On this day, I planted my first seeds of the gardening season. My biodynamic calendar from Stella Natura advised me that planting "roots" was optimal for February 10. So it was my time to spring into action. Well, maybe I did not "spring", but I did move.
Planting those black Seeds are acts of prayer and contemplation. I was grateful for being able to plant food for my family. I was deeply grateful for Creation's "wheel of the year" which shows signs of steadily moving toward the Spring Season. I was grateful for being in the presence of many living beings, in this case "Seeds". I must have put 400 seeds in this little plot of soil. I was grateful for the soil which smells so rich and lovely and the rain water which I will use to keep the soil and seeds moist. I pray the Leeks will produce food for my family and that I will learn the lessons that the Leeks and the Soil provide. I am deeply grateful for being in the midst of Creation whose wonder is far more than I can comprehend.
I planted 3 varieties: Blue Solaize, Giant Musselburgh, and Prize Taker. Giant M is by far our favorite. It is big and its stalk is easy to clean and process. Suzanne Ashworth tells me in her book from Seed to Seed (Seed Savers Exchange Inc., 2002) that Leek Seeds need temperatures of 50-75 degrees to germinate. They should be up within 8-16 days. We should be good to go in our sunny south window.
Over the coming days, I will be checking in on my friends the Leeks several times a day to make sure that the soil is evenly moist (not soggy). I can almost feel them wiggling beneath the soil. I am excited for that time when the tiny green shoots make their presence known.
On this day, I am reminded that Gardening is an act of Faith. I would wholeheartedly agree.
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