The indoor plants have gone crazy. One day, nothing in the watermelon seed pods, the next day, 1" high seedlings. They're growing so fast, I'll have to find a way to prop the lid over their section of the grow bed, before they're stunted.
My herb starters, on the other hand, have gone from barren black soil to a crop of fine green seedlings. To my mind, that is a good thing...picture a thick bed of mint, parsley or sage. The more the merrier, yes?
Evidently, no. The seed packet recommends thinning the seedlings to one per 2-3 inches after they've gotten to be 3 inches tall. This perplexes me, because when I see such a lush carpet of seedlings, grown because of the love and attention I paid to them, I am very reluctant to see any of them sentenced to die.
Reading further, I realize that in order to get the best growth from the plants, I have to make sure the strongest seedlings get the most nutrients. With so many plants competing for resources, all will suffer if I don't make that cut. It's natural selection at its purest, and in my eyes, its cruelest.
Some background on me: I've always had something of a Florence Nightingale complex. I want to nurse the sick to health (whether physical or emotional), from plants to pets to people. I'm also a bit of a hoarder. Not to the extent of those reality show nightmares, by any means, but I have held onto broken lamps, disfigured appliances and unfinished craft projects (plus their various paraphernalia) long after they should have been repaired/donated/thrown out. Over the years, it has created quite a clutter problem, but addressing it causes even more of a headache as I don't want to throw things away, but finding the right homes for my donate-able goods (and getting them together, and taking them there or picking up the phone for pickup) takes far more effort than shoving them deep in a closet. Our association doesn't allow garage sales, so lugging my things to another person's house to join theirs (after which I'll probably lugging 2/3 of it back) also drains the spirit. And posting ads on Craigslist or eBay are both time consuming and minimally fruitful, at best.
So I keep the stuff around. And it surrounds me like a little garden of stuff, overcrowded, weedy, sucking away life and competing for resources.
Ultimately, I decided to wait a bit to thin the herbs. They're not quite big enough yet, and I'm not emotionally strong enough to do the deed. What I will start doing, however, is de-cluttering my life. It may take a little time, and a lot more effort, but in the end, I think it will help me (and my garden) to grow.
In lighter news, I've spotted my first tomato! It's on the cherry plant, and I'm so excited. There are also a few tomatillos forming, which somehow makes me feel like I've accomplished something. Now I've just got to keep 'em alive until they ripen. I can taste the salsa now...
