Farming is definitely not my second language and I don’t claim it to be..at least not yet. Farming is however an unexpected passion that I get to share with people I love.
When I tell you I have a lot to learn … I truly am like a child growing up again learning a completely different view on life.
I remember a couple of seasons ago Ryan had purchased strawberry roots to plant for hanging baskets. People… you would have thought we won the lottery! I was obsessed with the idea of having strawberries growing out of baskets hanging up everywhere around the farm. What I realized was I was so obsessed with the idea of it that I didn’t actually educate myself on how to make it happen. It was so surface level for me. I even made a video that showed how I clearly planted them incorrectly. I unintentionally was suffering from the insecurities of me not being an expert but trying to prove to everyone even myself that I knew what I was doing..
I of course discovered I planted them incorrectly and fixed some of them. I did however still have them planted incorrectly and didn’t care for them the way I should have and they didn’t grow well.
What I should have done was find a hanging basket that was at least 12-14 inches in diameter. Fill it with some good planting soil/compost mix, peat-free if possible because strawberries do not like to sit in water. Then dash it with some blood/bone meal to provide a boost. Doing all of this while my strawberry roots were soaking for 4-6 hours.
Then… plant them root side down, with the crown of the strawberry sticking out of the dirt! See the last time, I planted it sideways and on top of that I buried the poor thing and it either didn’t grow or was slow to grow. Then I would consistently water every 1-2 days. Some people might ask why not just get strawberry plant starts to use instead? Have you seen the price of those things! Why not get a bag of 25 roots for $15-$20 vs one plant for $5 or an already established hanging basket for $20. That was and still is our rationale.
Much like my strawberry story I have approached life at times from a very surface level perspective.. Life can be so much more than that.
Is there something in your life that maybe you have not put in forth the effort to make it successful because it may require the idea of facing a fear of failure or having to admit you are not an expert? Or what about having to take extra time to learn more about something you are not an expert on before jumping head first into the pit of the unknowns.
What I have discovered is I needed to fail fast and fail often because that for me creates growth on so many levels and humility. It also gives me insight to realize what truly makes me happy even if I am not great at it I continue to try. It’s the reassurance that I am on the right path.
I still posted that strawberry video.. I was humble about my mistake. I also later realized that I still did it wrong. So this year I am going to try again just for me and be okay with failure if it happens again.
One of these days you are going to stumble on a blog from a woman who finally figured out that life isn’t just surface level. That sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to find your own gold. She will be surrounded by hanging baskets of strawberries in abundance. Until then she is going to keep digging and sharing her gold as she discovers it.
Moral of the story… Failure is brutal sometimes.. Can you imagine a life where you always win? Those are lives of comfort zones. Here’s to failing fast and failing often. It’s time to be uncomfortable.-✌🏼Jamie
Moral Of The Story 