Keeping the Plants Happy -- But Maybe Not the Cat

I'm very proud of the quality of life that my plants have. 

Gardening is Very Serious Business at the CollectingBlues household. Seedlings get planted early on, and then the garden planner comes out once I have a better idea about what I can reasonably grow.

But the really exciting part is when it gets warm and bright enough out in the sunroom for the seedlings to move...

And then for the seedlings to be transplanted. 

The seedlings really tend to take off once they get natural light, even though the electric set up is pretty adequate. So this year, I was thrilled when after having to move them early, I came back from my vacation to see that the cucurbits -- the squashes, the watermelon and honeydew, and then the cucumbers -- were outgrowing their little pods, and needed a new home.

I'm pretty sure that the eggplant, tomatoes, and pepper are not that far behind. They're doing well with their true leaves, and I think they just need another week or two to get a little more established before I transplant them to the bigger pots.

Then they'll all hang out in the sunroom for a few more weeks to harden off. The Farmer's Almanac says that the last frost will be around May 1 or so, and I'll be off on May 8, so I'm thinking planting in the garden may happen that day -- or by the following weekend at the latest. 

Of course, this time of year also involves the "Be nice to the plants" conversation with Cat. 

For this time of year, she has to sacrifice her sitting spaces so that mama's plants can grow big and strong. (She's a cat. We talk in toddler language.)

She manages, though. She doesn't get the benefit of the plants, but she gets the benefit of a happy mama.