Sprouts, the Magic of Gardening

Sometimes, a garden needs a little magic. Last week in Mom's garden I played witch and sprinkled coffee grounds and smoked paprika along the garden borders to keep the cats away. And, either it worked, or the cats had found another garden to call their toilet anyway. Either way, the cats have stayed away!

I think every gardener believes in magic. Whether consciously or subconsciously. You really can't help but be mystified still when you see sprouts and wonder how life begins from the tiniest of seeds.  Even with the scientific understanding of it all, there is something so magical and exciting. I, now 27 years old, still jump with excitement when I see sprouts!!! I did so on this past Tuesday October 18th, when I saw lettuce and radish sprouts, which I had seeded on Thursday October 13th. It took 6 days!

Seeds are magical!! Lettuce sprouts under burlap sack cover.

Only a week ago there was dried dirt and poop here, now heirloom lettuces!

Will thin these. These micro-greens will be great on a sandwich! 

That's incredible! I've known lettuce and radish seeds to germinate quickly, but I suppose maybe I never carefully counted the days, since there was always lots of other seeds and tasks to keep track of in the garden. Seed sprouts never cease to inspire me. I'm rather enjoying this piece-by-piece gardening, starting small, whether it's just a small plot or a few different seeds, or both. It's a great way to learn and observe. I've learned that the burlap sack worked very well as a cover to keep seeds moist for germination. Not only can you test out different gardening practices such as I did with burlap here, but I find that you have high chances of success too if you have say one bed of veggies to care for, rather than a lot of different ones.

It's all part of Slow Gardening. Like the Slow Food Movement, which began in Italy by Carlo Petrini in 1986, who promoted slow eating, saving and savoring traditional foods and cuisines through saving heirloom seeds and sustainable cultivating practices. Slow Gardening is about taking pleasure in gardening, savoring the experience, such as watching seeds sprout, smelling the earthy fragrance of compost, feeling the water splash on your toes as it drips out of the watering can; it's a sensual experience.

Happy Lavender producing new flowers!

Gardenia producing new leaves!

The pots of Lavender and Gardenia are doing really well, too! There are new Lavender flowers popping up and the Gardenia looks bushier with new leaves. I did move the Gardenia pot a little since I had noticed some burnt leaves, so it may have been getting a little too much sun. As a gardener, you learn to be a little more observant of the space around you. Next I will be pruning the butterfly and sage bushes, sewing wildflower seeds, and planting tulip bulbs. I'll keep you updated, slowly, Slow Blogging, we'll call it ;)






*photos by Tiffanie Ma