Happy Spring 🌷🪴✨☀️
It’s officially my favorite time of the year, Spring! I’ve been slowly growing some things for my garden and I’ve been so excited to share as I see their sprouts begin to peak through.
Developing a green thumb has been a long, persistent journey but it’s something I’ve always enjoyed, and found satisfaction in when getting things to grow. From the smell of the soil, to the world full of variety of plants, or even seeing a seedling begin to sprout and push through the soil. Growing stuff is so exciting !
In the past, I’ve struggled keeping my plants alive, but I’ve always kept the same excitement to try again. Learning from the mistakes I’ve made, and a little maternal help from my mom and grandma, I think I’m beginning to get the hang of it.
This year, I really want to focus on growing flowers, herbs, and fruits. Anything to attract pollinators and give my garden a whimsical, fairytale feeling. I’ve been learning about the relationships between plants and pollinators in class, which really fueled my want to have a beautiful successful garden even more. But I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, so here’s what I have growing so far.
Basil
I started to grow some basil from seed, which are doing amazing so far! I also plan to buy more basil from a garden center once they open up, and add them to a garden bed full of herbs, which will be my herb garden
Cilantro
I love cooking with cilantro. Growing up in with a Hispanic mother, this is an herb that was used consistently. As a kid I absolutely hated it lol. For a while I even thought I was allergic to it because it tasted funny to me like soap (which I hear is a popular opinion about it) but as an adult I fell in love with the potency and fresh earthiness it adds to a dish.
Rosemary
Rosemary is another herb I’ve decided to grow from seed. I don’t plan on buying any more of this if these seedlings continue to do as well as they are. they are definitely being added to the herb garden. I also have some lavender planted but it has yet to even sprout. I hear lavender usually takes a bit more time to grow, but I’m not sure if I should be worried or not. Maybe I’m just impatient lol
Avocados
This will be my second or third time growing avocados from seed. I always germinate them in a paper towel and plastic bag until I see roots sprouting which usually takes 2-3 weeks. Prior years I’ve transplanted them into glasses of water because I love to watch the growth process, but I’ve noticed this method causing a lot of issues in mold growing, and just less success in the plant. So after doing some research I decided to transplant the into soil this time and they are thriving! The soil provides more nutrients for growth, and though I did have some issues with mold in the beginning, I removed the moldy soil, and sprinkled some cinnamon on top. Cinnamon is a natural anti fungal and improves the health and quality of soil. Since doing this, they have been sprouting and growing so nicely 😌
Lavender
Lastly (for now), I’ve been growing some lavender. Me and lavender have a complicated relationship. Whenever I try and grow it from seed it always gives me a hard time, which is what I’ve been encountering again this year. It makes me feel a little bit better because my moms lavender also has yet to sprout or show any signs of growth. Maybe it’s just one of those herbs that needs a bit more time. Regardless, I still water them along with the rest of the sprouts but I think I’ll have to buy them to plant if they don’t sprout here soon!
I plan on buying some flowers and planting them as soon as the last frost has passed. I plan on making a beautiful pollinators garden. As I’ve been learning about the relationships of pollinators and plants (pollination syndrome is so interesting to me) I’ve been wanting to see it all in real time. I’m also excited to observe and be inspired by the majestic pollinators I attract, they are all so beautiful and magical and I know some amazing art ideas will come of it. Stay tuned for updates one the herb and flower garden! ✌🏽🪴🌷🫶🏽☀️✨🌸