© Ingrid Haunold

Today, I’d like to update you on my paper-making project. You can read my first blog post from the 12th of April 2026 here.

I can cheerfully report that I am well on my way to falling flat on my face in a very public manner – which I don’t mind, if you may recall. I do think there’s great value in learning from my (and other people’s) mistakes.

I am taking part in an initiative organized by a non-profit organization which is dedicated to the cultivation of flax: 1 square meter of flax. Anyone in Austria (and in some other European countries) who is willing to grow flax in their garden or even just in pots on a balcony, can purchase flaxseeds. I planted my seeds on April 12, 2026, and have since watched the seeds sprout. I water the plants every day, and watch them grow. I plan to use the harvested flax to produce one sheet of paper. Or maybe even some thread, which I could use to hand-stitch a book.

It’s not going well, as I did not follow the instructions provided by the organizers of “1 square meter of flax.” I did purchase the correct (nutrient-poor) soil. I even purchased organic soil. I also placed my two pots in a sunny spot on my balcony.

But I did not follow instructions in regard to the amount of seeds I should use. I also did not sow the seeds in rows, with plenty of space between the individual rows, so the plants would have room to grow. I just sprinkled the seeds into the pots, and covered them with a bit of soil. As I only have room on my balcony to plant approximately half a square meter of flaxseeds, but had seeds for one full square meter, I had twice as many seeds as needed on hand; naturally, I used all the seeds.

In addition, I sprinkled a few sunflower seeds into the pots, where the pots are closest to the wall. I did not expect all the seeds to sprout, but it looks as if that’s exactly what happened: All the flaxseeds, and all the sunflower seeds seem to have broken through the soil, and are growing. However, as there are way too many seeds in the pots, the plants don’t have enough room to grow, and seem to be fighting with each other for nutrients. As a result, they grow slowly, and both the flax and the sunflowers will most likely not grow into tall plants. I expect I will end up with small plants of flax, and small sunflowers.

Whether the flax will be suitable for my purpose – to make one sheet of paper – remains to be seen. I’ll keep you updated.

Lessons learned: Follow instructions! I did not do that. (Do I ever?)