I began learning to grow some of my own food last year when I first moved into my new house and had a backyard in which to experiment. I had early success at growing vegetables from transplants (a young plant from a nursery), especially arugula. Its short growing time, frequency of harvest, and versatility as an ingredient made arugula my new runaway favorite during that first season.
Growing From Seed
Excited by my success, I decided to branch out and save some money by growing from seed instead of from a transplant. But my attempts at growing anything from seed have ended in miserable failure, until recently.
Growing from seed is significantly cheaper than purchasing the plants in the transplant stage, and I definitely wasn’t going to give on learning how to do this without a fight. So I spent some time reading about it and learned that the biggest problem most people have with growing plants from seed is not providing the plant enough light.
Aha. That was definitely my problem! After a trip to Lowe’s where I purchased an inexpensive light fixture with a special grow bulb, my seeds now germinated within 2 days!
The Metaphor
I’ve spent a lot of time lately thinking about this site and working on refining its message. I’m even more convinced than now of the importance of cultivated living, rolling up your sleeves and digging into the things that keep you most engaged and most fulfilled.
I hope that the site inspires you and that you learn something when you visit – something that you can put to use in your life. The real value of learning comes from applying an idea or a process you’ve learned, thinking about what it means in your life, and determining if it works for you. Knowledge is worthless if not applied.
My goal is not to over think it, as I often do, but to let it come about organically.
Leave me a comment, and let me know your thoughts! I’d love to hear from you.
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For good measure, here’s a book, The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet Nation, and a recipe, Arugula Pesto Wheat Berries, that I’ve been eyeing and that fit with today’s arugula theme… Enjoy.
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I so enjoy checking in on your site! I find inspiration and often it makes me smile. So thank you! And awesome about your growing your own food! I keep saying I am going to do the same, so now I have some motivation for the next growing season! Thanks!
Thanks, Jenn! It’s great to hear from you. I recommend starting small and doing some reading before diving head first into veggie growing, but it’s fun however you choose to do it!
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