Bringing spring indoors

– Everything is an Adventure: Column by Julia Wolf –

I am very antsy for spring. I don’t avoid the outdoors at all costs over winter, but I definitely don’t spend as much time out there as I do the other three seasons.

I think it comes down to how early it gets dark. When it is dark (and cold) before and after work, it’s just less fun being out there.

I miss going for walks on trails or in parks, and not having to worry about wiping out on an icy hill or faceplanting in the snow while doing it.

Naturally, I’ve decided to proclaim spring is a state of mind. Time is just a construct, or something like that.

The spring hand towels have made an appearance in my kitchen and are there to stay for at least the next six months.

I also decided to try bringing a garden indoors. I had a fish tank for a couple years and clearly, I am not a good fish parent. When the last fish was no more, I decided to try to repurpose the tank. No point in having a tank sit around and take up space.

First, I was going to do a terrarium/fairy garden type of deal. I researched it a bit, and decided that sounded like a lot of work and odd items I didn’t already have.

I also considered trying to keep shrimp, instead of goldfish, in the tank, to see if they liked the environment any better. Considering I never did figure out the part that was not agreeing with the fish before, I decided to spare the little shrimps’ lives and not put any more critters in the tank. There go my dreams of a hydroponic garden.

Eventually, I decided the fish tank would make a great herb garden, since the tank is already located in my kitchen. All it would need, other than a few rocks for drainage, is a grow light. Long story short, every window in my apartment is already so jammed full of plants, that there is no hope of fitting another one in there without some extra help. Since the fish tank had filters and lights that needed electricity, the tank was already located close to an outlet. Easy.

After procrastinating the task for a long time, I finally got around to taking all the fish stuff out of the tank, giving that stuff a quick rinse, then scrubbing down the tank itself.

Even after two times of scrubbing with dish soap, elbow grease and a sponge with an abrasive pad, the tank still looks a bit dingy. That perfectly encapsulates the reason I put off the job for so long.

Also, that job was a mess. Fish rocks are like glitter. They are everywhere and difficult to clean up. When you aren’t looking, they almost have to multiply. But, the tank is finally ready to transform into an herb garden.

My parents bought me the grow light and rocks for my birthday, and I picked out the seeds a little bit ago. Setup and planting should be a pretty straightforward process, and make spring feel within reach.

Hopefully, by the time the calendar says it is spring, my indoor garden will be ready for harvest and I can enjoy some fresh herbs.