starting seeds

…a musing from the potting bench side of mc’s desk

what is it about a packet of tiny, almost microscopic seeds that gets my heart beating fast well ahead of the warm spring weather? so much can be said for starting seeds under grow lights…a task that many may never consider doing, while others order their winter days by it!

i’ve been starting flowers from seeds since 2021 + that first year, it felt so massive a task that i almost quit before i started. thanks to erin benzekain’s steady encouragement + seed starting “class”, i stuck with it. she coached me to expect failure, but also to expect to see flowers earlier in spring. i learned resilience from the process + got to see first hand that in nature sometimes you win + sometimes you lose. watching anything grow from a speck of almost nothing into something altogether + vastly different does something to our minds!

watching anything grow from a speck of almost nothing into something altogether + vastly different does something to our minds!

for someone who has found tremendous peace while “playing” with flowers bought from the store, i have learned some pretty sad things about these beautiful flowers that magically appear in neighborhood grocers 12 months of the year. namely, thay they’re exposed to many chemicals + pesticides throughout their growing + shipping cycles to ensure a “quality product” results upon arrival (after a while after). while i get needing to reach goals to run a business, to not disclose these pernicious details to the consumer when buying, eventually handling + smelling these flowers is just wrong. who knew such a simple act puts one in contact with those pesticides, unknowingly; to say nothing of the monstrous flower import industry that flies “fresh” flowers in to the US from all over the world. isn’t it a part of our basic human nature to be drawn to these harbingers of spring + symbols of what is good + full of hope in life? haven’t people been smelling, picking + sharing flowers since the dawn of time? ask yourself, is there any wonder why so many people find themselves with a longterm illness?

the solution is plain + simple: there needs to be more flowers grown locally, everywhere! not everyone has the land or time to be a full-fledged flower farmer, but if you would consider buying even one packet of seeds, let’s say zinnias for a start. not only would you not need to purchase as many flowers, but you could cut + cut again, all summer from your own flower garden that hasn’t been exposed to pesticides. this won’t mean something to everyone, but for some, once you know the reality of what those lovely “fresh” flowers are exposing you to, you can’t go back.

i’d really love to help you learn how to start flowers from seed. not just for the end result but also for the joy you may discover along the way, nurturing a seed into a flower. it is also a rich metaphor to be explored, so if you’re at all interested, consider this your invitation to reach out to me. we can get started today planning a garden in bloom as quickly as this summer!

if you aren’t quite ready to scatter a few seeds on a little dirt, then consider googling the flower farmers in your area who direct source their flowers from small pesticide free farms. enter “local flower farmer” into your search bar + you’ll be supporting a small business owner + have gorgeous toxin-free flowers to enjoy too.

i challenge you to try this + tell me you don’t notice the difference!

〰️ pencil