As I drove home from work today, tired, a-weavin' and a-bobbin' through the Friday afternoon traffic I thought I'd get a short nap before I do some work in the wee garden. I have some basil and sugar snap peas to transplant. My potted trees have leaves in chartreuse and I'm not sure if it's because I kept them in the house for 3 days or it is its natural color of new leaves in spring.

 And so I found parking in front of the house, a rare happening especially on a Friday when all the youth it seems to me invade Long Beach to eat drink and be merry. As I walked to the gate, my eyes looking straight ahead, saw a most delightful thing that totally wiped my tiredness away. There on the porch was the box I've been waiting for, waiting for me. I became a kid let loose in a candy store.

There's a cherry tree in my house...in fact, there are two and a blueberry bush. I knew I will not be able to sleep well if I'd left them outside knowing  Mr. Frost is giving a visit. When Steve came home last night from giving a guitar lesson, he was surprised,  and wondered how (and if I carried the pots) I brought them in. I dragged them heeeeeeeavyyy pots. Zachary loves it. He likes the jungle feel it gave our little space. They're going to spend another night inside just to make sure. Two other things I brought in are dirty rectangular pots that nurse my future mesclun salad and Zach's favorite green garden snack---sugar snap peas. The rest, flowers seedlings, swiss chard, malabar spinach, baby stevia plants, etc. I left to fend for themselves out in the cold hoping they'd make it. The pots of stevia are not well.
Meantime, in the darkest corner of my wee kitchen, my sprouts are happily growing.

cherry tree by the doorway

Cherry tree number two and blueberry bush

mesclun and sugar snap peas

my mini sprout farm currently sprouting  blue french lentil, radish, broccoli , peas,  alfalfa  and fenugreek

They like to sleep and grow in the dark

A chicken sandwich is simply more fun to eat if crowned with fresh home-grown sprouts, not  to  mention all the nutrients the sprouts carry. Although alfalfa and clover look identical, clover has a certain taste while alfalfa is just plain crunch. I realize then, I can sneak (tasteless)  alfalfa sprouts in Zachary's favorite mango smoothie drink...laced with mint from my pot garden of course. 

chicken sandwich on wheat bread

Zachary's sweet mango smoothie speckled with mint  and and a handful of  sneakity alfalfa sprouts
 So  Zachary gulped this down and said, "Mommy, you're the best!"

YEAH!!!  Am so proud of me! (-:

jjjjj

My little chatterbox was my "big helper" planting seeds in the pots. What a pleasure to see him showing interest in planting, growing and most of all eating  off our plants. It looks like we will have a bumper crop this season as he sealed our home farming with a prayer. He goes:

"Dear Lord, please help these seeds grow so we can have something to eat, OK?"

seed markers 

Meanwhile this pirate who sprouted out of nowhere from a long hiatus awaits the growth of his  healthy organic garden  by eating pizza. AAAARRRGGGG!!!!

"Grow green with spring." said Thoreau.
So I sprout seeds for sandwiches and salads. Brings good health as well as many a teaching moments for Zachary who's been showing interest in gardening and growing things. This batch of  clover, alfalfa and  adzuki sprouts will be followed by broccoli, radish and fenugreek. A good soak and  2 rinses a day for 3 to  4 days and our sandwiches get a good crunch. Takes care of our salad needs too. What a cheap healthful fun treat!

my makeshift sprouting jars

clover sprouts

adzuki sprouts

alfalfa sprouts

Funny, this plant and about four other clusters appeared in my garden and I have no idea what it's called. I googled and bing-ed to get acquainted with it but to no avail. Tonight, I finally took out  my "A Garden for All Seasons" book, opened it to browse, when lo and behold, on the very page  was the plant itself.
                                         
                                                           Hello, Viola biflora!!!

Leafy stems are smooth and have a succulent appearance

heart-shaped leaves, edges are slightly serrated



Vivid yellow flowers.
I took this shot at dusk and the flower closed shop for the night.



Visiting Blogs

The past days, I have been indulging myself with the little free time that I have visiting 4 blogs about gardening. What an inexpensive way to pass my time, yet I am inspired, enriched and amused. They are  66squarefeet, mytinyplot, seventeeneightyfour (this blogger was my classmate in college)  and germinatrix.
Reading them just make my fingers itch (so) for  glorious soil.

I  pruned my  Montauk daisies and did not have the heart to throw away the  cuttings. Now they brighten my  bathroom with their  sprouting leaves.

Zachary's potted blueberry bush getting ready to  flourish

After puttering in the  wee garden, we went for some sweet snacks

In my garden this is my  bumblebee