 |
| My helper! |
One of my favorite scripture stories has always been about the Garden of Eden. I mean, I think it’d be pretty awesome to live in a giant, gorgeous garden void of weeds and in complete harmony with animals.
 |
| Putting in a row of peas. |
The real lessons came, though, when Adam and Eve were escorted out following their transgression. I’ve always found it interesting that as consequence, they were told they were to work, that weeds were going to be a problem and that they were going to have to sweat to eat. In turn, they (and we) learn about the law of the harvest. Really, we do reap what we sow, especially when it comes to plants.
 |
| Good thing we only live a few miles from a giant greenhouse that has all the plants we’d ever want. Or maybe it’s not…we were there for over an hour and a half today. Oops. |
There’s something lost nowadays since food is so convenient. Work and sweat isn’t necessarily associated with eating and therefore, it’s taken for granted. So, for about as long as we’ve been married, we’ve always tried to have some kind of garden, in containers or over sprawling patches of rich soil that produced bumper crops almost without trying or newly tilled sections in rock hard yet sticky clay that really does require backbreaking work to start.
 |
| The row of tomatoes and herbs who get their very own bucket this year. |
This year, we’re building on our efforts from the previous years and starting some raised beds. Partly, it’s so Raven has boundaries (otherwise, try explaining to a dog why they aren’t to run on certain parts of the yard…it doesn’t work). We’ve tilled and composted and added a bit of extra soil and now that the plants are in, we’ll mulch everything.
 |
| I’m Rachael, and I have a gardening problem. |
I always think there will be unlimited space and, of course, I always run out of room and have to squash a few plants together. My friend Kristin sent us some of her old tomato buckets so to save a little garden space for sprawling plants like the squashes, pumpkins and melons, the tomatoes and herbs are all nicely in a row along the fence.
 |
| Guess what that is! It’s a praying mantis pod, laid by one of the mantises from last year! |
We like to try a few new plants every year. Last year it was celery (a dud), pinto beans and peanuts (a success). This year it’s sweet corn (should I admit a Cornhusker has a hard time growing sweet corn in Indiana??? In my defense, the soil is almost entirely clay…that must be why they named the area Clayton).
 |
| Ready to be mulched! |
We have watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, red onions, sweet onions, sweet potatoes, potatoes, cilantro, oregano, dill, chives, garlic, basil, sweet corn, zucchini, beans, peas, cucumbers, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, butternut squash, pie pumpkins, Jack-o-lantern pumpkins, red cabbage, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, green onions, banana peppers, bell peppers and jalapenos in the ground. I think that’s everything…if that isn’t multiplying and replenishing, I don’t know what is!
 |
| The good thing about obsessive painting? Unlimited paint stick collection to use for plant identification! |
