Monday 2 April 2012

Seedlings emerge

I was sitting on the bus on my way back from my English class at the University of Ottawa, wondering rather glumly what I could write about.
Since the weather has decided to be consistently Aprilish, there wasn't anything much to do in the garden - freezing nights aren't wonderful for weeds - or digging.
And of course I wasn't expecting my seeds to germinate until Thursday (a week from when they were planted). Tuesday at the earliest. I was being determinedly patient.

So when I ambled down to the basement to check on my seed trays *again*, I wasn't expecting much of anything - just some more agonizing about whether they were too damp or not and were they warm enough?
And then I saw it.
Green!
First I thought - well, that's a strange looking piece of potting mix.
No, it can't be a seedling. I'm certain I didn't plant any that close to the edge.
They're not supposed to be up yet anyhow.
But upon further inspection, there was one kale seedling:

























And then another:





























And another:

























Needless to say, I was rather excited! With my sister standing by and eyeing me oddly, I giddily bounced around the basement, and preceded to do a photo shoot - to capture the beauty of these tiny plants poking up through the ground!

Of course, they don't look now like kale yet, but that's because those are just their seed leaves.
Hopefully, if all goes well, these some of these seedlings will grow into whopping kale plants, and their leaves will feed our family (much to the chagrin of my younger brother, ever the skeptic of my ability to make *anything* grow, who would rather not eat green leafy things)



Just looking at these tiny seedlings, I can't help but rejoice in the marvel of new life and growing things sprouting up, and in me being the one cultivating them.



Now I really must dig out Ye Olde Dense Biologie Textbooke and read me up on seeds.

4PNS8BYMCF3B

6 comments:

  1. Yay! It's always exciting watching the first little seedlings pop their heads above the surface. Congratulations, Maddie!

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    1. It certainly is! I think you can tell that I'm pretty excited - I'm trying to resist checking on them every hour or so - seeds don't grow *that* fast... :) Aren't they pretty?

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  2. :) There is truly something glorious about the sprouting of seeds. So happy you have the joy of watching your little seedling grow! May they prove to be a fruitful garden for you. :) We have some of our own up here and in the warmth of the green house our first crop of lettuce is almost ready for harvesting. :)

    -Elle

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    1. Elle - my lettuces are only just straggling up... it must be wonderful to have a greenhouse and have fresh lettuce this early in the spring!
      It is wonderful to watch my seedlings sprout up (mom calls them my "babies"). I hope they do well...

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  3. Maddie -- I am enjoying your blog so much! Your writing conveys your enthusiasm and passion so beautifully. I am very much looking forward to following the progress of your garden. Bring on spring!

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    1. Thank you for the encouragement and the compliments, Sabi.
      I'm enjoying writing this quite a lot!
      And - come on, spring!

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