Oh yeah. It's that time of year again. Time for Operation Black Thumb! Right now, my kitchen is full of tiny, struggling seedlings, all of whom look at me and scream, "Why'd you bring us into this world, you sadist?!"

Actually, it's not quite that bad. I'd say about 3/4ths of the seeds I started last month have come up, and considering that I'm gardening with small children, I don't think that's too bad. And I did plant a ton of seeds this year, in hopes that I'd have enough hardy seedlings come April 15th, which is the frost-free date around here. I may even have more than enough, in which case I've promised the extras to Mary and my neighbors (and all these people are so much better gardeners than I am).

The kids are having fun watching the new seedlings come up, and they have promised me that they will help me grow lots of tomatoes and beans and herbs, etc. Meanwhile, my friend Patty, who is the best gardener I know, has promised to help me put together a square foot garden for next year. We'll probably start putting together the boxes in the fall, about the time I decide I've had enough of my straggling side garden and I'm ready to rip the whole thing out.

I'll post pictures of seedlings next week, hopefully, so you can see how ambitious I am for this year's container garden. But please promise not to bring me before a tribunal for crimes against nature, okay?