My Mycelium and Other Planting Plans

Hey Friends,

In January, my reading takes another turn toward the hope of sun and warmth and the eventual ice melt. I begin to think about planting and seeding and working the earth. My TBR pile has titles like “Johnny’s Selected Seeds,” “Kitchen Garden Seeds” and “Prairie Moon Nursery.”  I love reading garden catalogs. I plot and plan my raised beds and aspire to spend time this year on a pollinator garden that we started at the beginning of the pandemic and left to its own devices. It’s wild in some good ways, but also some weedy ones.

This year I’m taking it a step further, having just finished a course through University of Wisconsin on local gardening (I had to pass quizzes and everything) on my way toward becoming a Master Gardener. And even now, in the depths of winter I’m reading a lot about mushrooms and have started growing indoors a batch of wine cap mushrooms. It has been fascinating to watch the mycelium grow, an underground connection that reminds me of how humans connect – or don’t. I think there’s a link between gardening and writing. Are any of you writers and gardeners?

–     Shannon

PS - Thanks for the comments on "Take the Book" via email and chat. I've heard from many of you that you've embraced #takethebook!