Spring Has Sprung

Spring officially sprung in the Northern Hemisphere on March 20, 2012,  although you wouldn't know it by our recent weather. More daylight and warmer temperatures are on the way and the recent March rains and Sierra snow will really help our water situation, which is still not as good as it could be in California.

Spring always brings longer daylight hours and warmers temperatures (eventually), green hills and, of course, baseball! And lots of other things. We spring forward in time, springs flow and plants spring up out of the ground.  It also seems to spring people into action, to clean their house, start planning a vacation, or getting out and starting a garden. Also I hear you can stand a raw egg on end on March 20th. If you try it, please let me know if it works. So much fun!

I've been busy outside preparing the soil for planting.  If you still have leaves around, you can rake the leaves where you plan on planting a garden and turn them into the soil now. This does a few things. It can take care of weeds, enrich the soil and get rid of the leaves.  It is also a good time to check your soil and see if it needs anything. A good test is to dig a hole and fill it with water. If it doesn't drain well add sand or soil amenders. Martinez has great soil, but some parts, usually the higher up you go from the valley floor, have clay soil which needs help to grow good vegetables. Also think a little about deer. I counted 12 in the field the other day here and all are hungry, waiting for us to plant our gardens. A tall deer fence might be a good idea because there is nothing like seeing that all your hard work is gone in the morning to take some of the fun out of gardening.

This is also a good time to think about the fire dangers we face in the summers. Keep a defendable space around your house free of dry weeds, brush, and tax collectors. And speaking of taxes, well, it is that time of year.

But overall, spring is a great time. You can see just by the Community Calendar in the Martinez Gazette and in the events section of  Martinez Patch that spring has come and people are cleaning their houses and getting ready to plant. Master gardeners will let you in on some gardening secrets, 6:30pm March 20th at the library, for a great cause, a in Walnut Creek (worth the drive), tax preparation for those of us clueless about taxes, and finally to a bargain book sale April 21st at the Martinez Library.

Also people may be cleaning out their homes of old guitars, so always check the on Main Street for great new and consigned musical instruments. There is always something new and cool coming in there. Also all our great stores. When people clean up and clear out, you find deals. And garage sales. The list goes on.

So now back to cleaning the kitchen. Once you start, cleaning is fun and also good for you. And when you're done you can relax and go to work. Ugh