Me and a Seed

By: Darby Graff

As my highschool career comes to an end I look back on the past four years of my life and all I can see is growth. From being a bratty freshman who thought the only important thing was how many shoes I had to a seasoned senior who now only cares about summer internships. A lot has changed- friend groups, boyfriends, and even pets. To honor this growth and change I have decided for this month's story to grow my very own watermelon. 

I will say that I have attempted to grow watermelons before- they didn’t even sprout- so I don’t think it really counts. 

The main reason why I chose the watermelon is because it germinates (sprouts) in a very short amount of time. I went to the flower nursery and they told me to get a damp paper towel and place 2-3 seeds in the paper towel and then place that in a plastic ziplock baggie. I chose to make two separate bags so I could guarantee a higher success rate of this working. I placed the bags in two different window sills. One that faces the north and one that faces the south. 

Sidenote: I learned that the bigger the seed is the faster it germinates. 

After the seed germinates I will transport it into a pot with soil and make sure to point it root down, so the roots spread and build a solid base for the plant to go. 

I think I spoke too soon about my next steps because it’s been six days and my seed still hasn’t germinated. The seeds are just baking in a window sill and doing absolutely nothing. 

However, I do think that this can connect to what my senior year genuinely was. I spent the majority of my year hibernating in my room, just like this seed, and contemplated my future. Where was I going to go to college? What was I going to do with my life? Was I actually going to apply for scholarships? 

I may have figured all of that stuff out, but my life still doesn’t feel any different. Now all I think about is facing my fears; moving far away, getting the meningitis vaccine, getting my wisdom teeth removed, and mostly leaving my boyfriend behind. 

Me and the seed definitely have one thing in common- we’re late bloomers. 

Okay, after day 7 the seed finally hatched!!!!

I really had lost all hope and was just planning on throwing them away, but then I caught a glimpse of the tiniest root ever and let’s just say I don’t think I’ve ever screamed so loud. 

Here is my plant all potted and ready to grow. 

This week I’m actually doing some growing too. I'm going to my first ever event at my future college, so it’s a little too perfect that the seed finally decided to germinate.

I really wanted the plant to sprout by now and have a cute little stem and a leaf, but that didn’t happen, so I’ll just end my story on this note: As much as I never thought that the seeds would grow I also truly believed that I would never adjust to the idea of me leaving next year, but now that’s all changing. 

#jhstrojantorch