How Obsession Helps You Succeed
My Decent into Gardening Madness
Tomatoes! Image by Author
A couple of years ago, I got concerned about the rising cost of food. It was getting out of hand. My wife and I live in a condo, so we don’t have a lot of space to grow things. I took a look at our small deck and decided that I would get some plants out there and begin to grow something.
My last gardening experience was when I was about six. My grandmother would send me outside to pick beans or pull carrots when we visited her each summer. I was going into this gardening venture blind as a bat.
The Research
I started to watch YouTube videos on gardening. I read articles and pored over various websites. I wanted to get my mitts on as much material as I could. I read up on what vegetables grow best here in B.C. Canada. I read about the proper time to water and how much fertilizer to use.
Next, I became interested in the various varieties of vegetables to grow. I needed to know which ones would grow best in the smaller grow bags on the deck.
The Experiments
I tried a lot of experiments with seeds. We don’t have room for proper grow lights, so I used the top of the fridge for warmth. I got some seeds sprouting. I had no idea about caring for seedlings and small plants. Some of the first plants got too much water and died. I kept reading. I kept learning. I had failures and successes. I had a lot of fun.
The Chaos
During my experiments and the growing of the seedlings, our condo had to be stripped down for new plumbing from the strata. I was running around like a madman trying to find places for my seedlings. I needed to save them all from the wallpaper dust that would happen as they tore down walls to get at the plumbing!
Stay back! I’ll die before you harm my plants! Bumcrack wannabes!
That was an unexpected curveball. The one that we get in life sometimes, as we try to make changes. Thankfully, the team was great and they protected our condo from dust. Saved!
The Planting
Through trial and error, I got a few seedlings to grow strong. Now, I needed to plant them outside and see if I could get some tasty veggies going. By now, I had a couple of solid-looking tomato plants, herbs, and the start of some peas.
Time Spent
My wife would look a me like I was some crazy person as I poured over more videos. I would go back and forth out the sliding door to check on my plants. I made sure they had enough water. I checked them for bug infestations. I watched them like a hawk. I was a crazy person.
I devoted my time ot this project. I wanted to see success. I would do whatever it took to get those vegetables to grow.
They started growing. The dill below became a monster. Somehow, a stray lettuce seed got in there. No worries. The salad was good!
The Results
I put a lot of work into my first garden. By the end of the summer, we had eaten kale, lettuce, spinach, peas, and tons of tomatoes. I grew basil, oregano, lemon balm, monster dill, and a few beans by the fall.
I had failures. I lost a few seedlings. The cilantro was a hot mess. I put my basil plant out too early and it almost croaked completely. Some things got too much water at times, while others didn’t. The late kale got stripped by cabbage worms to useless stalks.
I tried
Conclusion
Sometimes we need to become obsessed with things to learn. We have to devote a lot of time to the entire process. We will fail, and that’s fine. This year, I’m more prepared than ever to know what to expect from my plants. I may have failures this spring, but I’ll keep going.
Failure will come, but so will rewards like the tomatoes above. They were damn good!
Push forward
The journey awaits