Weeds and Seeds

We didn't plant a vegetable garden last year. We were gone most of the spring and then Mr. Dreamy moved the raised beds to make way for the new barn. He scooped up the dirt and dumped it into each of the beds. Last fall, when this picture was taken, the beds were nothing but piles of dirt with lots of weeds. The weeds were even taller this spring.

If you look closely, you can see two of the raised beds

cleverly hiding in the grass! 

There are two more behind those, lost to the weeds!

Upon our return (was that only two weeks ago?!!), we Dreamers dug and discarded weeds, added more soil and prepared our garden beds, dreaming of the frost-free days to come. 

Last year my flower beds went to rack and ruin so this year I have the opportunity to try to bring them under control. I've already begun weeding, but before too much time passes, it will be time to do some seeding!

We Dreamers shopped some catalogs. We ordered some seed. We stopped at the nursery (more than once) and picked up seedling tomatoes and peppers and more seeds. We planted some flats. We planted some cold weather veggies.

Waiting for warmth!

I purchased a packet of seeds from a local shop. When I opened the packet to plant them in a flat, imagine my surprise at finding 15 teeny, tiny seeds. Fifteen?! Really?! Not only was I dismayed at the small number of seeds that I had purchased for $2.99 (doing the math, that is $ .19933 per seed), but worse yet, my interpretation of the instructions stating, "Vinca seed requires very warm temperatures to germinate" translates to "Good luck, sucker!" So, the chances of my getting one little Vinca plant from the 15 seeds in the packet were few and far between.  I would have as much luck getting a viable plant, I am thinking, by planting two shiny dimes! So that night, still a bit disgruntled, I found the "Contact Us" link on the company's Web site and fired off a brief message stating my feelings. I didn't hear back from the company. Well, not until today. Imagine my surprise when Mr. Dreamy said I had gotten something in the mail from Botanical Interests. 

What?! The company sent me two additional packets of Vinca seeds. Wow! Talk about great customer service! They do have a 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed policy, and now, I believe it! Thank you, Botanical Interests, a company based right here in Colorado. They'll be getting more of my business, for sure!