I plan to go through my pots & clean them out soon.   It’s very cold here, so I brought some of the houseplants I had in the garage indoors.  However, my peppermint plant is doing great surviving the winter under a grow light.  So is my prickly pear cactus.  I like to start my plants early, as in January for some of the plants that take longer to germinate.  I will leave some (like tomatoes) until March & will start the plants that need warmth still later, but by starting the very first plants in January, it’s possible to have something to put out that can survive the cold & free up space to start other plants for the summer to take the place of the ones you put out in the early spring.  It also allows for great production.

Today’s Spanish Word of the Day is “avidez”, meaning “greed, greediness, desire”.” In Portuguese that would be “avidez” also, while in Italian, the word is “avidità” (according to WordReference). My own Italian dictionary states that “avarizia” is a better word for greediness, unless we’re talking about food, when golosità or ghiottoneria may are alternate (perhaps more precise) options…

I try not to be too greedy with my vegetable garden, but production is best when it’s possible to start seeds early…  Even soaking them in water overnight before planting them can help also.

Today I began planning my vegetable garden for next year.  What do I want to plant?  Do I want to plant more of this & less of that?  I’ve also begun looking at when I want to seed my starter plants at home.  I’m starting my very first plants indoors in January, because the first round of thyme & parsley should be started early.  Next thing you know I’ll probably start peas in February & tomatoes in March.  I also have some new flowers I’m trying this year.

I’ve also completed plans for the layout of my garden.  A garden should be laid out differently every year because different plants put different nutrients in the soil & it does affect how the other plants around it grow.  This year I’m also planning to place more flowers aside my vegetables & herbs for ground cover to protect against weeds.  I may use lemon balm again.  Those plants grew nicely last year & covered the ground well…

I also enjoy languages.  Today’s Word of the Day for me is “perspicacious”; A perspicacious person is someone with acute mental vision or discernment: keen.  The word in Spanish would be “perspicaz”, “sagaz” (sharp, clever) or “intuitivo/intuitiva” (intuitive). Italian is “perspicace” or “acuto” (sharp, acute). If we’re speaking in Portuguese, the word “perspicaz” can be used, same as Spanish…