
Spring is a time for new beginnings, as seeds wake to the warming sun. As a gardener, I also see previous plantings bearing fruit. My neglected asparagus patch is sending up shoots. I did no bed prep, and basically stuck the crowns in an old patch of garden. This year, I am starting a new asparagus bed.
From research and experience I know that preparing the bed by tilling the soil and amending it with compost and organic fertilizer will create a rich environment for the new asparagus crowns. This is my gardening year to work on building up the soil.

Watching the old asparagus bed, I am reminded that preparing the bed is the most important step. Everything else rises from that soil, whether it is poor or thick with nutrients.
Sometimes that first planting doesn't bear fruit. Asparagus takes three years to really get going. Authors might spend years writing a novel. Even short stories can be slow to bear fruit. Several months ago, my writing friend Steve and I both submitted stories to an anthology. After waiting for an agonizing long time, we learned that the anthology had been cancelled, due to time issues for the publisher.
That soil didn't bear fruit, but we both plan to submit our stories elsewhere. That experience reminded me that I have two other stories that need a home. After I finish novel three in my series and give it to my Beta readers, I plan to dust off neglected short stories and seek out new soil for them.
I hope your spring is filled with new beginnings, sprouting from rich soil.