Planting Seeds

On a beautiful 60 degree Sunday in March. I decided to garden. The soil was workable. So I added  compost and planted lettuce, arugula, spinach, onions and snap peas.

I planted seeds in March, in Maine.

I felt like a rock star. I felt like a miracle had occurred.

Until..

We got not one, not two, but three more snowfalls and temperatures dropped to below freezing

At the first snowfall I thought, "I should have known better than to plant so early. Maybe they will survive."

At the second snowfall I thought "Oh how stupid!  Planting all of those veggies in March. You live in Maine."

By the third snowfall I just laughed and remembered how much fun I had on that warm late March day.

Planting seeds is never a mistake. Sometimes we are in such a hurry for results we plant seeds when the time isn't right. The seeds are just reflections of what we want to grow in our lives.

Mistakes happen. We try new things and sometimes they don't work out. I had no idea we were going to have  three early spring snowfalls. I could have speculated, but I was right there in the moment doing what I love to do.

Being in the moment takes courage and living from your heart often involves setbacks. But that doesn't mean we should give up. I am certainly not going to give up gardening just because of that one mistake.

I replanted my early vegetable seeds just the other day.

Just as I replanted seeds in my heart in my morning meditation.

I trust both the garden in my heart and the garden in my yard will bloom.

The Secret to Trying Something New

 I love to garden and I have had years of success in creating beautiful perennial beds.

However, when it comes to growing food, my success has been marginal. This year, I decided to try square foot gardening. I did copious research when the snow was still flying and in my mind I created the perfect square foot garden.

I had all of the materials to build my three boxes in early May.
Yet I didn't begin to build them until early June.

I had all of my seeds in April.
Yet I just finished planting last week.

I knew part of my experiment was to grow my tomatoes vertically.
Yet I just now finished putting up the fencing.

So what was with all of that procrastination?

Plain and simple, I got too attached to my vision of the perfect square foot garden.

When we get too attached to an outcome, inspired action is thwarted. When we let go of the outcome,  fun happens.

Here's how I let go of my perfect square foot garden outcome.

* Kind, loving self talk. "You can do this Gin." or "You're doing a great job"

* Bringing attention to success. My snap peas are looking glorious and I haven't had to buy any greens since May. (I did my lettuce, arugula, spinach and snap peas in a traditional row.

* Enjoying the process. Mixing compost, peat moss and vermiculite with my hands was more fun than play doh!  Building the boxes myself made me feel strong. Cutting up old sheets and using them to tie the tomato branches to the fence made me laugh at myself.

*Let it be and trust. I will nurture my garden, but like anything else, the rest is up to God.