Needle and Thread

The gardener stood in front of the carousel for fifteen maybe thirty minutes, though to him it seemed like hours. He would bend way down to read the packets on the bottom then stand very tall, almost on his toes, to read those on top, and only after carefully examining the selection in front of him would he reach out to turn the carousel. Each time it would squeak as if it were happy to be touched.

The gardener must choose his selection carefully. Once selected there is no turning back. The whole season hinges upon the varieties the gardener finally deems fit for his land.

Arriving home the gardener begins to fill with the joy of anticipation. The gardener quickly sets to work prepping the bed of soil. Small compact peat pots are set up in a beautiful line and the water is slowly poured over them.

The small pots begin to expand, filling with the life-giving water. With a gentle tug, the gardener releases the mesh pots exposing the soil within.

Carefully, the gardener sows the seeds, three tomato and one cucumber per pot, into the peat. With a brush of the fingertip they are covered and ready to sprout. 

  

Finally, with a click of the plastic top, the procedure is finished. Every pot is watered, every seed is planted, and nature is left to run its course. 

I brush off my hands and walk away, eagerly waiting the first sight of green.