As the air gets warmer and the days get longer, I’m finding more and more opportunities to spend time in the garden. It’s a good time to get some plants in the ground. Last week it was kale and cabbage. Yesterday it was cucumbers and squash. Soon, perhaps this evening, it will be peppers and tomatoes.
Everything has its place and time. These are subject to change, however, based on actual conditions. That is true in the garden. It’s true in the market.
The garden starts with some preparation and a good plan.
The work isn’t done once the seeds (or seedlings) are in the ground. Over the course of the growing season, there is plenty of watering & waiting, tending & trimming. Stepping back and seeing through what can appear to be an overgrown mess is also essential.
This labor and patience ultimately bear fruit, though not always in the ways we expect. Last year melons grew where they weren’t planted and didn’t grow where they were planted.
Set it and forget it doesn’t work in the garden. We expect surprises, adapt to opportunity, and enjoy the harvest.
We can approach investing in much the same way:
- A good plan is important, but so is the ability to adapt.
- There are times for both passive observation and productive activity.
- Find the rhythm, embrace the rotation.
- Some things are dependable, but there is no guarantee that last year’s winners will work again this year.
- Don’t be so caught up in the destination that you overlook the journey.
Enjoying last year’s harvest as we get this year’s plants in the ground seems like a virtuous cycle:
