The tomatoes have been potted up once and hopefully, the next time will be directly into the bins of the greenhouse. Keep in mind that roots develop along the stem of a tomato so you will want to bury the stem and leaves, leaving the top two or four leaves showing. Really. If your plant is really huge, lay it down on its side, covering the stem with soil. Tomatoes are surface feeders and the more root system they can develop the more tomatoes for you.

I took a nice walk around the property, all one-third of an acre, today and examined the trees and shrubs. There certainly are signs of life on everything but I am crossing my fingers.

The flower buds on lilacs develop in the fall and I am concerned about the James McFarland. The buds look desiccated. Only time will tell.

We have just returned from a week-long visit with our daughter, Andrea, and her husband, Andrew, in the Bellingham area. I must say that they live in a gardening mecca. We had great visits to wonderful nurseries.

It is especially rewarding to see Andrea’s enthusiasm for gardening. She has a good feel for what she wants to plant at their new home. She knows what she does and does not like, which is a powerful place to start from.

The cherry and plum trees were in bloom. The fields of daffodils were a marvel.

Methinks I need to cease these spring visits to my daughter.

I honestly thought I would come home and throw the breaker on the greenhouse and get the whole gardening season in gear. No. On the bright side: The skiing, on the groomed trails, is good. Not excellent. Good. So I shall keep skiing.

The violets on the window sills are looking fabulous. They were transplanted late in the winter and haven’t missed a beat. They are loaded with buds and are going to put on a lovely spring show. I can hardly wait.

The light pink epiphytic cactus (Christmas cactus) that is thriving in a cobalt blue pot, is in full bloom. Quite a show. These plants are so easy and they bloom about three times a year for me, not just Christmas. There is a darker pink one that will be in full bloom for Easter. Lovely. I picked up the light pink one at the grocery store eight years ago and it has never looked back. The one that Andrea brought home in second grade is still going strong. Although I am a die-hard fan of violets the three epiphytic cacti are a pleasure. If you run across any of these be sure to add one to your collection.

If you already have one and it has failed to bloom, just move it around until it finds a spot that makes it happy. There is no need for special attention. I have heard it said that they need a period of dark to bloom. No. Although they do like to be pot bound to flower well, which seems somewhat neglectful but obviously productive.

This is also the time of year to give your houseplants a good shower. Literally. Take them to the kitchen sink and use the sprayer to give them a good wash. If you have large house plants use the bathtub and shower. They will love it and look glorious. If you don’t have running water wait until the weather warms (it must, really) and take them outside and throw a few buckets of water on them.

Your houseplants will be responding to the lengthening daylight. If you have held off on fertilizer this winter, now is the time to resume application.

This is the perfect time to start a pot of wheat grass. Yes, the wheat that you use to grind into whole wheat flour to bake bread, just plain ordinary wheat.

Fill a container with nice potting soil and moisten it, then thickly spread the wheat berries over the surface, again water but do not cover with soil. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and leave in the light. In a matter of days the berries will germinate.

This makes a perfect grass for Easter baskets. The blade is wide and straight and strong. Much better than regular lawn grass that I formerly used.

A pot of bright green grass is just what we need this time of year, especially this year.