Spring is Here

At the start of Spring, there is an abundance of hope in what is to come. Seeds full of possibility are being planted and everyone is eagerly awaiting the beauty that is right around the corner. I have been impatiently waiting for this day to arrive, and it is finally here! All of the preparation and planning are proving to be well worth the effort and it is time to start planting.

My favorite part of this whole process by far has been starting seeds and watching them pop their little heads up through the soil and start to take root. It has been incredibly satisfying to nurture something so small and slowly watch it grow into something strong and beautiful. The days marked on the calendar to start seeds are the ones I look forward to the most because starting seed has become a form of meditation for me. When I start seeds, I’m not focused on anything else. It’s just my hands in soil, placing seed into its new home for a handful of weeks until I turn it loose and let Mother Nature take over. I get consumed with the thought of how much these little seeds will grow and how much beauty they will bring into the world and it’s what keeps me going. But along with excitement for the future comes a creeping tinge of anxiety. After nurturing and caring for these little seedlings the best I could, I eventually have to take them out of the protection I’ve provided and let them loose in a world full of variables out of my control. And that’s what we have been doing morning, afternoon, and evening the past few days, planting planting planting!

First ranunculus buds starting to form

First things first, we had a huge deer issue that we needed to take care of and it surprisingly only took us half a day to get the deer fence up and ready to protect the field. It was definitely hard work but it will pay off massively in the long run. Secondly, we brought in copious amounts of compost to refresh the beds and get them ready for planting. The biggest hurdle we have faced so far has been our soil, but hopefully all of the amending we have done and continue to do will do the trick. This part was the most physically taxing since we were doing everything by hand without a tractor and our backs have been in a state of recovery ever since. But what we kept reminding each other is that the outcome will be well worth the effort. Walking through a field in full bloom and bringing so much beauty into our community is what we are working so hard for.

Some truly amazing honeywort thriving in their new home

The third thing on our list was finally transplanting all of our seedlings out into the beds and hoping all of our planning and preparation would pay off. It was nerve-racking for me! Although I don’t like to admit it at times, I’m a bit of a control freak. So turning these babies loose into the wild and knowing that they were at the mercy of the elements made me a little uneasy to say the least. Besides pitching a tent out in the field and watching them like a hawk 24/7, there was very little I could do other than cross my fingers and hope they adapted to their new environment. The thought of having the past 10 weeks be a complete waste and seeing these seedlings wilt and wither away was a thought I couldn’t bear. But I had to have a little faith and believe that we prepared as much as we could and learned as much as we could to make sure things would work out in our favor.

I can’t wait for these sweet little cosmos to bloom!

China asters tucked into their beds

At this point, it’s just a waiting game. We have done everything in our power to give these flowers the best start possible and all we can do is hope they are happy in their new home. In a few short months if all goes according to plan, we will be harvesting and creating beauty with home grown flowers from our own backyard. I can’t wait for that day and to share the bounty with all of you! But we still have plenty to do in the meantime, there are more seeds to start, veggie beds to get going and Mother’s Day plans to think about. There truly is no down time around here and I wouldn’t have it any other way. When you’re chasing a dream, you will do just about anything to make sure it comes true and I have never been happier putting all my time and energy into building a beautiful future along side the best man a woman could ever ask for. The future is looking bright and we are so excited to share this journey with you guys!

Two peas in a pod (Jeff and Ginger)