Spring seems miles away

I don't like to be the type of guy that complains about the weather. I chose to live in New Jersey, and when I did that, I understood that there would be humid summers and snowy winters. That's part of the reason I chose to live in New Jersey, after all. So when the weather does what it's supposed to do, I smile and nod while listening to others complain that this year -- yet again-- it did exactly what it did last year, and the year before that. And the year before that. But when you've bought a piece of property that you're planning on turning into a farm, and said piece of property sits dormant, covered in snow, and you've been reading up all winter on how to do the coolest things in the world, but all you need to do those things is warmer weather and a wheelbarrow, you get pretty sick of said snow. Not that I'm complaining. Instead, I've found more creative ways to explore the wonders of cultivating food. With a couple of second hand hydroponic grow tents and a 4-foot T5 grow light, I'm jetting a jump on spring. With the setup that my friends described as looking "Very Illegal," I'm able to spend each of the many snowed-in days that we've had in recent weeks starting seeds that will be transplanted outside after the last frost. I ordered some hops rhizomes a few weeks ago. I wasn't expecting them to arrive as quickly as they did--most places won't sell them to you until you're a couple of weeks away from the last frost. I ordered four different rhizomes, and I'll tell you, I never expected them to grow so quickly. After researching the strains that are used to make beers that I like, and cross-referencing that list with the list of those that grow best in my area and then again with the list of those that are resistant to disease, I ended up with Williamette, Horizon, and Fuggle.