This is one of my favourite times of the year – no, not the biting winds, incessant rain and sodden garden, but the fact that this is when we invest in the future. From little paper packets, we extract tiny packages of potential. That unassuming, dry disk is filled with magic: given a little moisture and heat, life will spring forth. Life, in the form of tiny green shoots that will immediately start using light to grow. Life that will provide food, beauty and oxygen.
On Saturday, after a trip to pick up some compost from a friend who had arranged a bulk order (much saving of money), I planted the first seeds of the year – tomatoes and peppers. Into the propagator they went and now we wait. They are the first of many this year – lettuce, rocket, beans, peas – as well as some plants not from seed – potatoes, shallots and garlic. Not all of them will thrive, but I know that in months to come I will be able to pick fresh food, all of which started from those tiny seeds that I put my faith right at the beginning of the year.
So, if you are feeling glum about the prospects for the coming year, plant a few seeds and just see how much joy and hope emerges with every little shoot.
The Snail of Happiness 
polesparadise
/ February 4, 2021Lovely, isn’t it? Our first peppers are up and the parsnips were sown a few days ago. Parsnips in modules?? The only way I can get a crop, even if root confinement can lead to forking. Enjoy!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 4, 2021I grew my parsnips in toilet roll middles last year… they worked ok, but this year I will make sure I make much deeper holes to put them in when I plant them out.
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katechiconi
/ February 4, 2021This is where paper towels used to come in handy – the rolls are so much longer. But cotton cloths are so much more responsible…
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anne54
/ February 4, 2021The perfect, positive post! Seeds are indeed miracles….and not only do they grow to give food, shelter, oxygen, but they also give us hundreds of new, fresh seeds. Amazing!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 4, 2021That’s true. Everyone should have the opportunity to plant a few seeds – even if it’s just a little pot of herbs on the window sill.
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Going Batty in Wales
/ February 4, 2021It is too early for me to start many seeds yet – they will be leggy before I can put them out in my unheated greenhouses. But I have planted new potatoes and replanted Jerusalem Artichokes. You are right about sowing and planting making the future look better.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 4, 2021The limery does give us the opportunity for early sowing, but I’m also planning to plant some winter salad leaves this week too.
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tialys
/ February 4, 2021Mr. Tialys has indulged in his annual seed porn brochure and is, as I type, considering some bio-degradable fibre pots to plant them up in as we left all our plant pots in France.
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Laurie Graves
/ February 4, 2021A wonderful time of year! Yes, much hope comes from tiny seeds.
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arlingwoman
/ February 5, 2021Perfect timing. I’m sorting seeds this weekend and figuring out what, if anything to start early.
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cedar51
/ February 5, 2021I will enjoy looking in the future at your plants and produce…
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