I was debating whether or not to grow cucumbers this year since they are so buggy and disease-ridden, but after reading about the disease-resistant ‘Diva’ cucumber I’ve decided to add it to my plan. Now I have to figure out whether I need to trellis them.

And speaking of… I bought these SALVIA trellises from IKEA at the end of the season last year. They were on clearance for $2.99 and I was sure I could use them for gardening so I snagged a whole cart-full! As I loaded up, people started asking what they were for. I said, “I don’t know, gardening or something,” and the pallet was empty in minutes. ;)

Last year I used them to hold up the tomatoes since they are really sturdy. It will be nice to use them at the beginning of the season this year – would make a good trellis for beans or peas – and now maybe cucumbers!

–the soybean

I was getting pretty antsy about starting my garden so we went to Drake’s 7 Dees this weekend. I always prefer a local garden center over the facelessness of Home Depot or Lowes and today I wasn’t disappointed! There are real people walking around, ready to answer questions and help.

I brought my BHG garden plans with me, so I showed a Drake’s employee. She was quite excited and after a few minutes there was a small crowd gathered around to help! Apparently one was the “orderer” so he had all the dates the various plants would come in. They thought it was a little early for my Mailbox Garden and suggested I start with the planter box Easy-Care Cottage Garden and wait to tackle the Mailbox Garden in late April or early May.

The Osteospermum caught my eye right away – there was a ton of variety and they all looked pretty healthy (not that I’d know how to spot an unhealthy plant). There were some interesting textured ones with twirled up petals, but I settled on the classic shape in a light purple shade and orange. I was researching color combinations when I got home and found this awesome photo from the Garden Wise Guy – Mexican Evening Primrose and dark purple Osteospermums. Oh well, I already committed to my Osteospermums and Nasturtiums!

My total purchase was three 4-inch Osteospermum plants, a packet of red and orange Nasturtium seeds and a packet of Morning Glory seeds (that I may use in the side yard).

The Osteospermums are already in the ground! When we got home I tilled up the flowerbed and added some leftover soil from last year’s veggie garden. They look really tiny all alone in that big planter box. I hope they fill out. And it’s still too cold to start the Nasturtium seeds, so I think I’ll wait until after vacation. The only other things in that flower bed are tulips – I hope they don’t bloom while I’m in Mexico.

In all, a good start.