I’ve been gardening for a few years now, with nominal success. I’ve started slow, trying to learn to be faithful in little – and, by God’s grace, the garden has gotten better and better each year. This year is the best yet. Today, I am so thankful for my garden and for others’ gardens, for the grace of God in worked soil and fruitful plants.
This week I’m thankful…
…for a chance to reflect
I’ve never been a super intentional gardener, but I took some time after weeding this week to make some notes on what worked and what hasn’t worked with the garden this year (to help me with planning future gardens). I’m glad to be slowly growing as a gardener.
…for broccoli still going strong
Did I mention that my broccoli is still going? My mom always got rid of her plants before now (even farther north.) I’m not sure if that’s because they wouldn’t produce or just because it was too much work to keep up with harvesting, but I’m delighting in fresh broccoli in July! We had some in our stir fry this last week.
…for zucchini and potatoes
A friend from church had received some produce from another churchgoer’s garden when the friend was hosting ministry partners in her home – when the ministry partners left, she had an excess of zucchini and new potatoes, so she passed them on to me. We enjoyed the potatoes in a curry a couple nights ago and had fresh zucchini last night! (I didn’t plant zucchini this year because my plants died off right after their first fruit the last couple of years – I figure my soil must have something icky in it or else I’ve got bugs. I’ll try again next year when we’ve moved.)
…for another try with the beans
When I took the dehumidifier water out to water the garden yesterday, I noted that the beans are flowering again – I’m hopeful that this time they’ll actually produce.
…for a new garden bed
Now that building is about to commence (and we’ll be moved before the next garden season), I’ve been thinking about my garden out on the land. I know I want to move my current raised bed out there (It’s very useful to me and I doubt anyone who buys our house will be particularly interested in a 4′ x 8′ concrete block raised bed!) But I also want to expand to two beds next year. The only problem is that it does cost some to assemble, and I really want to avoid excess spending while we’re in the building process. I was thrilled, when I went out to the land to assess what was left behind after the trailer was moved, to discover 49 cinder blocks that the trailer had been sitting on – 9 more than I need for a second raised bed!
…for a reminder to break up my fallow ground
Barbara reposted an a blog post she’d written about fallow hearts yesterday – and it was just what I needed. As I read, I realized that I’d been letting bitterness harden my heart – and had been focusing on “getting past it” instead of on confessing it and rooting it out. God used Barbara’s post to spur me to finally start to deal with my heart – so that God’s word can grow and bear fruit in my life.
Even as I improve as a gardener in earthly soil, may my heart’s soil become ever more receptive to the planting of the Lord.
I keep a garden journal because my memory is getting really bad! :) I keep seed packages so I know exactly what I had and how it produced, the weather conditions so I can take into account the amount of produce I get. Glad you are enjoying your garden.
My husband was the gardener for a while – his dad had been an avid one – but he gave it up after a few years. Doing it on top of a full time job was stressful rather than relaxing, plus in the South bugs are a big problem. I’ve given some thought to trying just a couple of things we use a lot, like yellow squash, in containers, since I have knee problems, but we have not only bugs, but squirrels and wild rabbits out back, so I’m thinking it might be a losing battle. My middle son has really gotten into hydroponics and enjoys that. He’s still in a learning phase, with successes and failures, but he’s harvested enough to keep him interested.
So glad the “fallow hearts” post was a blessing to you. I tend to do that, too – just try to get past or put things behind me rather than confess them. God’s way is easiest and best, though it seems so hard at first.
I’m catching up on blogs for a bit and about about to head out to my garden to tend to it a bit. Which is an amazing thing to say because never in all my growing up years did I ever once garden. But this is actually fun stuff. I’ve got some tomatoes, green beans, a rhubarb plant that is growign as if on steroids (it isn’t, to be clear ;) and raspberries which are consuming……everything. :) All in need of attention!