Garden, Greenhouse, and Growing

I am a fair-weather gardener.  I love getting out in the spring to dig my fingers in the fresh-smelling soil that Al has just tilled, planting seeds, and setting out vegetable plants and flowers.  This is the fun part of gardening to me.

   My downfall in gardening is the maintenance.  Accomplishing the weed pulling, thinning and watering I have a tendency to completely forget to do – honestly, it doesn’t even cross my mind.   If it wasn’t for my husband, my garden would be doing good to have the weeds lower than the plants.  Obviously, the garden would not do well under my no maintaince care.

   We have always had a traditional garden – doing what our parents and grandparents did before us.  Tilling the whole garden each spring, then maintaining the paths with tilling as well.  In other areas that I lived the soil was pretty healthy, making growing things not quite such a challenge.

We have had some success with that tradition here in Montana – 

(See my previous post This Present Garden)

We have also had some frustrations during our 4 years of gardening here.

  Our experience here is that some plants like pumpkins, butternut squash, and tomatoes just don’t have enough heat, light and warmth to do well on a consistent basis here.

  Last year we had a summer season that just remained cool for so long many things in the garden did not grow well.  Even our green beans struggled to grow and produce.   The veggies like corn that need every day of our short growing season got hit by frost before it was completely ready.  Tomatoes have just started to produce well when we get a frost.

   It made me question how we were doing things in our garden and begin looking for solutions.

Learning

   My frustration led me to began to do a lot of reading, and watching some YouTube videos on gardening.  I am learning a lot that has stretched my thoughts beyond the traditional way of gardening.  Some of the methods of gardening I was somewhat familiar with, others certainly grew my knowledge.

   The first eye opening thought was a phrase that says ‘nature knows best’.   In other words, if we watch how God has set up the land to function we can learn a lot about gardening in a more simple way.

   At times we make our lives harder by stirring up our soil with tilling over and over again.  It brings all the sleeping seeds to the surface and they gladly begin growing towards the sunlight and stress my vegetables in the process.

   There are many different methods which implement the idea of working my garden more like nature does.  

• Compost
• No-till
• Broad-forking
• Using tree bark or mulch or leaves
• Black plastic
• Lasagna method of preparing garden beds
• Green manure

   Using compost, natural soil additives, green manure and balancing the soils Ph all help to build the microorganisms that make a healthier soil.  This is a process that takes time and labor, perhaps more in some areas than others.  One year building from the last.  Our soil definitely needs some building.

   Then there is the idea of a winter harvest ( see Eliot Coleman’s Book “Winter Harvest”).  He teaches us to select plants that actually LIKE cold weather and do well with a shorter season.  

That book got me excited about our location.   Cooler weather and short seasons is what Montana growing season is all about!

  There are so many more harvests that could be possible in our garden that I did not even consider in the past.  Rather than feel limited by a shorter, cooler season, I needed to focus on what thrives where we live.

  I started learning about the individual plants best suited for our zone and what they need to thrive. We felt we could garden more successfully in Montana by keeping more of that in mind. 

  We had applied compost last year, but there is so much more we can do.

   Deciding to start doing some things differently we choose to buy a 12 x 20 foot greenhouse kit to extend our growing season.  We want to use it for our warm loving plants as well as winter harvests of the crops that thrive in cool weather. Some plants do well even below freezing temperatures with just a bit of protection from the weather.

   As the season gets started, we also want to use compost and green manure to build our soil.  

We bought some seeds we haven’t ever tried before.

  Next I want to make a garden plan, month-by-month.  I am hoping that will be my reminder to get out into the garden and get to work!

   When Al began to put the greenhouse together, it was so fun to watch it take shape.  With Matt, our son-in-law’s help they got it done and ready to move.

Then we had a moving day to place the greenhouse in our garden.

  Now I can’t WAIT for spring to arrive!

Applying the Lesson to my life

   Thinking of my tendency to be a fair weather gardener makes me ponder my walk with God.  

   Do I have a fair weather relationship with my Lord?  

   If my habit is to not communicate with God except when I am having trouble I have missed many a blessing – actually my soul is in trouble, just like my plants that I plop in the ground then leave them to survive on their own. 

   Even if I have prepared my soil well and I do not go back and keep the weeds away from my plants and water them, the plants will struggle to survive and the roots will not be strong enough for bearing the produce I planted them for.

   Maintaining my garden is not particularly a joy to keep after.    Gardening is often about an aching back, dirty knees and sweat.

  Not a very beautiful picture. 

   Yet the rewards of gardening make it evident that it is not only necessary, it is critical for gathering a bountiful harvest.

  Daily walking with God is like building my soul to abound in the things of God.  His work in me will be the very support I need, like the garden soil that is abounding in microorganisms and nutrients to support the very life of the plant.

   I do not always feel like my quiet times with the Lord are exciting and vibrant.  Yet that is the fertiliser for my soul.  It’s the foundation of a growing and living relationship that supports me in the challenges of life.

   My soul will flourish and prosper with the nutrients the Lord provides.

I can grow like plants that thrive in a greenhouse.

  The Lord stretches me, He encourages me to continually walk in more light and put down deeper roots.  In that consistent relationship with Him my soul thrives.  Through His work in my life I can have a spiritually fruitful life.

  I can thrive right where the Lord has planted me. 

  Even if it is a zone 4 garden.

~Sheila