Hey there Rural Sprout Reader, it’s me, Tracey, with this week’s newsletter!

Published: Sun, 01/31/21

Hiya Rural Sprout Reader,

If you don’t know who I am, my name is Tracey Besemer, and I’m one of the writers for your favorite blog, Rural Sprout. (It’s my favorite blog too, but I might be biased.)

I’ve taken over our newsletter, and I’ll be shaking things up a bit.

For starters, now you can expect a weekly newsletter delivered straight to your inbox every Sunday. (If I could arrange it, it would come with a hot cup of coffee and a danish too. I’ll see what I can do…)

Each week I’ll be bringing you a few of my favorite new posts from the blog to share. I might even accidentally let slip what interesting things will be coming next week.

We want our newsletter to be an enjoyable part of your week.

Something you look forward to in your inbox every Sunday. Remember good ol’ fashioned letters from friends, with stamps and paper? Well, consider this a weekly letter from me and the Rural Sprout crew.

We’re so glad you choose to read our blog and spend time with us, so to thank you, I’m on a mission to put a smile on your face every Sunday.

Oh, did you notice our spiffy new logo? It’s pretty great, huh?

If you’ve ever read my author bio on the website, you’ll know I live in Pennsylvania. And while I may be dreaming of picking fresh tomatoes in my garden, in reality, I’m getting ready for about 10” of snow today.

That’s okay with me. I like the slow pace of winter. It gives us all a chance to slow down and rest. Spring will be here soon enough, and then we’ll all be busy.

What’s the weather doing out your way? Have you started planning your garden yet?

I did a rooftop garden last year, and it went really well, so I’ll be expanding that this year. My sweetie asked me to help him get a garden started at his place too. I think I’ve got him convinced to try raised beds.

How about you? Are you considering raised beds this year?

Since I’m so good at making mistakes, so you don’t have to, I’ve put together a list of all the most common raised bed gardening mistakes.

Grab your coffee and give it a read. I can guarantee you’ll stumble across at least one mistake and say to yourself, “Hmm, I hadn’t thought of that.”

Are you starting seeds inside right now? I got mine going this week.

I love starting seedlings inside in January and February. Those tiny little green sprouts poking up out of the dirt on my windowsill remind me that spring will surely come again.

If you’re planning on starting tomato and pepper seedlings, you should check out Elizabeth’s post.

She walks you through how to get these guys off to a good start and includes a pretty great trick for ensuring you get good sturdy stems. (Unlike my poor, spindly plants each year.)

And finally – cucamelons!

Have you ever heard of these crazy little guys? Good grief, they’re adorable! I had never heard of them until last summer. I saw them in the Baker Creek catalog.

Of course, by then, I already had my garden in. My two boys insisted we grow them this year.

They’re also known as mouse melons; how can I say no to something with a name that cute.

I hope you order some seeds and give them a try too.

Oh! And speaking of seeds, if you haven’t placed an order for your garden seeds, you may want to do that sooner rather than later.

Because of the pandemic, everyone and their brother started gardening last year (welcome to the club, we’re glad to have you), so this year seeds are selling out fast.

Get your garden planned and get that seed order in.

Well, my dear friend, that’s about it for this Sunday. Stay warm out there, and I’ll see you back here next week with more blog news and homesteading chit chat.

Peace, love, and dirt under your nails,
The Rural Sprout Team