Day four of my agro-experiment. I'm beginning to realize that seed-starting is not a dynamic activity. Once you bury the seeds in the pods it becomes a whole lot of waiting...and waiting... It's a bit like going fishing, and I never had the patience for that, either.
On day two, I tamped down a few of the seeds that had not been quite buried in the wet soil. On day three, I lifted the small greenhouse cover to discover something that looked suspiciously like mold forming on one of the starter pellets. I fluffed the peat moss a bit. This waiting for germination was going to kill me. And the seed packets predicted that the least time it might take for me to see any sprouts was 7-10 days. On day three, I had to resist the urge to poke about in the soil. If God created the earth in 7 days, surely I could wait a week. But then, God had instant gratification. I did not.
I have always been a result oriented activist--more a "human doing" than a "human being." Perhaps while I wait, it would be wise to review what motivated this project.
In the past year I had acquired a semi-vegetarian lifestyle, a regimen that, although healthy, could be at times a bit bland and boring. Then I discovered that spices were a god-send. I was adding jars of coriander, cumin, and basil to my weekly shopping lists. I tried purchasing fresh herbs, and found that they were twice as aromatic and flavorful. But I seldom used my entire purchase before the herbs began to sour. And they were very expensive. So were the spices in those little jars, but at least they didn't spoil.
Then, several weeks ago, a friend at church treated us all to home-grown butternut squash she had harvested from her yard in Oregon. She talked of the satisfaction of turning her entire lawn into a vegetable garden (much, I'm sure, to the bafflement of her neighbors.) It was an act of sustainability and co-creation. And the tangible fruits of her labor were absolutely delectable. I was inspired. I was transformed. I was...okay so I was naive.
I was not so foolish to believe that I could grow an entire vegetable garden in the rocky soil of Arizona, but surely I could start a simple herb garden on my kitchen windowsill. Couldn't I?
And so I wait. In the meantime, I shall blog.
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