I promised “brevity and levity” in a follow up post, so here we go! For those who didn’t read the massive wall of text in the last post, I moved into a new apartment recently and the balcony situation is promising. I actually get some sun here! Scientific fact: Plants need sun to survive. Other scientific fact: Covered, north-facing balconies in the Pacific Northwest (such as the one at my previous apartment) do not receive much sun. AT ALL.
The first order of business after getting truly moved in was to find some cool balcony swag and plant some things. I’ve got several plants growing on the balcony at the moment, but the star attractions are a dwarf rose bush and a couple of tomato plants. They’ll each get their own follow-up post, so I won’t elaborate on them too much now. They’re both new, though, and I’ll be interested to see how both plants do in pots.
I also have a painted chameleon that matches my tile table. This is not gardening related, but it is swag related. LEGIT.
After a 10 month hiatus, I finally emerge from the shadows to bring you more Garden, and more Science. A few astute readers may remember that my last post was somewhat of Half Life 2 ep. 2 ending (which is to say, a cliffhanger) of rather superb proportions. For those who do not remember, I basically announced that I was doing another Instant Garden and then -*POOF*- disappeared. A lot of things have happened since then, and this feels like a good moment for reflection. This also seems like a good opportunity to let my dear readers know just a tiny bit more about me, since this may help to explain why the blog has been on-again/off-again for such a long time now.
A boring wall of text awaits. For those who are not interested in boring walls of text, you are unfortunately missing out on some semi-heartfelt sentiments and mildly clever musings. Worry not, however, for I will follow up with some more brevity and levity in an upcoming post. For those who do enjoy boring walls of text, read on!
I tend not to talk about myself much on Garden Science. This is by design. The focus of Garden Science over the years has been (and will continue to be) the plants, and this is not going to change. I believe that in order to be your “Garden Variety Show”, it doesn’t really matter who I am or where I’m from. I’m just a narrator. The way I see it, I’m basically just a disembodied voice who exists to tell a story.
That said, my circumstances have shaped Garden Science just as they’ve shaped me. Every time the content stops flowing, it’s generally because something has happened to the narrator.
When I started the blog, I was a recent college graduate holding a part-time job. I was living with my parents to make ends meet, but it wasn’t a sad time. It was actually an excellent time for Garden Science, because I had ample hours to write and a great little plot of Earth to plant things in. This was an era of many great experiments. It’s where the lemon trees and the original Instant Garden got their start. I was by no means a gardener... I just had a green thumb, a little bit of time, and a lot of curiosity.
I don’t remember exactly when, but at some point I was picked up by the Tumblr Spotlight. You, my dear followers, arrived in droves after that. I was thrilled that so many people were interested in what I was doing, and that inspired me to fill the blog with all manner of fun plant things.
A few years after starting Garden Science, I found myself at the beginning of my real-life career with many opportunities ahead of me. These were busy times. I managed to save a bit for a rainy day, and I was even able to move into my own apartment again! There were lots of wonderful life/adulting milestones going on. People were getting married, job things were happening, I wrote and illustrated a book, and I was taking martial arts classes. I spent most of my 20s without a car, and it’s amazing just how much time a person with no car (and lots of hobbies) spends walking or commuting.
The apartment that I moved into after living with my parents had a covered, north-facing balcony. The plants on that balcony received basically zero light, and at times I felt like I might as well be trying to grow things on the moon. Still, I didn’t give up! The lemon trees continued their upward journey, and I planted everything from beans to sunflowers... typically with less than stellar results.
Over time, I found it difficult to maintain a blog when it seemed like time and my own growing environment were stacked against me. A lot of my plants weren’t surviving on the patio very well (or at all), and it was discouraging to write about failures. I know failures are part of science, but I became attached to my plants and it was hard to watch them falter. It was even harder to write about.
Last year, I tried to do a bit of remote gardening. As it turns out, remote gardening doesn’t work very well. You probably noticed this, since this is what ultimately lead to my 10-month cliffhanger absence. I learned a valuable lesson! Gardening, at least to me, is very much about being present. It’s about walking out the door and into the green space, even if that green space is a tiny balcony or a side yard. It’s about the smell of water on stone. It’s about the feeling of soil warmed by the earth, and about finding the joy of life in tiny green things. I felt less connected to a garden that I couldn’t be with every day, and that eventually lead to my disappearance. I was unable to keep up with the remote garden, let alone write about it regularly.
Garden Science has never left my heart. I’ve received incredible support from my friends, family, and followers over the years and I thank all of you who are here reading this today. I know I haven’t been the most dutiful content creator recently, but times are changing again and I hope to increase my presence more and more as the growing season marches on.
A few weeks ago, I achieved a new adulting milestone and moved to a new apartment flooded with natural light. There is a small deck attached to the apartment, and it is glowing with sun kisses many hours of the day. I have a rose bush, some tomato plants, and an insatiable newfound joy for painted pottery that I cannot wait to share with you all. I should also have more time to write, although I guess we’ll see how that goes. :)
Again, thank you all for your patience and understanding over the years. I hope you are all enjoying this gardening season, and I can’t wait to be part of it!
Rain is good for the garden! Got some beans and squash starting. Science! . . . . . #stayathomedad #letitgrow #gardenscience #bushbeans #unknownsquash #fridaysareforscience https://www.instagram.com/p/BybINajBHWK/?igshid=15qrmxie9h5gf
Found a bunch of old seeds from last year and some from three years ago. #plantingthem #seeingwhathappens #gardenexperiments #gardenscience #seeds #garden2017
