"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."
John 15:4-5
We've had gardens off and on in the past, but the last couple of years we haven't planted due to our travels. Nevertheless, this year, even though we were leaving soon after the plants and seeds were in the ground, we decided that it was worth a try. We wanted a garden with no pesticides or other chemicals. So plant we did. Ray borrowed a tiller to loosen the ground and till in the compost (Yay! No more backbreaking while groundbreaking!!!), and Christina and Valerie spent an afternoon trying to beat the rain. As the first 15 minutes of drops were falling : ), the last pepper plants were tenderly placed in the fertile red clay.
The next day, Valerie peeked out the kitchen window at the prized garden and beheld a forbidden sight. There, in the midst of the garden, was our "forever a kitten" digging up the green beans! Racing outside, she shooed him off, but saw that the ground was covered with white. He had been at it quite a while. Closer inspection revealed that he had not only dug them up, but had chewed them as well. They were split in half with the shells scattered everywhere. Oh, well...there's no hope in saving this garden. Might as well not even take the time trying to rebury them. So with this thought, we left for Maryland....
John 15:4-5
We've had gardens off and on in the past, but the last couple of years we haven't planted due to our travels. Nevertheless, this year, even though we were leaving soon after the plants and seeds were in the ground, we decided that it was worth a try. We wanted a garden with no pesticides or other chemicals. So plant we did. Ray borrowed a tiller to loosen the ground and till in the compost (Yay! No more backbreaking while groundbreaking!!!), and Christina and Valerie spent an afternoon trying to beat the rain. As the first 15 minutes of drops were falling : ), the last pepper plants were tenderly placed in the fertile red clay.
The next day, Valerie peeked out the kitchen window at the prized garden and beheld a forbidden sight. There, in the midst of the garden, was our "forever a kitten" digging up the green beans! Racing outside, she shooed him off, but saw that the ground was covered with white. He had been at it quite a while. Closer inspection revealed that he had not only dug them up, but had chewed them as well. They were split in half with the shells scattered everywhere. Oh, well...there's no hope in saving this garden. Might as well not even take the time trying to rebury them. So with this thought, we left for Maryland....
And when we returned, it looked like this! The next greatest concern was that no one would be there to water it, but the Lord, in His infinite provision, kept the ground moist. The green beans gave a good harvest for several weeks....enough for us to do some canning....but have since pretty much withered up. But the tomatoes, green peppers, and sunflowers are doing well despite the unseasonably hot weather and dry days. We are soooo thankful to the Lord for His provision!And after two months of patient tending and waiting, our tomatoes are finally starting to ripen!!!
We've been enjoying our green peppers! Hardly any dish is complete without them!
And our North Carolina sunflowers add such a pretty color! We're looking forward to harvesting the seeds, but we're enjoying their beauty while we wait.
Lookin' Up
Some of them are over 10 ft. tall!!! One is bordering on 10 1/2.
"The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it."
Proverbs 10:22
