Dirt on the brain

I played around last night with the USDA's new Web Soil Survey after reading about it in Organic Gardening. If you garden it's worth checking the data for your area. I found my soil's water-holding capacity, parent material, and a host of other things to pluck a garden geek's heartstrings and deepen your understanding of your soil.

I learned that my house sits on the line between two regions, dividing the stony limestone clay front yard from the chalk-based clay back yard. Clay is clay, you say? Not so. One region drains better and has more organic matter. The other is--ha, ha!-- where I'm growing my vegetable garden.

And yes, my garden is growing, slowly. Some of last year's strawberry plants and their runners have re-emerged to join the new Chandler plants I added last month. French Breakfast radishes are popping up, which makes up for the Cherry Belle seeds that were lost to an errant chicken dustbath. Tiny Bibb and Black Simpson lettuce seedlings are up. Garlic is garlicking along but won't be ready for weeks. There are a few almost-ready carrots keeping the parsley company. Both the Dorsett apple tree I planted last winter and a small pomegranate sapling still have green leaves despite a few light freezes. The bunnies have diligently prepared the area under their outdoor pen for a new fruit tree, and the hens graciously turn the compost at every chance.

I've ordered spring seeds. The boys and I are going to try our hand at starting seeds indoors, beginning with broccoli. What are you growing right now or planning to grow this spring? Do any of you grow herbs or veggies indoors during the winter?