Last Sunday, on one of those warm days that taunt New Yorkers with the fleeting promise of spring, I started some seeds.
I was a little late to it—I knew that. Mostly because I’ve been busy and feeling overwhelmed, but also because I had been waffling over whether or not to even bother this year.
In all likelihood we will be moving this fall—maybe even sooner, if the perfect rent-stabilized apartment presents itself.1 Should I even get invested in the garden this year, on the off-chance we have to leave it earlier than expected?
But in the end, I did plant the seeds, because it was a beautiful afternoon and I wanted to. I should let the backyard bring me joy, while we have it.
I didn’t buy new potting soil and just recycled some old stuff, with a little fresh compost mixed in. This was frugal but risky—it’s possible using a mix of old potting soil and compost could introduce disease, fungi, or pests to the seeds or young plants. Indeed, some little mushrooms sprouted before anything else. But since ease, speed, frugality were my priorities, that was a risk I was willing to take.
Four varieties of tomatoes have already sent up little sprouts, as did a pepper seed, a rosemary seed, and I think I spy some teeny little parsley sprouts, as well!
Thanks for reading Pinch of Dirt! I’m doing a little paid subscription drive, and aiming for 100 paid subscribers by the end of the year. The sooner I get there, the sooner I can stop bringing it up as much! Believe me, I want that more than you.
What I’m reading
Spring is here, technically. (An equinox explainer.) [The Associated Press]
False-spring, adjacent: A cloudy sky probably isn’t to blame for your bad day, although the science one way or the other is slim. [Christina Caron for The New York Times]
Obsessed with this look at the changing seasons in New York City’s waterways. Really lovely. [Allison C. Meier for NYC Microseasons]
The 35,000 ornamental cherry trees in New York City will be blooming in waves from mid-March to mid-April—here’s where to see them. [Julia Carmel, Hurubie Meko and Erin Nolan for The New York Times] Some sad news from Washington, D.C.: After this spring, the National Park Service will be removing 150 cherry trees and turning them into mulch, because of sea level rise. [Scott Simon and Danny Hensel for NPR]
The Adirondacks are bracing for eclipse crowds, and there may not be enough gas to go around. [Mike Lynch for Adirondack Explorer]
Three people have died attempting to hike California’s Mt. Baldy in the last 14 months. What makes the mountain so deadly? Probably it’s proximity to Los Angeles! (RIP Julian Sands, I loved you in A Room with a View) [Joe Nelson for The Press-Enterprise]
Who runs this town? Bears. And while it is illegal in California to intentionally feed them, Louis Sahagún got someone to admit that they feed two of them, affectionately called Cinnamon and Blackie. “I love bears; they’re just big puppy dogs,” the scofflaw told Sahagún. “Getting along with these critters is the right thing to do. It pleases the Lord.” [Los Angeles Times]
Climate change may be making kitten season longer. [Sachi Mulkey for Grist]
Tans are back, baby! The kids would rather “die hot than live ugly” and by ugly, they mean pale, apparently. I love Jessica DeFino’s (of the excellent newsletter The Unpublishable) commentary on this:
Health as an aesthetic, not a state of being, is a growing problem in the world of beauty, argues beauty writer and critic Jessica DeFino.
This tension is particularly apparent with the surging popularity of sunless tanners, said DeFino. The latest products promise more natural results with easier application. They can certainly feel healthy: no UV rays, no skin damage. But obsessing over the look may mean we’re paying less attention to the very activities that do boost our health: fresh air, sunlight, nature.
One hundred percent! I hate anything that supplants something we do for pleasure and joy (getting tan because you’re outside hiking, gardening, or lounging on the beach) with something you have to buy. [Anne Branigin for The Washington Post]
A new species of aloe discovered in Somaliland, in the ‘Geli-darxumo,’ or the “woodlands of hardships.” [Ahmed Ibrahim Awale, Faisal Jama Gelle and Kennedy Wambua Matheka, h/t Ethan Davison]
Finally, a must-read: “Doom is a state of mind.” A fantastic essay on climate crisis. Hits some recognizable beats, but does a really nice job of synthesizing many varied threads. (Adam Sobel for Nature)
A reminder to reach out if you hear of anything good!!