The 'Womb'

That's what I call our greenhouse. It's where we start the season, warm and cozy and ripe for fertility -- or so we hope.

It's also where, even when it's -24 out and you can't remember what something green and growing looks like, you learn all over again to trust.

Some of life's most powerful lessons have smacked me in the face in the greenhouse, like:

• Fertility isn't something you can control, either in the greenhouse "womb" or your own. Read more on this here. 

• Over sow and under cover.  The more seeds you scatter and the less soil you put on top, the better. That is to say: Give your self ample chances and don't put too much dirt in the way of growth.

(By the way, a seed starting tip from J: the planting depth of a seed is always twice the thickness of the seed. And, make sure your seed has good contact with the soil -- meaning, don't be afraid to push the seed in a little.)

 

• Don't be afraid to thin. If you want something to grow big and strong, give it room, even if that means cutting off a few other things.

(For me, lately this means learning to thin out the parts of my life that are crowding the more important ones.)