Welcome to the first episode of Gardening Out Loud, a short and sweet audio exploration of what is curious and compelling in the garden each week.
So much garden content is based on the way things look, or what can be produced or extracted, but I wanted to try to capture a bit about what it’s like to be here, in the moment, in this little scrap of urban jungle. I want to broadcast a little of the delight it gives me.
I hope that you’ll give me 15 to 20 minutes each week, and in doing that, give them to yourself. Let’s take the time to get grounded together.
In this episode . . .
Natural wonders at home and abroad. The return of the morning chorus. Meet the Spring Garden. Mini daffodils nodding their yellow heads. Perennial herbs and flowers poking through soil. The first winter sowing update. The garden’s first ever hellebore bloom.
Otherwise this week, I’m . . .
Savouring: The latest in the spring bloom progression: crocuses, iris reticulata, and scilla in other people’s yards.
Tending: I’m doing very little in the garden right now, but I am moving aside some leaf mulch to plant poppies and bachelor’s buttons. Inside, I’m starting my tomatoes and basil. (Better late than never.) I’ll also be starting some indoor microgreens for a workshop I’m teaching in a couple of weeks.
Harvesting: Some tops of my perennial green onions. A few sprigs of thyme or trimmings of chives. It’s the hungry season, but within a few weeks that will all change.
Making: Packages of seed to share with friends and strangers. I fold them using this technique while I watch TV.
Cross-pollination
Like links? Each week I’ll share one article, book, or podcast episode that feels worthy or relevant.
This week, I loved Elizabeth Kolbert’s New Yorker piece on one of the world’s foremost caterpillar entomologists, who finds awe in his work every day. It’s a reminder of how much of the insect world is still unknown to humans, of loving the world even if (especially if) it may not last, of looking a little more closely for the extraordinary (maybe with the help of a magnifying glass, which I am now absolutely going to get).
Say hi!
What’s happening in your local patch of green? What lights you up in the natural world? Leave a comment or click reply to let me know.
If you liked my odd little experiment, please share it with a friend. I’d love to know these audio letters are being delivered to a few kindred spirits out in the world.
Until next week!
Jen
Episode 1: Welcome to the garden