Thursday, March 15, 2012

Gardener's Dilemma

It is time to move some of the seedlings from under the grow light to bigger pots for some outside time to harden them off before planting them in the garden. Even though they are getting too big for their little starting cells, they are still very fragile, and some of them won't make the transition.

As a relatively new gardener, I don't take this loss very well; I feel as if I've done something wrong and let my little sprouts down. (Which may be true.) Even worse though is when you have to thin the seedlings. Ordinarily, you plant two or three seeds per cell, and then once they've had a chance to establish themselves, you're supposed to cut the weaker plants so that the strongest can grow unhindered.

Although intellectually I understand the procedure, such culling goes against my nature. I want to nurture them all, regardless of size and space and resources, so that every one of them grows to be productive.

3 comments:

  1. Lovely metaphor for the little sprouts we work with everyday. If your post is really about sprouts and not kids, then I feel like a total dork. :)

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  2. In teaching, I would choose a few students I would really want to reach. Sometimes you reached others you didn't plan on. When it comes to seedlings, I want them all to grow, too. It's hard to just pull them and cast them away. Happy planting.

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  3. I always had a hard time pruning out the carrots and radishes. I couldn't understand why I had to pull them. Now I do. Good luck with your gardening.

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