Full of Grace

Seeds

It has been a harsh winter in my neck of the woods. We’ve had some beautiful snow falls but they were quickly followed by long periods of sub zero temperatures making it impossible to enjoy any extended time outdoors.

But hope springs eternal and I am eternally hopeful for Spring. I have spent a good deal of time pouring over seed catalogues and planning my vegetable garden layout. Each year I try for some new foods to grow. Last year I finished adding fruit trees to my small orchard and had very successful peaches, plums and cherries - the apples and pears not so much. I may remove one of those and try apricots instead. I tried beets which I will increase this year and carrots which I didn’t think were worth the effort. I also planted some garlic in a container in the fall which I am very excited about hopefully harvesting come June.


This year I am going to up my herb game. I have always planted a pot of basil to use for cooking and caprese salads. And then I tried making my own pesto and freezing it in ice cube trays. That was a big success but it was not enough so this year I will be planting a ton of basil along with many other herbs to dry.

Generally I start all the flowers for the 24 flower boxes and the majority of my veggies from seeds I collect in the fall. Not only does this guarantee fresh, non-treated seeds but it also saves me hundreds of dollars. And I love that it is complete and never ending life cycle. My only cost is buying a couple bags of potting soil every year.


I’ve already started petunias under the basement grow lights because for some reason they take a long time to germinate and flower. Most other flowers will wait until March.









And I have started 7 pots of herbs which is probably way too early but I wanted to make sure the seeds would germinate under grow lights. This morning I spotted this tiny bit of tarragon making its way into the world.







My goal is always to have the flowers and veggies ready for a May 1st planting even though that is still a little early for a possible frost date where I live. Still I get so excited by the whole process that I can’t wait and often wind up having to cover all the plants when we get a particularly cold May night.


In these days of extreme political upheaval, toxic government fear mongering, and the shit storm they call a news cycle, I am so very grateful for the opportunity to collect and plant seeds, to nurture the seedlings and encourage the plants, to eat the fruits of their labors and again collect their seeds. The steady rhythm of the life cycle keeps me well grounded and connected and I am thankful for it.





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