Welcome to the beginning of my tiny indoor garden. It doesn't look like much at the moment. I spent most of the other day moving tables around to capture what little light I do get from morning until mid-afternoon when the sun moves to my side of the building. The table is facing the southwest so let's hope it gets the best of what that exposure can give it. The bamboo still has to be moved around to find the perfect position and the decorative items I have sitting there now just for show will also be moved with pots taking their place (Buddha and the Cabbage Patch garden fairy will be close by to keep an eyes on things, have no fear). I also have a grow light on its way from Amazon which should be here this week as will my seeds and a bag of organic potting soil. The seeds I ordered are all herbs including basil. parsley, lavender, lemon balm, mint, and chamomile.
Side note: When I ordered my garden items from Amazon, the original delivery estimate was anywhere from three weeks to a month - even as late as June 2. Within 30 minutes of placing my order, I received an email stating that my delivery dates have been moved up and all of my items, seeds and soil, will be here this week. Obviously lots of people are deciding to grow gardens to provide food for their tables during this unstable time and Amazon has made them essential items. Lucky me!
An important lesson I hope to learn from starting this project is to become more patient and to live in the present moment; in a word, more mindful. I have to be patient when the seeds and soil arrive and not rush to start them without carefully reading the growing needs of each type and making the necessary adjustments. Our seemingly endless grey, cold, rainy days are not conducive to growing indoors by the windows just yet regardless of whether I have a grow light or not. I have learned the hard way from years of staring seedlings indoors that Mother Nature dictates when it's time, not we humans. Margaret Roach, in her book "Backyard Parables" says: Nature is no fool, nor does she suffer them;" Years of gardening successes as well as failures will tell me the perfect day to start them for maximum chance of survival. Beyond that, I want to be able to enjoy each and every moment, from the first seed that goes into the soil, to the daily watering and spritzing, to cheering on the first shoots, and everything in-between until I pick my first leaves. I want to experience each moment, live in each moment, and remember that all things worth waiting for take time and lots of love.
I know this tiny venture will not replace the joy I've received over the years in a huge garden of my own, or even my surprisingly successful container garden of a few years past, but it will help me to keep my focus on what is possible, not on what is happening now, and the fear that comes with it. I can stay informed and up-to-date on what I need to know, but when I need signs of new life and hope for tomorrow, there is no better way than to plant a garden however small. Even a pot of chives on the window sill is a sign that, eventually, nature wins.
And so it is.
