Project: Sprout & About

Dear blog, I have caught myself overthinking. I have found myself overanalyzing and overcomplicating things, and certainly, you, too. I have tried to find the perfect moment or the perfect idea to inspire and motivate myself to write for a while now. Catching myself from all that overdoing these small things just so that I could realize that while I am thinking and waiting, the opportunities fly past. Or what I mean is that the leaves that are turning yellow in the greenhouse! Because yeah, I am posting this in September…

But anyway, all that to say that I have now come to the conclusion that I cannot aim for perfection anymore. There will not be perfect timing or a perfect sentence worth waiting for. The plants don’t know about perfection. Nature is always changing, and it constantly adapts to its current circumstances, and I am the one who has been falling behind. I have seen in the greenhouse that there are things I can and cannot control, so instead of finding the best moment for the next idea, I will let the thoughts come as they are; raw, honest, and (often) cringy ❤

Because, hey, I got to remind myself that Sprout & About is an experiment – though at times recklessly spontaneous, it also remains gently serious. So take these thoughts from August, a big month for joyful harvests, but also a month of heartful lessons.

First Thing: Right Place, Right Time

Or being present.

When I step into the greenhouse or take a walk around the garden, I see how everything is quiet and calm. It’s clear that the plants don’t have another moment to live on; it’s only this day here, that pot there, and the changing weather that depends on today. In the morning, the flowers open and they bloom for the day, then close up and rest for the night. It’s taking what they have at a given moment and making the best out of it. That’s what I have realized walking around the garden: they are not trying to be elsewhere. It’s now or never! type of thinking, haha!
That’s the thing about being present in the garden. I mean, when I am really seeing, not just looking, I can see, get it? I have found it so important to pause for just a moment to observe, and then I have been able to understand (what the plants need). Very poetic, maybe a bit romantic, but the idea is to stop to be able to think. Certainly, I didn’t always nail being present (you know, the overthinking part), but it’s already allowing me to become more aware of the changing situations in the greenhouse while I have tried to learn, adapt, and take the right measures for optimal plant health. All that has only been possible once I was truly present in the moment.

Secondly: Just Show Up

Or remember to be consistent.

Consistency, that bad boy. That sly skill that comprises determination, constant movement, and a sprinkle of momentum, too. I couldn’t express myself well enough to describe how important it has been to stay consistent in the garden. Similarly to being mindfully present, it has been absolutely crucial to go out and check up on the plants. REGULARLY. It’s about detecting the pests early, keeping up with adequate watering levels, or catching a disease on time. So sure, take a weekend off, I said to myself, but after that, I have been “disappointed” with disastrous results. And yet still somehow, sometimes it’s easier to let it slip than stick to the plan. Why? When I know that the small things daily will add up to a bigger thing in the long run. Live and let learn…

Third Thing: Stay Put

Or try to be patient.

Apart from a few (perhaps expected) setbacks, we then come to the part that has brought a lot of joy to me during this journey. I must say I am surprised by how calm and patient I have been able to hold myself over the months. Later, it has paid off. What I mean by that is having kept myself back from all the troubles of overwatering or rushing things, which I was quite sure would eventually happen. I guess I internalized this early in the project process – taking it slowly and being able to wait when it was necessary. I knew I couldn’t speed up the sprout’s processes and that I had to go through all the stages of growing. No cheat codes or Fast Forward buttons. And yeah, often, it looks like not much is happening, but I have learned that underneath, oh-so-much is occurring all the time. You just have to stay put, and there will be a time when you will see ❤

Lastly: It’s Alright

Or learn to accept & adapt.

Growing the sprouts in the garden has been both wonderful but also filled with moments of sadness. Sounds like I am an emotional gardener, or maybe it just goes together with the nature of this hobby! Anyway, what I am getting at is that the region where I am gardening is in the North, so summers are short and the weather can change drastically during these months. Like we have seen this year: a lot of rain and a short 2-3 week period of actually hot weather. In the beginning, I was full of hope, excitement, and anticipation for what was going to happen this summer. Mainly, I was looking forward to seeing if I had managed to get my plants to grow big and green. But soon enough, I had to realize that there were things I couldn’t change (like the weather) or that were occurrences that were just part of nature’s natural cycle. I don’t know, take the bugs, bacteria, other plants, you name it, there’s a lot that can go right, but the same amount of things can go south. So what do you do? You accept the situation and you adapt to the best of your abilities (and resources, tools, etc). It’s a wonderful thing to understand, once you understand it. But honestly, if I had made a mistake before, I would be disappointed for a little while, but that wouldn’t serve me much. I realized the best I could do is to try to make a learning out of it and move on. If something, try not to repeat it next time around! You bet I have been in situations where I’d miss something and, as a result, lost a plant… about that in another post…

So truly, the month of August has been a ride and an adventure of a different kind. The nice thing is that I still find myself with an open mind, absorbing the information from these experiences and growing my knowledge in gardening tactics and general plant care every day. It has been so full of new things that I almost cannot keep up with them.

While trying not to overthink it, my gardening mantra could be something like:
To just show up, keep calm, and trust the process.

And then, soon enough, some beautiful green magic will happen.

❤