~ Abundance and Love in the Garden ~

Gardening taps us into this lifeline between heaven and earth, a lifeline that is strengthened and widened by being used. Caring for the soil, the plants and the whole web of life that makes up a garden, exercises not just the body, but the heart.

I've heard the Sufis say that Love is not a feeling - it is the greatest Power in creation. When we drop into our hearts, really drop in, we can see the divinity of life in every flower, every bee.

When we put ourselves in the position of gardener, nurturer of life, caretaker and protector of the miraculous lifeline to heaven, we engage our heart. "Perfect Love casts out fear" because there ain't room in there for both.

Gardening in Times of "Scarcity" (Thinking)

But if you're starting to feel a yearning to take on more responsibility for stewardship of life - yours and the planet's - consider relearning what our ancestors knew about tapping into the lifeline. To grow more and more of your own food is not only personally empowering, it is an excellent way to bring more nurturing, calming, loving energy into a world which sometimes seems to have misplaced it.

The article Survival Gardening gives a good overview of what's involved, and leads out to links and resources that can support your journey. That said, I'd like to add here that "self-sufficiency" and "independence" are actually fallacies - because "interdependence" is the truth for all of life. It is in that interdependence that our abundance and survival are assured. We need the microbes, the bees, the worms… and each other.

Germinating Carrots

Carrot seeds are super tiny, and need a very, very fine seedbed to to germinate well and grow without root-forking. They also (like all seeds) must not dry out until they have sprouted a root long enough to anchor themselves in the soil.

One technique that solves both problems at once is to "chit" the seeds first (which means pre-sprouting), combine them with very finely-sifted compost, and then spread the compost/seed mix down a shallow furrow made in a row or bed.

Instructions for Successfully Germinating Carrots

STEP TWO Put as many seeds as you want in a glass jar and cover with water for about 8 hours. About ¼ tsp of seed should be enough to seed about 30 feet of row. Don't soak 'em much longer than this or you can drown them. After 8 hours cover the jar with cheesecloth, a piece of fine windowscreen, or other material that will allow you to drain the water while retaining the seeds. I use a very fine-mesh nylon tea infuser. Let them dry just enough that they don't stick together and can be mixed with compost (in the next step) without clumping.

STEP THREE Take about 2 quarts (or liters) of finished compost (fully broken down), and rub it through a ¼" to ½" mesh hardware cloth screen to make a nice fine compost. (Don't have a screen? Get creative... or maybe use some very fine potting mix instead). Mix in about a cup of finely-screened garden soil, add your chitted carrot seed, and very gently mix it all together as evenly as you can.

STEP FOUR Make a shallow furrow down your bed. Evenly spread the compost/soil/seed mix down your furrow, no more than about ⅓ to ½" deep. Check the bed at least twice a day, and keep it evenly moist by watering with a very fine spray until the roots are well-established.

Dedication