It's only the beginning

On a gloomy and cold January day, I started our spring garden. Indoors, of course. I took over the kitchen for this work. It's a messy job. But if you have to make a mess indoors, the kitchen is a good room to do it in. I prefer to undertake the task of starting seeds in a quiet house. I don't want to feel that I am in someone's way, or rushed to get the job done. I want to take my time, imagine the salads I will harvest and savor this quiet, thoughtful moment.

I had only part of a bag of seed starting soil, and about the same amount of regular potting soil. Not wanting to make a run out to the store to buy more seed starting mix, I combined the two and will hope for the best.

I filled the small holes with this soil mix, and planted lettuce seeds. It's green, leafy salads that I'm most dreaming of, right now. And lettuce seeds can take a while to sprout. I'll have time later this month to add some kale and cabbage seeds to the flat. Those seeds are quick to poke through the soil, and then grow like weeds in the sunshine. Starting the two kinds of seeds, together would result in overgrown kale and cabbage, and lettuce that is rushed into the outdoors, long before it's ready to handle our chilly blustery late-winter days. So, I start only half the flat right now.

After gently tucking those tiny seeds into their beds of soil, I popped the whole flat under the light fixture. The lights will give off enough warmth to encourage those seeds to sprout. And now I wait.