this is a slow winter.
it’s colder, longer. it feels darker, longer. tired-er, longer.
the only garden-related task i’ve completed this week is deciding which grow lights and heat mats will plug into the timer outlet and which into the always-on outlet.
the last few years have had many “seasonal markers” go absent; we did less for our birthdays, saw fewer people for christmases and thanksgivings, simplified summer vacations. the loss of punctuating memories has made our calendars feel like a run on sentence. i am still hopeful and optimistic and think often of the future, but i also have a deeper sense of ‘things will get here when they get here.’
most people i know feel they are frustratingly behind on their garden planning, including myself. this year seems more more out of reach. this “behindness” is compounded by our iphones “this time last year” photos of seedlings and the ever-present instagram posts of indoor seed starting set ups.
i am embracing that i felt this way about christmas, too. “is it really here now? it doesn’t feel like it. why doesn’t it feel like it usually does? what is missing? couldn’t we have it in a few more weeks, not right now?”
the earth is changing in so many ways. perhaps we are just changing along with her. i often think of how small we really are, how close to the ground, how slow moving and thinking, how hidden by grand trees and clouds and mountains, how needy of animals and plants to survive.
if she is not experiencing what she expects, perhaps we shouldn’t expect the same either.
if this is a colder, longer, slower winter, perhaps we’re doing what we should. just sitting with the earth — and waiting.
a few words of encouragement:
it’s worse to start seeds too early than too late. your procrastination will reward you this time. 😴
we currently have more dark than we have light, but this changes in only 45 days. 🌚 🌝
soil3 humus is still on sale, until feb 28
coho salmon have been seen in california for the first time in 25 years, after the heavy rains 🐟
i’m preeeeetty sure we just decided to get baby chicks this spring. cute pics comin’ to you soon. 🐣🐓
If you are deciding what to grow from seed indoors, which to plant directly in the ground, and which to buy as seedlings (aka ‘starts’), I added my recommendations to the Garden Calendar XLS for ya. 🌱 tab two.
i have wanted to grow mushrooms** SO BADLY the last few years and it has been harder than anything else to research and get a clear understanding of the do’s and don’ts. the backyard bookclub*** is collaborating with forsyth county co-op and miracle grounds farm in winston-salem to host a mushroom class on saturday, feb 26th at 10am. i can’t wait! make sure to RSVP and come learn with me and jessica! 🍄
until next week —
lauren
ps. tag @floricultgardens in your garden planning pics; i am so curious to see how everyone is doing!
**pps. if you are also super duper into mushrooms, here is a v fun and cool magazine.
***ppps. our read-along books are DIY Mushroom Cultivation by Willoughby Arevalo and Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake