Actually, it is a good time to put all that pent up energy to work doing the pre-spring tune up that will get the season off to the best possible start. Check out the tools. Is everything accounted for or was something lost, borrowed or broken that should be dealt with before it is needed? Is everything oiled, sharpened, adjusted or whatever? Is there something you promised yourself you would purchase this year? Do you have the supplies you will need early on? Are all the containers ready to go or do some need to be replaced?
This is a good time to double check the seed and plant orders. Are they complete? Have you made the proper notations about delivery dates before sending them? The seeds could come anytime, but the plant shipment should be timed to coincide as closely as possible with the time the ground thaws, usually around early to mid-April.
Have you already started some seed indoors? Geraniums, Lisianthus, and perennials that can bloom the first season from seed should have been started in January. If you plan to start veggies for the summer garden, now is the time to get set up for planting late this month. The peppers should be started first, then two weeks later, the tomatoes. All the varieties that need warm soil, the melons, squashes, cucumbers, beans and okra, should wait until mid to late-April. If they get too big to handle indoors you will lose the quality that makes the job worthwhile. You can start frost hardy flowers such as alyssum, pansies, violas and snapdragons now. It is best to wait on the vigorous vines like morning glories, moonvines or hyacinth beans until early May, but the delicate asarina will bloom earlier outside and won't get too big before transplanting if you start it now.
If you have saved seed, but aren't sure if it is good, you can test-germinate some of it in moist paper toweling before ordering more. Lay out a wet paper towel, space 8-10 seeds across one end and roll it up loosely. Place it in a plastic bag and put it in a place where it won't get chilled. Most seed catalogs tell you how long you should expect to wait for various types of seed to germinate. Check the roll around that time for germination. Recheck daily for a week past the suggested time before you give up. Be sure the towel stays moist but not saturated.
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