George Rieck, 68, prepares his soil before planting his spring tomatoes garden and waters his African daiseis  at the Main Street Community Garden on Tuesday, March 20, 2007,  marking the first day of spring  and the Vernal Equinox. The equinox occurs when the Earth's position on its axis, as it waltzes around the sun, places the sun directly over the Earth's equator. Day and night are of approximately equal length at 12 hours each. The hours of daylight peak around June 20, which is called the Summer Solstice, called the time when the sun stands still. The sun is again directly over the equator around, September 22, marking the Automnal Equinox.