For the past few weeks I have been getting all the things I need to start my garden ready. I built planter boxes, figured out the right mixture of soil to fill them with and picked out the seeds I'm going to plant in them. But it occurred to me, I haven't put much thought into the process these little seeds go through in order to become the beautiful and delicious flowers and veggies that I will soon be enjoying. Or better yet, how a child would see this process...
... I remember how magical it all was when I was a kid. First my mom and I would pick out what seeds to plant, get the soil ready and then we would plant them. A week or more of running out to the garden daily to check the dirt would follow, and then the day came, when all of a sudden there they were! The little hard seeds had suddenly transformed into these little green shoots. Every year, until I finally learned how it all worked, I was in absolute awe (lets face it, I still am). With this awe inspiring moment in mind I went to the local garden center to reacquaint myself with the process. I first started by finding a plant that I could see each phase of clearly, which in my case was the basil plant, so I got a packet of seeds to see the very beginning. When I first opened the packet and took a peek inside I was quite surprised. Personally I have never grown Basil from seed, but being familiar with the white cone of flowers they sprout I didn't expect the seeds to be the shape and color they were.I am continually amazed at the fact that something so lush and green and tasty could come out of something so small and colorless.
Once the seed has been planted and given some sun and water the first sprouts emerge. What is so great about this phase is that the initial sprout looks so different from the more mature version. At first glance there is no way I would have thought this is a basil plant, but all I have to do is wait a few days and then...
.. the basil begins to look like this. The start (young version of the plant) is still very small, only a few inches high, but you can already see the classic basil leaf taking shape. With more sunlight, enough water and some patience this little basil will soon look like...
... this! So far this plant is about ten inches high, with delicious basil leaves at all levels of growth. From its humble and very tiny beginnings as a little brown seed, to its germination and growth, this plant has made quite the journey. Now I think I'm finally ready to get that garden planted! (And boy oh boy am going to have a lot of Basil.)
~Jordan
P.S. For more info on seeds and plant growth, I absolutely love the book How Groundhog's Garden Grew, which tells the story of planting a garden from start to finish through a delightful story and and brilliant illustrations.
*Last time in Nature: Garden Box Project
