The Day My Bell Pepper Bloomed

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I am fairly new to gardening. And when I say new, I mean this is brand new territory. Raised beds. Patio pots. Soil under my nails. Talking to plants like they can hear me. And I surprise myself, because they are actually growing. At least some of them.

I walked outside the other morning with Luna trotting beside me like my little garden supervisor. I wasn’t expecting much just the usual check-in. Tomatoes? Still there. Cilantro? Hanging on. Then I saw it. A flower on my bell pepper plant. Just one, but that’s all I needed to get excited. Because is wasn’t just a leaf. But an actual flower.

Which meant I had to run inside the house with excitement to tell BigDog. “IT HAS A FLOWER!” I said feeling like a girl. Full of promise and excitement for my new garden.

He smiled. Because he knows. When you’re new at something and it works? It feels big.

Not sure why seeing the flower meant so much to me? But it did and still does, even as I write here, I smile thinking about the little flower, sticking out of the green leaves.

Wasn’t really sure how to start my garden, but I’m growing in raised beds and patio pots figuring it out as I go. No childhood gardening wisdom. No brother and Mom had the green thumbs in my family. I had not interest at that time.

What has surprised me most? That they are actually growing. The tomatoes are climbing.
The cilantro is steady. And now that little pepper flower is telling me, “Keep going.”

I started this for fresh ingredients. There is something about walking outside and picking what you’re going to cook with that feels grounded and honest.

But it’s become more than that. It feels hopeful. There’s something about starting something new later in life that feels vulnerable. Because you don’t want to look foolish, waste money, or just doesn’t work.

But that little flower reminded me, growth doesn’t care how old you are. You plant, you water, you wait, you get excited. Then run inside and tell your husband. Because sometimes, you get a bloom and right now. I am ridiculously proud of that bell pepper.