pandora's box of information on this topic. I feel that we are exposed to too much in the environment already and why take the risk? This is making my choices slimmer. Until then, I will probably continue to oogle at those pretty pictures and the unique descriptions until I am forced to make my decisions so that I can get my seeds started in a timely manner.

Robins and skunks

I saw my first robin today walking into work. It was trying very hard to eat a crabapple. Spring is on it's way! I must say that I am really enjoying the winter this year though. It has been staying cold enough for the snow to stick around. I don't mind winter when there is snow. However, if it is just cold and no snow, that is a different story altogether!
I have also seen my third skunk. The first two were dead on the road, and the third one almost got killed on our way home tonight. Glad we missed!! They must be coming out of hibernation. It seems really early though. I did some checking online, and encylopedia.com stated that In northern parts of their range the animals sleep through much of the winter, but they do not truly hibernate and may emerge during warm spells. I think their thermometers are broken because this is not a warm spell!