Spring has sprung. After a long, sheltered winter, it’s time to get outdoors, freshen our homes, and shed our winter coats.
This year especially, spring has a heightened sensed of renewal. With COVID vaccinations accelerating, we’ll be able to throw open our doors and spend time with friends and family.
As the days grow longer, we’ll hang out at the beach and have meals around the picnic table with fresh produce on the menu.
Here are tips to usher in spring!
Plant Herbs & Vegetables
There’s nothing like fresh vegetables and herbs straight from the earth. It’s simple to grow your own. Starting from seed is the most fun and cost effective option.
You can grow spring veggies and herbs in pots or in the ground. Both work great!
Botanical Interests, a USA based seed company, offers non-GMO, organic seeds. Their veggie collection has ten packets delivered in a gift box tied with a bow. Pretty! You’ll be eating these goodies all summer. It includes:
- Heirloom Organic Bush Bean “Blue Lake 274” or “Contender.”
- Heirloom Organic Broccoli “Di Cicco.”
- Heirloom Organic Carrot “Red Cored Chantenay” or “Scarlet Nantes.”
- Sweet Corn “True Gold.”
- Heirloom Organic Cucumber “Spacemaster” or “Marketmore.”
- Organic Pea “Sugar Snap.”
- Heirloom Organic Radish “Cherry Belle.”
- Heirloom Organic Summer Squash “Black Beauty Zucchini.”
- Tomato Bush Roma “Supremo.”
- Heirloom Organic Tomato Pole “Black Krim.”
Click here to order.
Growing herbs is a great addition to your produce garden. A ten packet collection of Botanical Interests’ non-GMO seeds (also in a gift box tied with a bow ????) includes:
- Heirloom Organic Basil “Italian Genovese.”
- Heirloom Organic Chives “Common.”
- Heirloom Organic Cilantro “Long Standing.”
- Dill “Tetra.”
- Heirloom Organic Lemon Balm.
- Heirloom Marjoram.
- Heirloom Organic Oregano “Common.”
- Heirloom Organic Parsley “Curled.”
- Heirloom Rosemary.
- Heirloom Savory “Winter.”
Click here to order.
The seed company offers a free e-book garden journal you can download. Click here to get yours.
If you’re looking for more vegetable, herb or even flower varieties, click here to see Botanical Interests’ full website.
Seed Starter Kit
A seedling starter kit lets you get a jump on your growing season. Starting the seeds inside instead of the ground will produce strong, healthy sprouts to plant outside when the weather permits.
It’s so gratifying to see your seeds “hatch” as green buds form.
This MIXC kit gives an extra advantage by having the correct supplies. The clear lid lets you keep an eye on the growth. An adjustable vent on the top regulates temperature and humidity. Mark your individual pods with the supplied plant labels. Within weeks the tiny spouts can move into larger pots or outside in your garden.
Click here to purchase.
Botanical Interests offers a free e-book seed-starting guide you can download. Click here to get yours.
Get Outdoors
With the COVID vaccine roll-out picking up pace, Americans are venturing out. Hiking, boating, and urban excursions are preferred activities. Tour companies offer these experiences while staying safe.
Viator Tours — owned by TripAdvisor — offers thousands of outdoor spring adventures.
Their large selection will have something fun to do near you. Many are single day excursions, lasting one to four hours. If you live in San Diego, Viator’s historic Old Town scavenger hunt or a hidden nature walk in the city will get you out and about. Bostonians can enjoy the spring weather on a food and history Freedom Trail walking tour. Live in Pennsylvania? Take the Lancaster Amish Country tour and connect with the community members.
Private tours are available throughout the country. Viator offers a full refund up to 24 hours before the tour should you need to cancel.
Click here to see Viator’s Tours.
Spring Cleaning Tips
There’s two schools of thought with spring cleaning. Some people love to thoroughly scrub all surfaces of their home. While others see the tradition as a tiresome necessity. No matter what camp you fall into, I’m sure most of us don’t clean the inside of our appliances as much as we should, if ever.
To make sure our dishwasher and washing machine are running optimally, they should be cleaned once a month as a preventative measure.
There are products on the market to do the job for you. Good Housekeeping recommends Affresh tablets, which tackle built-up dirt and odor in appliances. The tablets are recognized as a safer choice by the EPA. They reach all those places you don’t see or think about.
Drop a cleaning tablet in your empty dishwasher and washing machine, set it, and forget it.
Get 10% off with this link. Click here. Type Affresh in the search bar at the top of the page.
A Good Housekeeping suggestion to clean windows is Invisible Glass. The fine mist has no soaps, scents, dyes or residue.
It is streak-free guaranteed!
The correct technique is to use a microfiber cloth on an overcast day so you can see the dirt. Clean one side — inside or outside — of the window vertically. The opposite side horizontally. This allows you to see which side may have a missed spot without having to look all over both surfaces of the window.
Click here to purchase Invisible Glass cleaner.
Spruce Up Your Wardrobe
It only takes a few fun, colorful pieces to freshen your spring wardrobe. They don’t have to be pricy.
A simple cotton dress will go a long way throughout the spring and summer. And it’s easy to pack if traveling. Wear the dress with sneakers or sandals. Accessorize with jewelry or a cute straw hat depending on the occasion.
Tops are equally as versatile. White pants or a lightweight skirt with a bright blouse look fresh in the warm months. Sleeveless shells under a cardigan or denim jacket will keep you comfortable when going in and out of air conditioning.
I found a really cute, affordable clothing line — Maison Jules — with styles for all ages. The pieces I own wear well. No dry cleaning necessary as most items can go in the washer and dryer.
Here are a few go-to pieces for spring and summer:
Red and white stripped cotton dress: Click here.
Burgundy or black nylon pull over dress with 3/4 sleeves. Click here.
Ruffled long sleeve casual top (black/white or red/pink.) Click here.
Ruffled lace inset tank top (yellow, purple or black.) Click here.
Navy sheath polka dot dress. Click here.
Goodbye winter! Hello spring!
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