I planted my first real garden this past weekend. And I can’t stop fretting over it. I go out at least twice a day and hover over the bare ground searching for signs of life. It rained right after I finished planting and I worried that the seeds all washed away. Or maybe they got too much water and drowned. Can seeds drown?
Then there are the plants – a few of my cucumber plants look a little wilty. A couple died already. I may or may not have shed a little tear over the death of my unborn pickles.
My Garden is teaching me patience. I need more of it too because it gets tested daily minutely every second of my waking (and often non-waking) hours. I hear the heads rattling of my fellow parents (and my own parents too I’m sure). Waiting for these seeds to grow up into strong fruit-bearing plants is representative of the life in our household. I watch these kids grow daily. As they grow stronger and taller, I hover – waiting for signs of spiritual life – those moments when I see they “get it” and reach out in love to their neighbors, when they are selfless and kind and bear someone else’s burdens.
My garden is also teaching me faith. I can til the soil (or rather my husband and brother-in-law did, thank you very much guys!). I can add the chickity-doo-doo and the peat and I can pull weeds. I can make the condition of the soil the best I can. But I can’t make the sunshine bring the heat. I can’t make those seeds grow. I water, I pray, I watch, I wait. I pace. Some of them grow. Some of them don’t. Some of them sprout and bear fruit. Some of them sprout and then wilt.
My garden is teaching me humility. Because I am clueless. Really. And I have no idea why my cucumber plants died. And they died last year too. So I’m learning to ask for help. I’m not very good at asking for help. (Anyone have any ideas on my cucumbers?)
If you garden do you have any tips for me? Any lessons you’ve learned that have extended beyond the garden?
Oh, I hear ya! I’m so nervous about my 8 little tomatoes. They’re green. Shouldn’t they be red by now?
I love this post, Amelia! So very, very true!
AND, I’m liking the new design. Very cool.
What I have learned about gardening is NOT to read gardening books. They are so scary and talk about bugs and blights and things so gross you can’t even imagine; it’s so overwhelming! The year I read a gardening book I put off gardening for an entire extra year. Instead I consult google for a specific question and jump in with whatever and learn every year a little bit so the next year I have slightly more success. For instance last year I lost every single strawberry even the ones planted in the hanging thing, this year I did them in pots and while I won’t get enough to make a pie the kids are thrilled to eat a berry from their plant every other day or so.