Now is the time to start a veggie garden from seeds; here’s how

Every gardener knows that spring is the growing season.

But this year, above all others, there are things growing besides native perennials and annual weeds.

For example, there’s a growing-by-the-minute nationwide case of cabin fever, increasing concern about loved ones near and far and skyrocketing impatience with when it’s going to be safe to get back to what we previously considered normal.

And all those are, for now, the new normal when it comes to thoughts this spring, courtesy of an easily spread virus that has each and every responsible one of us hunkered down, waiting for the all clear.

Which is what makes this column so timely, because it gets us all back to our roots, so to speak, when it comes to spring and growing. And you don’t have to leave home to do it.

You see, you can — and should — start growing your vegetable garden plants now, and all it takes is a computer (or a smartphone, for that matter) to order what you need online. Well that, and some grow lights, heated mats, seed containers and, of course, seeds. And time, because as fulfilling as growing your own veggie starts can be, it does take some diligence.

(Consider Burpee’s 72-cell Greenhouse Kit for seed starting)

Which, when you think about it, is another benefit to add to those of growing and eating your own food: For every second you spend focused on nurturing the seedlings, then planting them, then helping them grow, you won’t be thinking about … well, you know.

And won’t that feel a lot more like spring?

Marcia: This is my fifth attempt to write my part of the column. Our deadline is about 10 days before it runs in the newspaper and knowing what the projections are and what the future holds with the coronavirus leaves me unsure of how to express my feelings. Words just aren’t enough.

Months ago, we had planned to write this column about Earth Day. No one could have foreseen six months ago, let alone in 1970, the year after the Summer of Love, we would be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in such turmoil.

I can remember back in 1970, we had a huge vegetable garden on our 1 1/2 acres that we jokingly called “The Ranch,” because in Southern California, acreage was hard to come by.

My dad rigged the plumbing in our midcentury modern house to repurpose gray water for use on our vegetable garden.

The only time I’ve been without a veggie garden was during my college years. My apartment didn’t even have a balcony to grow potted plants.

Last year, Dennis and I wrote about building our official raised veggie beds (bit.ly/pecksraisedbeds). It worked out wonderfully and we had a bounty of produce well into the fall.

With people worried about social distancing, food scarcity and the need to ground themselves to relieve stress, a vegetable garden could be the answer.

Growing your own food from seeds is easy and fun. Our daughter Madeline is the real farmer in our family and along with our granddaughter Noelle helped me start seeds in our dining room that will be planted in the garden later in the season.

I’m truly looking forward to the time when the sun is warm and the vegetables are colorful and ripe and ready to be shared with neighbors, friends and family and we have moved past the worst of this crisis.

It feels like we are out of balance with the Earth and each other. I’m hoping the good that will come out of this crisis will be that we realize we are more alike than different and come together in ways we can’t imagine while finding the best in ourselves and each other. Take care and stay well. We are all in this together!