Two summers ago, I started a garden. I had no idea what I was doing.
Andy was deployed. I had a toddler and a one-month old, and I needed a project to give me the focus to make it through that last few months of Andy’s absence.
Through trials and many errors, I discovered a deep-rooted love of farming – undoubtedly passed down from my agrarian forbearers. I’ve begun to glean a bit of the wisdom they had from a life of working the earth. One thing is for sure – gardening can teach us a lot about how to invest in people.
- Plant with expectation. You can't perfectly predict the last frost, and the first rains. Watch the signs and plant expectantly that God will provide.
- You can’t tell which seeds will grow by looking at them. So plant them all and let God sort it out.
- Sometimes, you just have to wait. You can prepare the soil, plant the seeds and water with great care…but in the end it just takes time to see a sprout and watch it flower.
- You must thin your seedlings. More plants will spring up than can flourish in your soil. You must pick the best ones, and pluck the rest – otherwise none will grow.
- Weeds only get bigger. Little sprigs of crabgrass will turn into deeply rooted destroyers. Do the hard work early when it is more manageable and less damaging.
- Plants need both sunny days and rainy days. One without the other means no growth.
- There is a season for everything. You can freeze and can. But in the end, there is only one season in which to enjoy a perfectly ripe strawberry. There is a season to work late into the dusk, and a season to let the land lie fallow through the cold months. Don't confuse them.
Books are helpful in learning how to grow plants, but nothing replaces the experience of doing…and a helpful practiced hand to guide.
