Getting Back to Basics
So, things felt kinda… off lately. Stuck in the same loop, you know? Work, screens, sleep, repeat. Felt like I was floating, not really connected to anything solid. Needed a change, but wasn’t sure what.
Then, last weekend, I was clearing out the old shed. Hadn’t really gone through the back corner in years. Found this dusty old box. Inside? My grandad’s old gardening tools. Rusty, yeah, but solid wood handles. Remembered him using them, vaguely. Always seemed so calm out there, digging in the dirt.
Figured, why not? Got this neglected patch of dirt out back that’s just been growing weeds. Decided I’d try and make something of it. Didn’t really know where to start, honestly. Just grabbed a spade and started digging. Turning over the soil felt… different. Real. Hard work, too. My back complained pretty quickly.
Went down to the local garden shop. Felt like a total newbie. Asked a few clumsy questions. Ended up buying some simple seeds – tomatoes, lettuce, some herbs. Nothing fancy. Got some compost too. The guy said the soil looked poor.
The Actual Digging In
Spent the next few afternoons prepping the patch.
- Cleared out the weeds (that took ages).
- Mixed in the compost.
- Tried to make neat rows like I saw online. Mostly failed at that.
It looked pretty rough. Planted the seeds, watered them. Then… waiting. Felt a bit silly, staring at dirt every day.
First week, nothing. Second week, still nothing much. Started thinking maybe this was a dumb idea. Maybe I didn’t have the ‘green thumb’ or whatever. Plus, it rained like crazy one day, washed some seeds away, I think. Then pests showed up. Little green things eating what few sprouts did appear.
It wasn’t exactly relaxing at first. More like frustrating. Felt like another thing I wasn’t good at. Almost gave up, went back inside to the computer.
Seeing Some Green
But I kept at it, mostly out of stubbornness, I guess. Put down some netting stuff the garden shop guy recommended. Kept watering. And then, slowly, things started happening. Little green shoots pushing through. Those tomato plants actually started looking like plants. Found myself checking on them every morning, first thing.
It wasn’t about some big harvest or beautiful garden. It was just… watching something grow. Something I’d started with my own hands, in the actual dirt. Felt grounding. Made me think about grandad again, out there in his patch. Maybe this is what he felt.
Haven’t harvested much yet, just some lettuce leaves for a salad. But pulling those leaves off, knowing I grew them? Pretty cool feeling. Simple, but cool. It’s a slow process, this gardening thing. Teaches you patience, I suppose. Something my screen-filled life doesn’t really do. Yeah, getting back to these roots, feels kinda right.
