PLANTING

Back garden in 2014.



Planting seeds in my urban gardens each Spring is an exercise in postponed gratification. It has also inspired awe in me when I consider the life of people who farm acres of land each year.  I watched The Homesman on Netflix recently. Those who began farming the wide plains of Nebraska in the 19th century come to mind now as I tend my tiny plots.

 

Watching seeds cycle through their lives, Spring to late Fall, is a time-lapse reminder of my own life's inevitable arc. The bright green of cute seedlings, the bright colors of Midsummer, the fading maturity of late Summer and early Autumn. Harvesting the dessicated twigs for composting burial before the snow falls...all of this brings a sense of immersion in the reality of living on this planet.

 

Random planting of mixed seeds brings a lesson. Diversity and beauty are synonymous in a healthy flower bed. While cultured geometric plantings may be useful for harvesting a crop, a random patch of flowering plants in an urban patch is an oasis of life. Bees, beetles, worms, even slugs add a welcomed dimension to city living. Planting seeds in Spring is like setting the stage for a symphony of life, colors and smells. Learning to wait and appreciate the process brings deep personal rewards.