So ordinarily I am not a huge fan of gardening. In Australia the weather can get so dry and hot, that if you are not diligent, most non-established plants will die within a few weeks if you do not baby them a little. And if I am honest I dont have the inclination to spend the time and effort to have a perfectly cut lawn, even though i admire the beauty of a well kept lawn :P
I make an exception for trees though. I am not sure exactly why, but I get a lot of satisfaction from germinating saplings from seeds, and watching them grow into monolithic structures that dwarf their humble maker (me :P)
The fine specimen you see above was grown from a seed that I harvested from a jackfruit my father (a true greenthumb) grew and gave me when I moved into my current house back in late January 2017.
If you are curious, in 2 years if all goes well, the plant will start sprouting these juicy, sweet, magnificent beasts!!!
Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Of the 7 seeds I managed to germinate, this plant is by far my favourite and I will try and explain why..
Source: https://www.livestrong.com/article/546837-nutrition-in-boiled-jackfruit-seeds/
Of the 7, I did not anticipate this sapling to survive.. Why? Its because I make the rookie mistake of transplanting the sapling in my garden far too young, and in a location with intense sunlight and very dry soil. In fact its two siblings I planted at the same time soon perished under similar conditions. This was despite my best efforts to shade them from the harsh Australian sun.
But somehow this sapling survived.. Sure it didnt really grow for a solid 4 months, but it survived, and in the last few months it has really florished, sprouting massive new leaves on a fortnightly basis, and is now the largest of all the suriving saplings.
I guess I like it so much because it reminds me a lot about some of the challenges of life. Sometimes we feel as though we are making absolutely no progress despite our best efforts. We can't see our efforts paying off and often we get a little disheartened, and question whether its all been for nought.
But what we often fail to understand is that these struggles help us spread our "roots", giving us a stronger foundation on which to grow and flourish. If we are lucky, life is a long game. While failures, setback and disappointments are always uncomfortable, they help strengthen us for future challenges, and at the very least give us confidence that we can face similar challenges again.
Like everyone else, I go through tough times, and while I never enjoy it at the time, looking back I can see how these tough experiences have made me a better person, and as weird as it sounds, I am almost grateful for those periods in my life, because it reminds me how truly great I have it now.
Goodnight, and all the best,
