Nancy is about to start our vegetable seedlings.

Just the eggplants and the peppers, but that will be a sign that spring is here.

Our vegetable garden is about half free of snow, and the rest of the yard has snow only where the snowblower dumped a lot of it and on the north side of solid structures, like the compost bins.

Ignore today's cold weather and do something inside. The rest of the week's forecast looks good -- meaning no new snow. I know we usually have one more big snowstorm in late March or early April, but I am not sure my psyche could take it this year.

Normally I sharpen tools throughout the basketball playoffs, but we were out of town for the weekend, so that work will have to come during the coming week. Then maybe we can do the spring raking and some planting by April 17 or so.

If you live in the midcoast region, drop by Merryspring Nature Center at noon Tuesday, where I will be speaking about vegetable gardening. I keep telling people I am a gardening writer, not a gardening expert, but some of them like to hear about my mistakes.

In Sunday's column I wrap up the Portland Flower Show. That was a good time.

And I just noticed that this is the 100th posting since I started this blog. A milestone of sorts. Last winter I put the blog into hibernation, but I kept it going this winter even though it was a struggle at times -- at least until the flower show started.

Things should get busier now.

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