Gardens

This was an absolutely beautiful day in our part of the country.  My husband tilled the rest of my garden so I could get it planted. We are supposed to be dry the rest of the week so I should have time to get that accomplished.

I have become a little OCD in my gardening in the last years.  I take a measuring tape out there with me. It is so satisfying when it’s all in and looks organized. I am hoping to finish tomorrow.  At this point it kind of looks like I am growing flags and tin cans.

Through the past years I have found that cattle panels work amazing for growing tomatoes.  If you use the ones that have the big “squares” you can easily reach through to pick those luscious red tomatoes.  I also find I can grow a lot more plants in less space using the 16 foot panels.

The last few years I have started my tomatoes from seed.  I planted  Brandywine (the pink ones), some Margold, Independence Day, and of course the Romas.  I love the taste of the Brandywine sliced on a piece of toast.  It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

My husband is not fond of tomatoes at all. I am pretty sure his garden would look totally different than the one I plant.   He would skip the tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, eggplant, onions, and squash. That would be such a sad garden with only Sugar Snap peas, potatoes, melons and beans.

We found out last year that not all pod peas are created equal.  We could not find the Sugar Snap variety anywhere and settled for snow peas.  We were sorely disappointed.  When you steamed them with the pod they kind of tasted like cardboard.  It was kind of like thinking you were going to get a gooey rice krispy bar and ending up with a rice cake……Needless to say, this year we purchased our peas as soon as the seed were put on the rack in the farm store.

We are also experimenting with the potatoes this year.  In the past we exclusively planted Yukon Gold.  My brother-in-law told us that Kennebec was the way to go. This year we are trying both. It will be interesting to see which produces better and which ones are better “keepers” through the winter.

I am thinking the next time I mow the lawn I will need to put the bagger on.  It makes gardening so much easier if you can hoe the potatoes and then heavily mulch them to keep the weeds down.  I love the garden produce; but if I can save some time and effort I am all for it.

While prepping the garden this afternoon I had one girl who was constantly finding her way into the garden.  I would pick her up, carry her back out, and when we would turn around, there she was again.  My husband finally stood and watched.  He discovered she had found a way under the fence.  She may have been taking lessons from the rabbits.  A couple bricks later and we succeeded in keeping her out.

I love this time of year, the smell of freshly turned dirt, the hope of produce from seeds that just look dried up and the anticipation of that first tomato.

This time of year reminds me that not everything that looks dried and dead, is.  Those dry looking Blue Lake bean seeds have potential – just like the “deserts” we sometimes have in our lives.  A little freshly turned dirt, a little rain, a little sun and life comes back; with abundance.

For I will pour out water to quench your thirst
and to irrigate your parched fields.
And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants,
and my blessing on your children.
Isaiah 44:3  NLT