Has cabin fever set in for you yet? No doubt, you’re whiling away the winter hours pining over the smell of fresh dirt and the sight of bright buds on the trees, but here we are, stuck in the middle of January, with only visions of the growing season to come dancing through our minds. To keep your hands busy, you’ve likely started to dig into your seed catalogs if you haven’t already begun to start those seeds indoors. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got big plans in store for the upcoming growing season, and while the dreaming part can be fun, the thought of putting your plan into action can also be a little daunting.
Like you, I’ve already mapped out the garden I want to plant in the spring—an herb garden full of the beautiful and medicinal herbs I’ve been studying winter-long. I have high hopes of cultivating these herbs for use in my culinary concoctions, homemade tea blends, and other products to use for home and health care. It makes me giddy, picturing the lush yard that will attract birds and pollinators and the abundant harvest that I’ll be able to pass along to family, friends and neighbors.
Then reality sets in. The “garden” is still a grass-filled lawn, the soil of which needs rehabilitated. No doubt, conversations with my herbicide-spreading neighbors await me, and we’ll have to navigate a compromise to limit drift onto my chemical-free flowers. Obtaining some of these plants that will be oh-so-lovingly placed in the garden will be a challenge, too, as I aim to find native varieties and minimize my costs by swapping with friends. And we haven’t even talked about growing them yet! Despite all the warnings to start your farm slowly and have patience in watching it grow, my plan involves diving head on into herb-garden tending, forming relationships with plants that are complete strangers to me at this point in time.
Am I in over my head? Likely. Am I a little bit terrified of the outcome? You bet. You likely are feeling some of these emotions of fear and anxiety, as well, as you think of all the goals you have set to accomplish over the next year. You’ll be conquering new territory and putting on the hat of a farm innovator—there will be unknowns galore, but don’t let it stop you. Instead, take heed of the advice from Benjamin Spock: Trust yourself.
You’ve been preparing for the moment of farm glory, so go out and get it. Yes, there’s that small chance that your plan won’t work out exactly as you envisioned it, but you’ve got this. You’ve worked hard, you’ve read up, and all that knowledge, whether gleaned from hands-on experience or from books, is locked tight in your brain. You’re a farming super-star. Don’t let negative thoughts diminish your joy in the task before you. Trust yourself and make it happen!
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