Planting Seeds

It's gardening season!

This time of year is hard for me, the days are warming up, the flowers are starting to bloom, and all I can think about is how summer is on its way and how the heat is the worst trigger I have.

Gardening makes spring so much more fun, and gives me something to look forward to in summer, when I'm inevitably depressed from the lack of freedom and the non-stop sweating. I had a couple peach pits in the fridge, and some green chile seeds that we've been wanting to try and grow, so I pulled out my gardening box and got organized. I found a bunch of seed packets that I've been hoarding for a few years now, so I pulled a handful of those, too.

We don't get a whole lot of sun up here, with all the trees, but we do have some good growing lights and my boyfriend is thinking of getting some kind of pop-up greenhouse, and that would be interesting.

So, I've got pots and pots of bare earth in my kitchen. They may or may not yield tomatoes, chiles, mint, and mesclun. I scattered a packet each of chamomile, feverfew, forget-me-nots and strawberries on the little hill by our front door. If any of it blooms, it should be pretty. I've also got carrot and onion seeds, a couple of potatoes with so many eyes I feel watched, and a sprouted onion that all need homes. I don't like digging so much, so we're working on methods of planting that will reduce our hard labor later.

I've also got more than a few avocado pits on the window sill, one of which is almost ready to go in the dirt.

Growing food and flowers is nourishing to my soul, especially when I don't wear myself out in the process. Now, when I think about those horrible, hot days to come, I'm also thinking of the spicy homemade salsa I'll be eating with gusto, or the baby-greens salads I'll harvest from my kitchen window. Heaven.