If At First You Succeed ....

"Gardening is full of mistakes, almost all of them pleasant and some of them actually instructive."

Henry Mitchel, "One Man's Garden."

It's been over two weeks now and the only success I've had with my tiny table garden have been a very few tiny shoots of the chamomile seeds that I sowed ... and my carrot top which is sending out lovely little fern-like foliage. Everything else is a non-starter, including the avocado pit (I suspect they make them like that on purpose but I'm not assigning blame here). So this weekend I loosened the soil, condensed my little pots, and tried again. This time I covered them with see through plastic coverings to create a mini hothouse effect that, hopefully, will help the seeds to germinate better. Before this last week it's been so cold and windy outside that even with heat on and the grow light going, my apartment felt more like February than May - we even had snow for Mother's Day! It's been much warmer this past week so I hope that the better weather, and my few adjustments, will make a difference. If not, Memorial Day Weekend will find me at a nursery picking out already started herb plants. While I am ok with the concept of "try, try again," I'm not a gardening masochist - if seeds don't work, try plants!

It seems that this lesson was something I really needed to download this week. Another example was brought to me by a very tenacious male bird from next door. There is a flock of grackles that have taken up residence in the former home of my sweet little squirrels who were terrorized and driven off by this bunch of angry birds. Nest building has been going on rabidly at various locations under the roof line next door as if they were contestants for The Big Race. The reality is that mating season is in full bloom over there and nests will be needed post haste! One young male bird is probably the most dedicated example of "try, try again" that I have ever seen. Every morning he is out there on his favorite perch on the side arch of the building, waving his wings, shaking his tail, and singing his heart out. Occasionally a young lady will sit down next to him and, throwing introductions to the wind, he takes care of business in a matter of seconds, flying off and leaving the stunned young lady wondering if it was something she said? In minutes, our Romeo is back and singing his heart out again. Some ladies catch on to his lack of education in the ways of women and take off as soon as he makes a move, but that does not deter our guy. I have seen him sit out there all day, morning to night, rain or sunshine, singing and waving. What he lacks in technique he more than makes up in staying power. You have to admire him for that.

Try, try again. Nature gives us all kinds of examples, doesn't She? A tulip that dies back when Spring is over and Summer moves in comes back next Spring to delight us again. Autumn may take the leaves off the trees but come Spring the green is back. We suffer a loss but somehow, in the midst of it, we wake up one day and find a new reason to smile. Try, try again. Keep trying, folks. It will all make sense in the end.

And so it is. 

Ready, Set, Go!

And so it begins! I started my seeds yesterday. I also added a basil plant that I picked up at the Healthfood Store the other day because I knew that it was organically grown, and because my own basil seeds haven't arrived yet. I was able to get three little plants out of it in addition to already harvesting some of the bigger leaves to share with my BFF who loves cooking with fresh basil as much as I do. So far I have mint, chammomile, lavender, and lemon balm (the parsley is coming with the basil - can't be a proper Italian cook without parsley AND basil).

You may notice that there are a few strange looking things that are not seeds. My avocado pit is starting to show signs of splitting, something that all the plant websites assured me was normal and a sign that the roots and shoots would be forthcoming. I also clipped off the top of a carrot and put it in water. It is already starting to sprout. I don't expect to grow carrots in a pot but I've always loved their leafy tops simply as decoration. Sometimes looking around at what you have on hand and thinking outside the box can produce some really creative ideas.

Life is alot like that, too. Especially during these times of change and upheavel where we find ourselves living our lives from a whole new place of understanding. How many of us have been looking around our homes asking ourselves: "What can I make for dinner with what I have in the house," or, "What can I do to get my mind and attention off the constant bombardment of news and fear?" How many of us are finding that getting out even if it's just a walk around the block is clearing our minds just as the newer, clearner, less polluted air is cleaning our planet without all those fossil fuels we would normally be pouring into it every day? More often than not, when we challenge ourselves to look at our lives, and our world, from a different mind-set, we can create the most amazing things. I'll  never grow tired of my sharing my very favorite Wayne Dyer quote:

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

Kind of makes you look at a carrot in a whole new light!

And so it is. 

Gathering The Essentials

There is an old Greek saying that goes: “Bean by bean the bag gets full.” This is what I tell myself as I pull together the things I need to start my tiny indoor garden. This last week the starter potting soil arrived as did some more seeds. The grow light is here, and I have even started to look around my home for other things that I can use like the avocado pit now sitting in the glass of water, or cuttings from veggies (I don’t expect to grow carrots in a pot on the table, but the green tops would be nice).  It’s kind of like thinking outside the box that says “gardening do’s and don’ts.” As my new favorite gardening hero, Monty Don, always says: “Don’t be afraid to break the rules when it comes to gardening.” I still have to wait another week or two before I actually start the seedlings until our MIA spring weather finally comes to stay instead of just paying a visit, bringing the temperatures and light that will help even indoor seeds to get a better start in life. As my mom used to say: “all good things come to those who wait.”

Keeping my focus on this project has helped me see things from a whole different perspective. It’s taken me away from the endless grim reports and finger pointing of TV and online news and shifted my mind to making things grow. Not just looking for innovative and creative ways to grow things in a tiny space with very low lighting, but using the same mindset to create how I want to spend the rest of my time outside of gardening.? How do I want to grow the way I live, the way I interact with the world and the people in it, and how can I plant seeds of community involvement, support and change? How can I make a difference with the way I spend my money, use energy, live more sustainably? And what essential things and people do I need to gather to me to make that all happen?

If there is one thing I’ve taken away from all of the successes and failures of learning to garden over the years it is that sometimes the tiniest seed will yield the biggest return. It only takes one that has the strength and courage to push through the soil into the light of day.

And so it is.

In The Beginning ...

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. 

Plant A Seed And Watch It Grow

"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."

Audrey Hepburn

I know so many of you are feeling helpless during this time. I know I am.  Sure, we can donate money, reach out and stay in touch with people virtually and on the phone, and post positive, reassuring thoughts and quotes on Facebook, but there is a part of us deep down inside that needs to "do" something, a physical action that energizes our bodies and minds. Planting seeds is my answer to fulfilling that need.

I've mentioned before that I was thinking about starting some kind of an indoor garden in my tiny space, but all I've done is talk about it. Today I am digging out the little pots I have stashed under the sink in the back to see what I've got and what I need. Not being able to get out, I'll have to rely on family to bring me what I'm missing, namely potting soil and seeds. Who knows? I might even have some seeds stashed under there as well - you never know what I might be holding on to "just in case I need it in the future." I can also get some seeds by saving those I find in fruits, like apples, or the tops of carrots, or even a potato. I may not be able to grown root veggies in a pot. but that doesn't rule out being able to enjoy the green and flowery tops. Anything that grows is a plant worthy of appreciation.

There is something about planting a seed and watching it grow, nurturing it along like a mother hen clucking over her chicks (or an eagle ... my Decorah Eagle mom just welcomed chick #2!). We water, we mist, we help it follow the light and wait with anticipation for those first tiny green shoots to appear. When they do finally poke their little heads through the soil, it's like Christmas morning! We did this! We helped something new come into the world. We were a participant in nature instead of just a bystander. We proved that life goes on no matter what.

I can't think of a better time to start some indoor seeds. Even if you don't have a garden, you can grow something in a container. It can be a butter container, or a cut off milk carton, or an old dish or cup you were going to toss away. All you need is dirt, a seed or a cutting of something, water, light, and hope. You will have hits and misses for sure, just like in life, but eventually something will start growing and then you can officially call yourself a gardener or, as I like to think of it, Mother Nature's Helper ... I should get that printed on a T-shirt!

And so it is. 

A Weed By Any Other Name

"The only difference between a weed and a flower ... is a judgement."

Wayne Dyer

I have always loved this quote by one of the most important teachers in my life. I remember back when I first took up gardening in my mid-40's, I blindly followed what I had seen everyone else do: if something was growing where I didn't want it to grow, it was a weed and I should pull it out. This was especially true of dandelions. I was warned how invasive they were and that they would take over my entire garden if I didn't yank them out by the roots, and to make sure I did it before their yellow heads turned white and fluffy. That was when their seeds would appear and be carried by the wind all over the place to start yet another new generation of weeds.

The more I got into studying gardening, which was about the same time I started really getting in to sustainable living, I came to have a whole new appreciate for dandelions. Every part of the plant was useful, from salads, to stews and soups, and even medicinal teas. The fact that a field of sweet yellow heads popping up surrounded by an ocean of green might be a feast for the eyes was never acknowledged by my fellow gardeners. nor the happiness a small child gets from making a wish and blowing the little white froths into the air. All they were concerned with was the state of their lawns which I have come to believe is a huge waste of land and water ... think of how much food you could grow where that useless carpet now lays? 

Perspective is everything. What something means to you, how it affects you on every level, is the criteria for how you accept it or not. Our current situation certainly feels like a giant field of weeds for sure, but if we dig a little deeper, what benefits might we find? Perhaps a reassessment of how we live, what's truly important vs what we thought was important because society told us it was? Maybe thinking about downsizing or becoming a budding minimalist? Certainly learning the importance of spending less time doing things we feel we have to do and more time doing what brings us joy ... like making a wish and blowing it into the wind? Or spending more quality time with those we love?

I have been giving my living conditions another look to see how I might be able to incorporate some more houseplants in a space that doesn't get direct light and where little furry paws can't play kitty salad bar with them. It might not be the garden of my dreams, but even a tiny green space could grow herbs and plants. Gee, I wonder if you can grow dandelions on purpose?

And so it is. 

And Still She Persists

I'll bet many of us watched those old movies about the end of civilization, either due to a world war that finally went too far or a mystery illness that wiped out the planet, leaving a brave few to create a new world? I have to wonder how many of us took it seriously or just thought it was simply the latest Science Fiction gimmick? As we sit home and try to find some purpose and meaning to what has been going on in the real world, in real time, wondering what kind of a world we'll be left with when all this is over, someone else has already taken the reins. Actually, she had them all along. We were just to wrapped up in ourselves to notice.

The "She" I'm talking about is, of course, Mother Nature, and if you don't think she's been on the job since all this started, take a look at what is going on in countries around the world:

• The skies over China are becoming clear, and the air cleaner, since all of the factories are closed - now the masks they wear are for the virus, not the pollution.
• The waters of Venice are no longer filled with garbage. Now wildlife like swans and fish are swimming happily along the canals.
• All over the world the air quality is improving, trees are in bloom, the robins are back, and the earth is reclaiming its own.

All the press conferences and breast-beating of men in positions of power can't hold a candle to the wisdom and experience of Mother Nature, our Mother Earth, when it comes to knowing what to do, and stepping up to do it without thought to who gets the credit, or how to make it all work. 

There was once an amazing documentary on TV (I think it was Discovery but I could be wrong) called "Life After People." It showed what would happen to the earth if all the people were suddenly gone. What is showed is that after all the man-made atrocities self-destructed, slowly but surely the earth came back. It replanted itself, it reclaimed itself, it reintroduced all the animal species ... and it got on just fine without us. 

As we all sit indoors pondering our future, perhaps instead of trying to think ourselves out of this one, we simply look out of the window and take some notes from the one who has always had the answers if only we'd stopped long enough to notice. Einstein is famous for having said: "You can't solve problems by using the same thinking that created then." Maybe it's time we turned off the thinking and turned on the seeing. 

Rock on, Mother Nature!

And so it is.