My herb garden is finished and my tomatoes planted. (Praise dance here)I still have a ways to before the rest of the vegetables are in the ground of the new garden spot. I wanted to expand this year and add more vegetables. My hubby was kind enough to oblige me.
I love to garden, though there is not enough time to adequately get the weeds out at times. My granny and Ms. Joyce always said there was something about “playing in the dirt”. They were right. It’s not only gratifying, there is a feeling of accomplishment when you harvest the vegetables that you planted and took care of until harvest time.
It can be rough on your back and mine is feeling it today. That just tells me I need to do more planks and other strengthening exercises.
David assures me that if the garden does good this year, we will make an even bigger one for next year. We shall see!
Not only do I enjoy digging in the dirt, I enjoy harvesting and sharing the bounty from the garden. For the previous two years the garden has been small and was just outside the back door of the deck. This year, I left the herb garden and tomatoes there, making it easy to just step outside and grab whatever herbs are needed. Fresh herbs are much stronger and better than those in the jars at the grocery store.
There have been very few times in my life where I didn’t have a garden of some kind. A couple of times it was only a few pots on the window sill but usually it’s more than that.
A former brother-in-law recently reminded me of the huge gardens we grew in Marshallville. With his 10 siblings it was almost a necessity for his parents to grow food to help with the grocery bill.
I didn’t mind helping with the garden, planting, weeding and harvesting. But at that time in my life, the preparation of hours in the hot kitchen over a stove canning was not my favorite part. Now I don’t mind it as much but usually do it in batches and not all at one time so it’s not so hot.
My love for gardening I think was inherited. My Granny was a farmer with lots of acreage and I enjoyed visiting to help with the garden. The older she got, the smaller the gardens became but it was something she loved as well.
Growing up we always had a garden in the back yard. So having a garden just comes naturally to me. In today’s world of chemicals and GMO’s and worrying about what’s in the food you eat, it just makes me feel safer eating the good that I’ve grown myself because I know what’s been used in the dirt.
Gardening can be therapeutic. You can take your frustrations out while digging. You can also release tension. Whether you do it as a hobby or as a way of life, being outside in the fresh air is beneficial in lots of ways too.
Gardening is for any age and you don’t have to have a green thumb, just the desire to take care of the soil and plants. I don’t consider myself as having a green thumb and have always been pretty successful with my gardens thank the good Lord. Some years, of course, are better than others usually because of some detail I overlooked. Last year I planted my squash plants too close together and my crop was down. I just wasn’t paying enough attention at the time I planted last year. You do have to plan it out and space plants appropriately. Just like we need to plan and space out our daily activities.
Gardens do get weeds and need weeding from time to time. All of us need to get the weeds out of our lives. Weeds like discontent, gossip, bitterness, jealousy, constant complaining, back biting and coveting.
I recently used a gardening lesson at a conference where I spoke. I’d like to share that with you today.
As you know gardens need watering from time to time. We water things in our life as well.
Some people are watering the wrong things. Stop watering things that were never meant to grow in your life. Water what works, what’s good and what’s right. Stop trying to fix stuff and people you can’t fix. If you water what’s alive and divine, you will see a harvest like never before.
Stop wasting your water and time on dead issues, dead relationships and a dead past. No matter how much you water concrete, you will never grow a garden in it.
Renew your relationship with Jesus. Water your relationships with encouragement and stay grounded in the word of God. Esteem others higher than yourself. Be wise in your speech. Be understanding and don’t gossip. Share knowledge. Stay humble, be positive, let go of the past and above all else show love.
You see you can learn a lot from a garden. They need care, weeding and watering. Just like our relationships. Sometimes in spite of best efforts, a plant does not produce. Same with people — sometimes we have to let them go.
Happy gardening. Be blessed.©2017

VICTORIA SIMMONS is an author, columnist, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com