Spring thing

I am always late getting my seeds for the spring planting started. I have just this afternoon started in trays three kinds if zinnias, and three kinds of nasturtiums. I particularly like the giant zinnias, and especially the scarlets. So I have two packs of giant scarlet zinnias (one for seeding directly in the ground), two packs of mixed California giants (one for direct seeding, again) and one of cut-and-come-again, a short, cutting zinnia for bud vases.

In the nasturtiums, I have one pack of empress scarlet, one of whirlybird mixed colors and one of night and day (dark and cream mixed).

I had two bags of starter mix. The first I opened had gone moldy. It was damp inside. It must have had a small leak in the bag. Thank God the other bag was fine.

I am dismayed at all the early crop seeds I haven't put in the ground yet, because it got hot way too soon - carrots, arugula, lettuces. The beans, according to the charts for my area, shouldn't go in the ground for a long time yet.

So why post this on the spiritual life blog? Few things are more connecting to the spirit for me than gardening. The only thing that limits me to how much I can do in a day is that my body is old and getting decrepit - back, knees, right rotator cuff, that sort of thing. However, my spirits have perked up a bit since filling those trays with potting mix, watering them in, and seeding them.

Now the waiting begins. Like the life of the spirit, the trays have to be tended every day. I have a tendency to leave them to themselves and suddenly, when I remember to check them, the seedlings have popped long ago and are already leggy. It's a balancing act between taking them down off the fridge too much and not doing so enough. Fortunately for the spirit, the Gardener is, presumably, more expert than I am with my kitchen garden.