Steve, When I said "me too" I did mean I too wanted to get them into the ground, but I did start mine indoors under grow lights. Tomorrow I'll move my pea plants outside to a semi-shady porch....I planted them about 10 days ago and need to harden them off before I can transplant them into the ground next week. Like Dorothy, I have had erratic germination when direct-seeding into cold and wet ground. I have had better luck either starting them in flats and transplanting them while very small, or pre-sprouting them in baggies with paper towels or coffee filters. If I pre-sprout them and then plant them, the pre-sprouted peas usually grow just fine. Dorothy, I hope the improved fence keeps those wascally wabbits out of my garden. It seems to keep the deer out, but rabbits are so much sneakier. These will be the first peas I've tried since we 'fixed' the garden fence. I might use the blood meal as extra insurance, although every time I use blood meal, the vultures circle the garden and house for days.....and I am assuming they are smelling that blood meal and looking for its' source. I think spring is playing hide-and-seek with us. Dawn

Well, spring has now exploded here today and it seems to be much more of an "overnight" sort of thing than it is some years. Here's the latest new signs of spring: all over Marietta (but not in our yard) the ornamental pears have burst into bloom. Plums are blooming and so are some peaches, but not the ones in our yard. (I do expect my Ranger peach to begin blooming tomorrow. The buds are already pinking, and just a couple of days ago they didn't look like they were doing anything at all.) More and more daffodils are blooming every day, and not just the early ones either. The maples have red bloom showing here in the same way that you mentioned, and some of the native trees are leafing out, especially willows and elms. I love the new spring green of early leaves. The oaks are about to bloom and they have that "fuzzy" look about them. The water lilies are putting out new leaves fairly regularly. The tadpoles are bigger every day and the frogs are staying out in the sun...on lilypads or on the banks of the pond....a little longer every day. We're seeing quite a few moths and butterflies, and tons of birds. We've also got craneflies, ladybug beetles, mosquitoes, wasps and bees. No sign yet of green lacewings, dragonflies or hornets. I'm seeing lots of bunnies, moles, voles and field mice, but no snakes yet. Every day I notice more newborn calves in the fields, and occasionally a new colt. Oh, today I noticed the bermuda grass is starting to green up, although I am not especially excited about that. The rosebushes have a lot of new growth too. Everyone's winter wheat has looked just pitiful all winter due to the lack of moisture. Now, though, since a little rain fell last week, the wheat is looking much better....thicker, taller and better color already. Only a little snow here and a lot of it melted as soon as it hit, at least until the temps dropped below freezing around 10 p.m. last night By 10 a.m. this morning, though, it was all melted away. Lovely sunny skies here today and a repeat of that is expected tomorrow.

lily, that's how our weather has been. 78 today and I just went outside to take a picture of our last snow drift! Will post a pic later.

Omg, Babs, I meant to post this last night too! For the first time this season I opened a window or two yesterday afternoon. I was doing dishes in the evening, and I thought, what's that noise? I shut off the water, kept still for a minute, and realized that I had left a window open in the other room, and it was the sound of peepers coming in! I was so excited lol, and thought, gee, I have to post this to GardenWeb! (bit obviously forgot by the time I finished my dishes!) I think it's a bit late for me, but since I lost my job I haven't been out much this year - I would usually hear them as I drove home from work at night. So it's possible they have been out and doing their thing for a few days already. But I sure was excited to hear them! :) Dee