Announcing the Birth of... — One Red Chair Studio

my radishes!

I once taught a gardening unit for 5th graders when I was the science teacher. It was a love-hate relationship. Outside the classroom was a huge fenced in plot, perfect for square-foot gardening for 2-3 classrooms full of kids. They researched the plants, kept a garden journal, and tended the plants. However, there was no sprinkler system, we had to water by ridiculously heavy hoses, the students had to lug in their own good soil, they dragged in dirt to the room, and I had to baby sit the garden during vacations.

Ah! but now I know why the kids were so dang excited when their first seeds grew. I remember that I always recommended radishes for their fast growth. The little buggers are speedy, so not three weeks ago, I planted the seeds and today, after I painted a picture, below, I tasted. It really is quite exciting to watch things grow.

Did I never plant from seed before? Or was it such a dismal failure that I have blocked it from memory? I have gardened some...I remember there was a period of my life that I was grateful to be living in southern California in January and could dig into the soil...but, like cooking, gardening lost its appeal to me when I had a full-time job and chose other things to spend precious free time on. I suppose I am now in a different stage of life, where creating a pleasant meal and watching things grow from seed mean so much more to me. Well, cooking, not so much, but that's what I have a husband chef in the house for!