I Am a Gardener - Going to Seed

Sunny California lived up to her name yesterday.  The sun was shining, the air was clear and I spent two hours working in the garden.  This winter has been a wet one and while that has many benefits for us who live in this desert paradise, "enough is enough" and the sun was welcomed with open arms.

Gardening is a pleasure I learned to enjoy since being retired.  I have the time and the inclination and it is the most therapeutic activity I could ask for. Hands in the dirt, identifying weeds, listening to birds, feeling the sun and breeze, all keep me rooted (pun intended) in the moment.  I have also learned over the years to pay attention and benefit from the life cycle of my plants.  I have been "allowing" my plants to go to seed, then saving the seed for next season's planting.

One plant that has been so generous to me is the leek.  If you enjoy cooking from scratch, especially soups, then you know the leek is your friend! Last year I planted leeks on the front slope of my yard.  A slow growing member of the allium family, the leeks began as slender blades and grew to become the most graceful grayish-green plant in my landscape.

I let some go to seed and they formed wonderful seed head bulbs, reminiscent of Turkish minarets.

Then they grew into bulbs of white and rose colors.  Neighbors stopped to ask what they were.

As they matured, they erupted into tiny little flowers that formed tiny black seeds, like grains of pepper.

Once opened, I dried and captured the seeds and saved them until it was time to plant them.

In November I scattered the seeds in a large pot and waited to see if they would germinate.  Oh wonder of nature...they did not disappoint. I was amazed to see what popped up.

Yesterday I spent time transplanting them throughout my yard.  I had so many that I shared them with two neighbors, and two friends across town.  I am taking some to class tomorrow and some to plant at my son's home.

I love a bargain and the idea of getting new plants from old ones excites me.  We have a local group of organic gardeners that hosts an annual seed swap where members brings recycled envelopes and old prescription containers filled with seeds they saved and are eager to share.

I appreciate the lessons that nature teaches me. Maybe it is because I am a woman of a "certain age," but the phrase "going to seed" has new meaning for me now.  Instead of seeing it as a reference to entering that time of life when usefulness ends, a time of decline in looks and status, often due to age or lack of care, I now see it as a time of giving, a time of opportunity to pass on the richness and value of my being...just like my leek seeds!