Things Learned from the Garden

It's always amazing to me how much havoc the winter brings on my lovely garden beds. OK, so maybe it's not completely Old Man Winter's fault, so much as the fact that I just don't want to get out in my garden when it's cold and wet and dreary. So generally, my garden gets completely neglected during the few cold months we have here in the South. But, with the first signs of spring making their way to my house, I have made my way out of doors to begin piecing together what is left of my garden after all the leaves and ice and weeds have had their fun.

It certainly helps having raised beds for gardening, because I am not nearly as limited in my time. I don't have to wait for the ground to dry out before tilling. And I don't have to wait for the first free weekend my husband has to pull out said tiller and actually do the work for me. But even with raised beds, weeds have a way of finding themselves smack dab in the middle of my garden, putting down deep roots and making themselves at home.

So before taking the shovel to my dirt to turn it under and loosen it up, I set to work pulling out all those weeds that were multiplying in my garden. I got down on my hands and knees and yanked out each one. I have learned that, if you leave even a little of the root, it will find whatever strength it has left and will come back even stronger. The only way to get rid of a weed is to pull it out by the roots.

Weeds start out small, sometimes even inconspicuous. They put down their small roots and begin to grow. If you leave them for any length of time, their roots become strong and run deep. Some of these weeds produce some of the most beautiful flowers, making you think they might just belong right where they are. After all, they aren't hurting anything, and they are even pleasing to look at. But before you know it, that one small, inconspicuous weed will turn to many, and they can and will take over your entire garden, sucking all the good, vital nutrients from the soil that your healthy plants so desperately need.

Weeds are just like sin. Most start out very small, sometimes even inconspicuous. But if we allow it to put down roots in our lives, it will begin to grow and multiply. Often, our sins look very lovely. Otherwise, why would we do them? And every time we allow it control in our lives, the roots of those sins grow stronger and deeper. They begin to take over every part of us, sucking out all the good, and leaving us with little else to offer The Master.

Just like all those weeds have got to be pulled out of my garden, the sin in our lives has to be yanked out to make room for all the good that He has for us. We need the Master Gardener to go through our hearts and get rid of anything not producing good fruit of Him. And He doesn't just pull from the top. He reaches WAY DOWN and yanks out those sins by the roots!

Do you have some "weeds" that need to be pulled? Are they so small you hardly notice them, or have they multiplied so that there is no more room for any other good things? Are you ready to produce something good for Almighty God? Then get ready to be yanked on, because, in order to serve Him, there can be nothing else in the soil of your life standing in His way. You cannot be effective for Christ when you still have "little weeds" in your life. Are you ready to be yanked?

What a Mess

This morning, I awoke to BEAUTIFUL weather! The nights in Louisiana are turning cooler, so the mornings are very pleasant. I made a quick judgement call, and I sent the kids out the door. Originally, I had a full day of school planned, but since we don't get mornings like this often these days, I decided to postpone school until this afternoon. They were more than happy to head outdoors!

And with the kids outside and the baby asleep, I thought for a moment about getting some much needed housework accomplished, since we are having company in a few nights. But the day was calling me! I just couldn't stay in when the day was so beautiful! So after a quick peek at the sleeping baby, I took off to my garden.

My garden is my favorite place to be when I'm outside. It is one of my great loves, my place of solitude. But as of late, it has been less than inviting. It is nearing the end of the summer growing season, and my plants were showing their age. Many were overgrown and brown. Weeds had grown nearly as big as some of the plants. (OK, maybe I'm exagerating just a bit there.) It was a MESS!

So today, with the weather so favorible and such a nice breeze blowing to keep me cool, I took my scissors and went to work. First, I cut all the overgrowth. Then, when I got to the point of actually seeing my tomato cages again, I was able to cut all the string I had used to hold up my plants. I yanked weeds from their happy homes. And I ripped up all the dead plants that were no longer needed in my garden. What a MESS!

But now, I have most all of my raised beds cleaned out and ready to start refilling with fall veggies. I am already envisioning the salad that will come in just a few short months. And low and behold, as I was cutting down dead tomato plants, I happened upon a few new tomato shoots that had sprouted off the base of my original plants. So I carefully pulled dirt around them, and, if they live, I will soon have more tomatoes this fall. Yes, tomatoes will grow until the frost, if the heat of the summer doesn't kill them. So in addition to my fall lettuce, I may just have some tomatoes to go on my salad!

Not all of my plants have died. I still have 3' tall pepper plants. I have green bell peppers, purple bell peppers, red bell peppers, long sweet peppers, and some other kind that I can't remember. They are going strong, and if I keep them watered, they will make well into the fall. Also, I have perennial plants, like asparagus and onions, that will grow all year, die back in the winter, and start all over again next spring. So I do still have some beauty in my garden, even after cleaning out the mess.

And then, since the baby was still sleeping, I even had a little time to get to my herb garden. I pulled weeds and grass from around all my beautiful herbs, so you can actually tell what they are again. There was only enough time to do about half of the bed, though. The rest will have to wait until another morning.

All in all, today was a great day. My garden isn't the big MESS that it was, and I am looking forward to replanting in a few weeks. It was a GREAT morning!

The End of a Season

Several weeks ago, a very hard rain came through our area giving a much needed drink to the very dry and thirsty earth. It cooled things off and made everything seem so fresh and new again. Rain has a way of making you feel good inside just to sit and watch it all day from the window. And that's just what we did, enjoying every minute of the beautiful day.

But when the rain subsided, I went to check on my garden (as I do many times a day), only to find that a tragedy had occurred! My 7 foot tall tomato plants were laying over on their side. These plants had grown so full and tall, they had long since grown past the tomato cage to which I was tying them. So when the wind came, they acted like a big umbrella - they caught the wind and blew over. And then, because of the thick, beautiful leaves, the rain that had been falling beautifully on them finally grew to be too heavy and weighted them down too much, adding to the plants demise.

Considering the fact that I have been very careful with my tomato plants this year, so as to actually get a good harvest, I nearly cried seeing this! I enlisted my husband's muscles to help me, because these plants were so heavy, I was not able to do anything about them on my own. Together, we stood the cages and plants upright, and I covered the roots as best as possible. The roots were so long, most did not pull up entirely. So I hoped with all hope that they would re-root and continue to grow until fall.

But about a week later, to my great dismay, the leaves began to yellow and my tomatoes started turning brown. I was crushed! All the work I had invested in these beauties was now coming to an end. But I still had loads of green tomatoes covering these plants that I certainly did not want to let go to waste. I new they would never ripen on these dying vines, so I made the decision. Britches, squirt, and I went out one morning and picked all the green tomatoes off the plants, brought them inside, and prepared them for what would be my first ever batch of green tomato relish! In the middle of my sadness, I still felt a little excitement. All would not be lost.

So for two days, I washed, cut, and prepared my tomatoes. After much hard work, I had my first batch of green tomato relish, which consisted of 7 quarts and 1 pint! I was thrilled!!





So now, I am left with the hard task of pulling up the old dead plants, cutting off all the strings I used to tie them to the cage, and feeding the left-overs to my goats. Then I begin pulling any other weeds, and finally, I'll take a shovel and some elbow grease and go turn under the dirt in each of my raised beds.

As will everything in life, all good things must come to an end. But the ending of this season just means getting prepared for the beginning of the next season. And I like the fall season as much as the spring/summer season. In the fall, I will plant peas, broccoli, spinach, and a mixture of lettuces. There is nothing so good as fresh salad straight from the garden - except maybe fresh tomatoes!

Green Horned Tomato Worms

In the garden, there are all sorts of pests trying to get the things for which I have worked hard. One of those pesky creatures is the green horned tomato worm. They are terrible things that love to eat my tomato plants to nothing! First, they start small -- just a few leaves here and there. Then, before you know it, they have worked up a bigger appetite, and they start eating more leaves. And finally, jackpot, they find the tomatoes! I might be willing to share, if they would eat off of only one tomato. But no, they take a few bites out of each one, ruining any chance I had at getting some for myself. My tomatoes should be turning red within about a week, and yesterday morning, I spotted signs of another worm. I had to do something! So much to my organic dismay, I went to the feed store and purchased a bag of Sevin dust to put on my plants. All bets are off at this point. When it comes to being "green" or actually getting the tomatoes I worked hard for, I opted for the tomatoes! Any guess what?! I found that horrible thing lying dead on the ground this morning. Good ridance!