I Love My Babies!

I love my babies! Yes, each spring I just admire the new life starting up in my yard and savor it knowing that it comes once per year. Each plant draws me in and truly entices me to stare at its unique manner of growth. I know others starting up seeds who also get very attached to them after babying them. It isn’t surprising to see emails about the new babies and even phone calls all excited about the latest sprouts. I’ll share a few of my favorites from this spring.

Beans are awesome. It is so cool to watch them break the ground and keep the bean attached while they spread their cotyledon leaves. My children just love watching them appear and seeing the beans come out of the earth and still show as they grow. Additionally, my children also have a ball watching the beans start getting so tall they reach into the tree above!

Of course there are the baby tomatoes. I get to watch those start out of the soil here in the house. I could plant and plant and plant because the excitement of seeing the plants pop out of the ground just excites me. This year I actually saw one that was bent over break from the soil’s grasp and pop up more vertically. I immediately called my husband to tell him because I was so excited and it was so beautiful.

I also get a thrill watching cucumbers and squash varieties break the ground and burst up. It is really a power play to see them boldly push up a significant amount of soil out of the way for their large leaves! The soil starts with some cracks, raises up, then the large leaves push through. I’m watching a seedling this year that has the seed coat stuck to it.

I’m wondering how long it will take to break free, or if like tomatoes, it just might stay stuck and mature leaves pass by it. So far, 4 days later, the seed coat is still on the end of the leaf.

Another thing that draws me in is my raspberry patch. When I am out there in the early morning, it hums. That is such a peaceful sound. There are so many bees on the patch that it has an elegance to the buzzing. I also know that the sound marks berries coming soon! I sat looking at the different stages that the raspberry flowers were in. They are gorgeous with all the little parts poking out that seems to intoxicate bees into their world. Some are already into little tiny berries. It is so exciting to see them just emerge right before my eyes.

Basil was another variety that I watched carefully. Such super tiny seeds, also like tomatillos or ground cherries, seem so fragile. They amaze me with the future size from very, very tiny seeds and delicate small sprouts. I started up some more basil just a week ago to have multiple flushes going out in the garden at different stages. I feel very tempted to do it several more times just for the love of watching them sprout.

I hope sharing some of these will bring my spring closer–now I’ll retreat back out to my happy place with the baby plants, the birds and the bees… and my new small lap dog, Renee.

Renee helping me outdoors–watching over my babies.

You can also find Moopsee at Yahoo’s Canning2.

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