In Alaska, winter is not the typical time of year to prepare seeds for planting in the summer months. January, now that’s when I started thinking about summertime gardening and seeds. I guess you could say I wanted to be well prepared, very thoughtful and intentional with the seeds selected, where the seedlings would be planted, how many, and the timeframe to allow enough time to grow and strengthen before being planted outdoors. I was really feeling the itch to be outside in warm weather, barefoot, and getting grounded by working with the soil.
Here we are, May 6th, 2023. What I can tell you is I am grateful for all the small steps I had taken to prepare for precisely this moment! Almost all of our snow has melted, but the ground is still frozen in many places and needs time to thaw. I don’t even want to think about how rushed I would have felt at this moment had I not done all the little things to prepare leading up to this day.
Every year, every season is different. I do the best with what I have given and much of it has been trial and error. The last three summers have been quite cool, rainy, or fall set in rather early and had a hard freeze before all the vegetables had time to mature and ripen.
Needless to say, it’s been quite easy to become frustrated and discouraged. I take from it the lessons those seasons have given me, and move forward in hopes of the ideal growing conditions which will result in a bountiful harvest in due time. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for all that we’ve been given and able to harvest in previous years, it’s just that I know we much more vegetables would have had time to ripen to last us longer through the fall and winter months.
The space used for growing our seed starters in is our living room. We tend to call this our sun room, my favorite room in the house. It has large windows which lets in a lot of light and heat, especially on those blue skies and sunny days. I’ve optimized the use available tables, chairs, windowsills and packed in as many little starter pots on trays as I possibly can.
Everyday I check in on them all, watering as needed and replanting seeds that never germinated, not to mention having positive and encouraging vibes as I spend time admiring the perseverance and strength it has taken to push up through the soil and make it this far.
I am in awe!
From seed to seedling, what a journey each one has been on already (and the journey has just begun!)
Wow!
Have you ever had deep thoughts and wondered what it must be like? The bigger picture, creation, God’s plan and purpose for our lives! It’s so overwhelming to think about! I see His beauty and His goodness in my life as I tend to this mini garden of sorts, where everything starts before taking each one and placing it in an environment where it can grow and reach its fullest potential.
The picture above was taken yesterday on May 5th. As the seed pushed up through the soil, the mound you see here had been raised and piled up by the seed itself as it matured and found the strength to push through the weight it did feel. This happened slowly, over time (seeds planted on April 24th).
Like the seed, we take time to grow our faith. There will be struggles, the weight of it may seem like too much, opposition, yet there is a driving force calling us to keep reaching higher, knowing the best has yet to come.
As I grow in my faith I am also learning who it is I am, who He has called me to be, and how best to spread His word and His workings in my life, with other people.
Magnificent Meraki 