The problem is the solution...and a pre-weekend roundup

A lot of people...ok, the few I have talked with about my horticultural persuits assume that my goal is to one day move out into the country with lots of land to farm. Its not. Actually. I prefer (as much as I love elbow room) to have things within easy reach. And by things I mean family, friends, parks, the theater, etc. Its so easy to dismiss the suburbs as the vapid soul-less, cookie cutter resource hogs that they can easily become. But as permaculture teaches us, something is only a problem if its cannot be needs cannot be met within the system. While each of "in the know" might be able to move into the country and farm a few acres and make a big impact on our own lifestyles, that doesn't do a whole lot for the planet unless everybody does it too, and there is not enough land or ambition for that to come to fruition. The suburbs, properly employed, can be a boon rather than a drain. And driving (or perhaps more hopefully) walking by seeing your neighbor's lush beds of flowers and produce instead of a lawn that needs to be mowed makes you wonder why you couldn't do the same, it may even make you stop and ...gasp...talk to someone face to face and ask them about what they are doing.

and for the readers who might not otherwise know about two other excellent sites:

PTF has a post about spring fever...in January? Excuse me while I let a bit of jealously seep out. I'm still staring longingly at my stacks of seed envelops and out the window at a ground that can't decide if it wants to freeze again or not. This winter has been seriously messed up. We have blizzards one week, then I kid you not 79 degree weather the next...but the climate is fine...riiiiight.

Onestraw gave an excellent example of a garden rotation and succession planting schedule. For me its always easier to watch someone do something and then figure it out for myself than to read instructions and try to proceed without first seeing and example. Just my learning style I guess.