Planting
August 20, 2025
Harvesting
September 3, 2025
After planting comes tending, the longest stage of a garden which can be tedious, hard work. This stage of the liminal journey isn’t exciting. These are the important but not urgent tasks that support growth. Ordinary, routine work moves projects forward. Managing risks requires attentive observation with occasional quick action. Patience is needed as each plant grows in its own time, affected by the current environment. This is where asking for help or working together with others can really make a difference. Tending is the process of honoring the needs and growth of each plant or project in your life.
Ordinary Work
Tending requires steady work. Watering, weeding, staking plants and keeping an eye on progress day after day. These are the important but not urgent tasks that require consistency and attention. A few seedlings planted in hopes of a future harvest become a busy garden that needs a lot of upkeep. In life it looks like the long task list of managing projects, making healthy meals, cleaning, and meeting deadlines. These daily or weekly chores are the work that supports growth.
Managing Risk
Watching for risks and preventing them when possible is an important part of tending. Prevention includes pulling weeds when they are little and learning about the pests or problems your plants are likely to attract. Managing risk includes taking care of yourself, protecting your own capacity to work. It might mean tearing out one row of plants so that others can flourish. There are days when a problem becomes the priority. Beetles attacking your crops or a crashed computer threatens progress. Paying attention early allows you to protect your energy and your projects before damage spreads. Not everything will survive; resilience is caring for what remains and starting fresh if needed.
Attentive Patience
Tending requires attentive patience. Most days, you won’t see dramatic change. In the beginning gardens grow slowly as roots settle in. Tiny green buds are hard to see. From one day to the next it can be monotonous. Plants and projects have their own timelines and changing environmental conditions mean every year is different. Keeping records of progress by measuring plants or checking on metrics allows you to notice the slow changes. Tending requires keeping an interest in your projects during their time of slow and steady growth.
Building a Team
As the garden grows there are times when it is hard to keep up with the work or to stay involved every day. Early in the process start to build a team. It might be as simple as a friend who appreciates pictures of your garden and motivates you to keep working. You might need expert advice on aspects of your project. For a larger garden or project, you may need someone who will do some of the work. During a time of risk, you may need backup until the situation is resolved. Have conversations early with others to check on their availability, interest, and expertise. The tending season can be long. Having a team enriches you and your growth.
Tending is not the exciting stage. Tending honors the quiet, steady work that allows growth to take hold. During the daily work it is important to be alert for risks, those that can be diverted and those that need a quick response. Patiently paying attention to the growing garden allows you to adapt. Building a team early in the process means you will have support when needed. During this point in the liminal journey keep putting in the effort to move your plans forward. Resilience is found in the quiet discipline of tending, one day at a time.
Peace,
Laura
I run accountability sprints for solopreneurs that provide support for new projects. The next one begins on September 8, 2025. You can find more information about our sprints here.
