Project: Sprout & About

I am 10 posts down, so I thought it was a good time to do some reflective work, look back on the project, and give space to the experiences that I have had in this crazy gardening journey so far. I wrote my first post on the 18th of March, meaning I have been committing to the blogging project for almost a month. Isn’t that a cute milestone! It’s a small milestone, but I am in to cherish the small wins. Nevertheless, the few mornings and evenings spent in the greenhouse have given me time to think. Here’s a tiny list of things I have realized and learned during this month of gardening, cleaning, and DIY’ing.

#1: It Is a Process And The Small Steps Count.

• The simple understanding of the fact that I don’t have to get everything done in one sitting has lowered the expectations and the pace at which I work by 1000. This pursuit of being constantly a super-efficient high achiever-plant whisperer-wizard hasn’t been helpful in the garden – all the opposite, it is exhausting trying to do everything at once. Working in the garden can feel overwhelming, but when I focus on doing one thing at a time, it feels a lot easier to handle. Small details create the bigger picture, that’s how the Sprout & About is coming together too, slowly piece by piece. 🙂 Growing Sprouts is also a process where you must be patient and face the obstacles firsthand ❤ There are no shortcuts. It is a process.

#2: Growing Plants Is Amazing But Not As Easy As It Seems.

• I am a novice in the art of growing, but as of now, I would not say that growing plants is as easy as what people make it look. Every plant has its own unique requirements for thriving (or surviving, for that matter). You need to learn the right amount of nutrients and water for each plant, how much is sufficient light – but not too much, when or if to move them outside, and to which soil you replant them. Should you sow ahead of winter, do you prune, and what about pests! It all can mean a make-or-break, and hey, I am still in the early phase of the sprout-growing journey. I don’t know even half of it yet! Growing plants successfully requires you to be present at all times and knowledgeable about all things gardening for optimal results. Talking about consistency.
  Oh, and I have learned about moon phases. You can sow and grow according to the stage of the moon, and seemingly, it can have a profound effect on how your plants yield, it’s really a magic(al) thing. Right now it is a full moon, and the time before the next new moon will be an opportune moment for growing different root vegetables! See, who would have though of that one?!

#3: Doing (New Things) With Your Own Hands Is Rewarding And Challenges Creativity.

• I have always enjoyed working with my hands and creating things, tangible or not, writing included. Somehow, I seemed to have forgotten about its importance in the past years. Now, I remember again how motivating it is to see the result of one’s handiwork. And a nice byproduct of all of this is to feel like a capable person. “I can do this!”, “I did that!” and also, “Oh no, what was I thinking.” While I have been doing stuff like washing the tiles, shoveling the soil, building the frames for the vine tree, or sowing according to the moon phases, I find myself constantly thinking about the pre-during-and after-parts of each task and how to find a good way of doing such tasks. Much of this project I am doing for the first time ever, so I am really putting the neurons to extra work.

#4: Gardening Is Calming And Nature Teaches a Nurturing And More Open Mindset.

• There is something very soothing and fulfilling to work towards something so basic and natural as growing your own food. I think I understand better how much it takes to get a fruit or a vegetable to go from a tiny seed into a nourishing food to a dinner table. Seeing how everything is connected, from the sun to the sprouts, from the birds and worms to some tiny bacteria in the soil, and knowing that nothing would work without the other. Remove one, and nature is out of balance. I am not a professional of any kind, but still, all things nature is very humbling if you stop to think about it. Working with nature has been distressing, and focusing on transforming the greenhouse somehow… feels meaningful. Nature is nurturing, and it has allowed me to put things into a better perspective ❤

Before I decided to do the blog, I knew I wanted to do a total Sprout & About greenhouse transformation, and I was ready to stick to it full heartedly. Creating a blog has been a very good way to track my progress and stay accountable for setting that goal. At this point, the project has already fully sucked me into it. Of course, it has only been a very short time doing this, and the biggest challenges are only ahead. Still, I am feeling confident writing my 11th post here!

What a beautiful soulful journey so far full of discoveries and learnings.

Aaaaand… I send a kind thank you for reading and following along! 🙂