Seeds, glorious seeds!

Today is plant your seeds day. No, I don't think it is a national holiday, but for some reason I am quite excited! My seeds came in the other day and yesterday I picked up the stuff I needed to plant them, and I even woke up thinking that "today is the day I plant the seeds!"

Must be a good thing to make me excited, right? I have:

Giant red celery

Ruby red chard

green finger cucumber

Dinosaur kale

Winter density salad mix

Green tower lettuce

Gourmet lettuce mix

Walla walla onions

California wonder sweet pepper

Heirloom tomatoes

Crimson sweet watermelon

Sweet basil

Santo cilantro

Sacred basil

And then massive quantities of sunflower seeds -- I am planting them EVERYWHERE! I just love the sounds of all those seed names -- reminds me of my love for the J. Peterman catalog. There is such anticipation in the thought of a crimson sweet watermelon beginning to sprout in your own backyard. Or to dig up a walla walla onion and do the tango. Or to snip some sweet basil for pesto, or choose the sacred basil and say a prayer.

When I bite into the California wonder sweet pepper, will I be wondrously transported to California?

I am doing this, of course, because what lies ahead is a bit of work. It is one thing to wax poetic about the wonders of seeds and their high falutin' names. Quite another to plant them. Some of those babies are teeny tiny, I feel like I have the hands of an awkward elephant. If they had hands, of course. I also really have no idea if I am on time in this planting thing; or really behind or just right. In truth, the weather is so freaky these days, the zone charts aren't really trustworthy. So I guess I will have to go with my gut, which is telling me I am fine.

Gut gardening. In order to feed your gut healthy, organic food. So not a pretty slogan. J. Peterman would fire me on the spot.

Actually, this should be pretty easy. I was headed south yesterday and I checked my greenhouse to see what type of supplies I needed. I have a number of things I could plant seeds in, and then there is a big bag of peat moss. I don't really know ANYTHING about anything when it comes to gardening; which is quite unfortunate because I also hate reading directions about something that seems so DUH .... but I truly had no clue as to whether the peat moss could be used as potting soil to plant the seeds.

So I googled it. And up popped information on something called "peat discs." I checked them out and they looked so clean and appealing! It is literally this tiny little disc that you put one seed in.

They are compressed so when you add water, they expand. I'd never seen or heard of such a thing (which is no great surprise since until last year the thought of gardening made me feel ill) and I wondered if they were something I would have to special order online or if they would be in stores. I was also in a hurry so had no idea what they cost. My intent with starting my garden from seed this year is a) to ensure that my plants are organic and b) to save money. Last year I blew a wad buying all the plants to put into the garden, but that was really my only choice since I made my decision so late. I also wasn't really one hundred percent sure they were organic, either. I think they slip in Miracle Grow personally. I bought the majority at an independent place -- and the people were so old I don't think they would even know what Miracle Grow was, (so I was safe there, even if the actual seeds weren't organic) but I bought tomato plants at various nurseries, and I am sure they were spiked with toxins!

So a friend and I were in Home Depot. Now here is the thing. I was kinda sorta looking for my planting supplies, but truth be told, the greenhouse does have enough in there for me to do it with a little creativity. (But I HATE the greenhouse -- it has the worst feeling to me, I feel claustrophobic the moment I walk in, and seriously, I went in yesterday and it was after my walk and my raincoat was tied around my waist, and I turned to look at something and the raincoat scraped against the wall and I nearly passed out because I thought it was something HISSING at me!) Now, I have seen snakes around it, so I instantly visualize a millions snakes seething underneath it. And when I walked down to it yesterday I kept saying "it's too early for the snakes, too early for the snakes," all the while knowing it was so not too early for the snakes. But this is my thing -- apparently -- this crazy fear of snakes, my cross to bear if you will, and I have combined the greenhouse and the snakes into one big mass of horrid hell. (No, what makes you think I am dramatic?)

Anyway, I digress ... the reason we were south was a) to have lunch at my most favorite vegan restaurant; b) to go to a movie and c) to go to Target because my friend needed Easter stuff. We had about 15 minutes to kill before the movie, so I got off the exit where Target was. And then proceeded to drive to Home Depot. In the parking lot, she asked me what I needed there. I said, me? I thought you said you needed something here. No, she said. But like I said, we had the 15 minutes to kill, so in we went.

And what did I find? Oh yes. Not even 300 feet into the store and there it all was. Peat discs galore. GALORE I am telling you! Now, you can believe that Home Depot has been selling these things forever and always places them to the immediate right as you first walk in, but in my world you realize the universe is offering you a big GIMME. So I took. I have so many peat discs, it's ridiculous. SCORE, baby, score. So returning to gut gardening, that is a sign and baby I can take a sign.

I have also purchased as many heirloom seeds as I could. Unless you don't want to sleep at night, don't read about what big companies (MONSANTO) are doing to the world of seeds in this world. Just pretend everything is okay. Really, it's easier. I have a very strong need to plant this garden this year, because I believe I really need to learn how -- I need to build up the knowledge over time so that I become a confident gardener wholly responsible for what I put in my mouth. I am also continuing on with my CSA -- because I feel crazy strongly about supporting a local farm that is committed to planting organic gardens. The one thing I keep thinking when I think "I don't know what I am doing," is that ultimately, I do. It's like when you first become a parent -- you don't really KNOW what you are doing, but it's kind of obvious.

Wet diapers need to be changed.

Crying babies need to be fed.

And seeds need to be planted. So they become Food, Glorious FOOD!