Last weekend, after being at my parents’ place for a week, I came home and began working in my garden..marking walkways, staking bamboo for morning glories and pole beans, planting flowers, hoeing trenches for thousands of vegetable seeds, planting seedlings..you name it. For a few days I worked from sun up to sun down {I had the burnt ears to show for it!} but when I was almost done, I stepped back and marvelled at what a few days work could do
I am so proud of the garden I built with my own two hands. Its a big deal for me and even if nothing grew this year, I would still be proud of the work I’ve done. The dirt I am working with this year is not ideal but this is a temporary garden until we are over in the farmhouse and so, for this year, it just simply had to do. I recently told my father in law that if I can get things to grow in here this year, I am definitely calling myself a gardener! Sure, I’ve been growing flowers for years and feel very comfortable amongst them..but I have yet to grow a tomato myself and cannot wait to pluck one from the vine and take in all the wonders of a home grown tomato that I grew with my own two hands..just thinking about it excites me!
So, things were looking good..I could just invision my garden in late July – greenery everywhere, vegetables and flowers growing in abundance….and then the storm hit…
We haven’t seen a hot, sunny day in almost a week. Rain has fallen constantly..then this weekend it turned in to snow and flooded most of my garden. My bamboo stakes for my morning glories blew over, marigolds are sitting in 2 inches of water, my walkway through my peas is one giant puddle..its devastating, actually!
But today we had a little break in the rain and I went out to my garden to investigate the damage. And while it is still too early to decide how much, if any, was lost – I walked up to my newly planted radishes and here they were, defying nature and growing anyways! Sure, the snow has slowed their progress, but they’re gonna grow anyways! Talk about a proud gardener 😉 So, whats the lesson here? Well – first of all, never try to guess what Mother Nature is bringing you because you’ll never win that game! And second – if you are willing to work hard and connect to nature through the use of your hands, then you just never know how you’ll be rewarded! Gardening teaches a person patience, loss, excitement, joy and disappointment…and who wouldn’t benefit from any of these lessons?!?
Happy Monday everyone and for all my American friends, Happy Memorial Day!!
dawn - I’m in tears reading about your poor garden, all that work and love you put into it. How the heck did you get SNOW, the crazy things of mother nature isn’t it.
So glad to see that some of your plants are still fighting to live and grow, must be from all the love you put into it.
The way you describe your thoughts sounds just like my husband, sorry to say the green thumb goes to him. He has more patience then me, he loves loves to stare at his garden and walk up and down each path just seeing what’s new and growing. He will stand out there for over an hour each night watering, I can never do that. Goot thing we have people like you and him that love to garden and can give us fresh veggies.
Sending prayers for your garden to keep thriving and for the weather to turn nice and stay that way from now on.
Just wait till you eat that first fresh veggie, you will love it.