Gardening is not for the faint of heart. It isn’t just that we are new at coaxing plants to produce their magic. The conditions in central Texas bear no resemblance to the Garden of Eden. At times it reminds me more of that other abode described in the same book where no one wants to go. The weather app on my phone says it feels like 104 outside and there is a heat advisory with unhealthy air for those with sensitivities. I’m pretty sure our garden has sensitivities. Scorching heat, golf size hail, straight-line winds, and critters that creep, burrow, fly and crawl in hopes of destroying everything in their path. And I have yet to mention the two-hundred-year-old oak tree that shades most of the garden withholding one of nature’s necessities for growing anything, sunshine!
Our failed experiments are too numerous to mention, yet some are too funny not to. We love arugula. Who knew it was nutty and refreshing and packed full of nutrition? We eat it almost daily and it is not always easy to find organic arugula at the local grocery. Evidently, we planted it too late and it doesn’t like our ‘Spring’ heat. It looks like brown Swiss cheese. Ironically the Swiss chard is growing strong, tall and plentiful. Then there are the cucumbers. We thought we were getting the long thin-skinned kind that we put in everything from our water glass to our budda bowls. Sadly, we got the short fat, spinney things that make great pickles. The garlic and dill are thriving, perhaps I need to take up pickling? We have one, yes just one, peach on our tree. And something is eating the Asian pears, but whatever it is we never see it nor can we imagine how the delicate limbs support the thief.
Nonetheless, the trees, flowers and produce are a haven for the many birds we enjoy. Setting on the patio admiring the growth and hearing the bird songs is as beneficial as that cup of coffee to start our morning. I can’t overstate the treat of our daily harvest of tomatoes. It’s only interrupted by visits from our grandson who makes it his mission to find all the red ones and consume them while they are still warm from the sun. We have yet to see how well the squash will produce, but its flowers are glorious. It will take a couple years to see much from the berry bushes we planted. Just like our failed attempt at watermelon a few summers ago, we have decided its hopeless to try growing strawberries here. This is our third try and while the plant is dark green, waxy and beautiful, it’s all leaf and no fruit.
I humbly bow to all those back-yard gardeners who are harvesting bumper crops already. I’ve had to quit reading the posts from the local gardening club so I don’t cry with envy. But we aren’t giving up by any stretch. We knew this year would be a big learning curve and each year would get better. But secretly we were certain we would do a lot better than it now appears we have done. Isn’t that like us humans, giving ourselves the most optimistic view of our own endeavors past or present. Too bad we don’t extend the same grace to others as quickly. Alas, I’m a work in progress, just like my garden I hope to get better each year. For both, it’s important to plant in the right soil, get all the right nutrients, hydrate sufficiently and bathe in a little sunlight. But Please Lord, could you cool it off a bit!
“Your mission is to live as children flooded with His revelation-light! And the supernatural fruits of His light will be seen in you – goodness, righteousness, and truth.” (Ephesians 5:8-10 TPT)
“Our relationships with plants vary with our belief systems, our climate and our gardening knowledge.” (Lynda Hallinan – The Joy of Gardening)
“If you are not killing plants, you are not really stretching yourself as a gardener.” (Dr. J.C. Raulston – Horticulturist)
Yours for a Joyful Journey,
Joyice