Germination!

I’ve been anxiously awaiting signs that my impromptu greenhouse under gladwrap and in milk and OJ containers, alongside my little seed propagation greenhouse had been effective and today I saw the first little signs of life in otherwise black soil. A few tiny millimetres of sprouting onions have made their way out of the soil and the miracle that is seed germination occurs once again.

Sprouted onion seeds

Yes, it’s those teeny tiny little white/cream lines I am referring to. Those incredibly small little strips of stem, these tiny streaks of life pushing their way up and out from under the potting mix. Well done life, you’ve done it again. It’s something we all take for granted but today, I must admit, I was overwhelmingly overjoyed at this new life I have had a hand in bringing about, lives which will one day help sustain my family. It actually nearly moved me to tears with its sheer beauty and I realised that although I know the concept of sticking a seed in dirt, warming and watering it, there is still something highly magical, very mystical and utterly miraculous about the birth of a plant.

To try and share this amazing sense of wonder I feel with our children I watched this with them. Neither Jasper nor Allegra were particularly interested I’m a little sad to say. Orik however was glued to it. Not sure if that’s just because it was tv or something else but he and I enjoyed watching it several times over. And the kids did at least peer closely at the tiny wisps of life growing in their pots. And I think the radish seeds I saw beginning to germinate will mean a bit more to him in a day or two when he can see those first 2 leaves, then 4 and so on. That’s the beauty of radishes. Their quick growth is rewarding for small and impatient people. It helps to teach them patience but rewards them after learning just a little about it. 😉

And an update on our carrot tops we’d grown then planted in some upcycled milk and orange juice bottles. Of the 20 carrot tops we planted, 20 have continued to grow and indeed are thriving. Apart from their less than glamorous pots, I think they are actually very beautiful and quite soft and fern-like in appearance. Still hoping to be able to harvest seeds from them to grow later this season or for planting next year. Makes me think, carrots would make a lovely border to a garden bed of flowers too. I would also pot them up like this again for a table centrepiece or even get the children to pot them and tend them as an ornamental gift for their grandparents.

Our various pantry seeds mostly sprouted. After a crazy weekend where they suffered due to high heating, small fingers and lack of water (whoops), I relegated them to the compost bin. Sadly, the chick peas got no further than the last update photo although they did begin to sprout but neither the cannelini nor red kidney beans sprouted at all despite my high hopes, and none of the split peas did either although I never really expected it of them. The chia seeds and linseeds were amazing though with green leaves everywhere. They really started gearing up to take over the world like the Little Shop of Horror! I have very high hopes for being able to grow and harvest my own at some stage in the future and the brown and green lentils sprouted and were growing leaves too. All in all a successful experiment for me and for the children. 😀