One of the hard things about the winter months is waiting for spring, especially with the anticipation that comes from planning your garden. This year was especially difficult as we experienced a very different spring that started with a warm up, only adding to the gardening fever, followed by the third coldest spring on record and two late snows. The late spring coupled with the state track meet made for planting the garden a week later and a simpler gardening plan. This year I am only doing one 25 foot by 60 foot garden to make things more manageable.

With the decision to not do two big gardens came some decisions on what to plant and what not to. So with the goal being to simplify we focused on the things we really enjoy as a family, salsa, spaghetti sauce, corn, potatoes and green beans (more of a labor of love for Angel than a personal love!) This year the list of must haves may be shorter but they are still yummy:

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Green Beans
• Onions – Yellow
• Potatoes – Yukon Gold
• Corn