One of my greatest loves in life is planting seeds and watching them germinate. Wait, its not yours too? You don’t love the feel of dirt in your hands or feel immense awe at watching something sprout to life? My dream job would be to do this every day! I actually have grand plans to plant heirloom seeds for plant sales when I retire…but shhh, its my secret!
A few weeks ago we got our seeds in the mail and I cannot explain the joy, the elation, the pure delight in seeing them. I also get extremely excited when the seed catalogs appear. If you’ve never seen a seed catalog, you are missing out! The pictures are a delight, as are all the descriptions about each plant….the taste, the texture, the flavor….oh, and don’t forget all the great gardening advice they give out. As you can see, I could go on & on.
Many of our plants will be seeded directly into the garden but we start our cucumbers, tomatoes, and for the first time – some of our herbs indoors. This is the part I LOVE most. You get to plant the seeds in little containers and watch them come alive. And they start from nothing but this small seed. It blows my mind each and every year, each and every planting.
Then once they sprout, you have to thin some out. This part seriously makes me so sad and I can barely stand it. So I try to plant as few seeds as possible, praying for a good germination rate. (Germination rate is how many seeds actually sprout versus how many you planted…I just know you couldn’t make it through the day without this knowledge!)
So without further adieu, here is a photologue of how our seedlings are coming along!
Yes, I am aware we have a mold issue in some of the tomato plants…we’ll talk about that in a later post…for now, just focus on the joy of watching things grow!
So dirt beneath your nails really isn’t your thing? Turning your kitchen window into a mini greenhouse isn’t your idea of decor? Luckily for you, there are a few local options for buying plants already germinated and ready for the garden…
Adaptive Gardens of the Lowcountry…a really neat non-profit in McClellanville where you can get veggie plants in March and April.
Plantasia…a wonderful plant sale by Charleston Horticultural Society for those of you with a flower gardening thumb.
No room for a backyard garden? As long as you have a sunny window or porch stoop then you should give some herbs a try. Basil, thyme, rosemary…just a few plants that grow well in potted containers and will generously supply all your culinary spice needs.
Happy Gardening!
Jess