I have been giving this a lot of thought. A LOT of thought: I’m going to become a farmer.
That’s right! I’m going to become a farmer and I’m going to grow ALL kinds of things too! Tomatoes? Duh. Carrots? Absolutely! Strawberries?! Get out of here! Of course I’m going to grow strawberries! And everything else in between!! Cucumbers! Zucchini! BELL PEPPERS of every color you can THINK of!! (except perhaps blue) PLUS- so many different herbs you won’t know whether to laugh or cry.
There’s just one problem: I don’t know HOW to do any of this. The only experience I’ve ever had with growing anything (other than an amazing beard) was a few weeks ago when I did this to an avocado pit:

Avocado farming.

Until today! I showed up at Memphis Botanic Garden in East Memphis, a 96 acre botanic garden that aims to enhance people’s lives by connecting them with nature and increasing awareness and appreciation of our environment. I met with a man named Manny, who has what seems like the best job in Memphis. He showed me around the place and then brought me to the volunteer greenhouse. It has everything you can think of growing in it.

Volunteer greenhouse

After I looked around at all the different plants, it was time to get some work done. Another employee, Stella, and another volunteer, Will, joined Manny and I in the greenhouse. Then, Manny showed me how to properly take tiny plants out of their tiny pots, and then place them in slightly bigger pots. It might sound easy, but it was the perfect task for a beginner like myself. Stella and Will, who have much more experience than I do, worked along side of me but were re-potting and grooming bigger and exoticker. (yea, exoticker is a word, don’t try to look it up) We stood there, working with our plants and chatting about music, travel, school…you name it. I was having fun AND I was completely relaxed. Stella even referred to her work as “therapeutic”.

Stella during a therapy sesh

After about an hour of re-potting the tiny plants, Manny decided that it was time for me to graduate and move on to the plants that Stella and Will were working on. Manny showed me a few tricks, and within no time I felt like a pro. Well, maybe not a pro, but definitely more knowledgeable than I was earlier in the day.

Manny and his green thumbs

Now, it might take me awhile to become a full-fledged farmer, so don’t come knocking on my door demanding salads quite yet. Jeez, people, give me some time! Meanwhile, I’ll be at Memphis Botanic Gardens learning a few things from Manny, Stella, and Will.

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