Saturday, April 26, 2014

Excited About the Little Things

I hate to be such a nerd about things, but I am really excited about our garden, to the point where I was getting really nervous and stressed that the seeds weren't germinating, at least visibly. I would check the pots two or three times every day, and still nothing. I started to wonder if I screwed something up, which wouldn't be the first time.

We've had a garden for several years, but usually planted starters that we purchased from the market or in town. Every year I kick myself because I felt like it's something we could have done this. All it takes is a little planning and initiative, and this year we finally got our act together and got the seeds in time. The key, at least for me, is keeping it simple. I got mainly tomatoes, three different varieties: Roma, Amish Paste, and some other breed that I can't pronounce even if I remembered its name. R and the kids wanted squash, peas, and beans, but the last two you directly plant.

It was fun because the kids got into it and helped choose the seeds and then get the starter pots going. I made a mistake early on by not wetting the soil, which is really dry and sort of hard to work with. Plus, when it's dry, it doesn't seem to moisten properly, which of course added to my neurosis. I found out later you're supposed to dampen it before working with it, which I would have known had I read the instructions. What else is new?

Once we had the pots ready, we brought them inside and I sat and waited for signs of life. After about a week, I was ready to dump the pots out and search the debris for a seedling. I ran into issues watering them because the liquid seemed to gather on top and not soak in, and then it didn't seem to sink in very far. So many things to worry about.

Well, after what seemed like two weeks, some of the plants started to break the surface, and let me tell you, I was so stoked. It's a pretty amazing thing to see a plant come out of this tiny seed, which will eventually bear fruits and vegetables. How can you not be in awe of it.

I'm going to take them over to the greenhouse and eventually I may need to transplant them, but that's for another time.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Tico for the pic.

1 comment:

Zach Rosenberg said...

It is a totally awesome experience to grow something with your kids. And when you're excited, they're excited. Plus, you get to show them the process of where food comes from, which is mind-blowing to me. They think you just buy everything at the store, but for them to know about the process is great.