And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Genesis 1:29
I live in a condominium complex in a large city and I am so grateful to have a very large patio and small garden for enjoying nature. God was good to me in providing this as nature is one of the things that gives me great joy in life and makes me feel connected to God.
I am not, however a very good gardener. I so long to have beautiful flowers and after 10 years of trying I have only once come close to it. I can make a lot of excuses and one of them is lack of knowledge. But truthfully there have been many ups and downs in the condo life, things like total exterior restoration due to rain damage. That and health issues, lack of knowledge and income and family health challenges, have all contributed to little time and enthusiasm to really do much with my small garden.
From the beginning my small garden needed a LOT of help. It had plants in it that I did not like. The garden was completely ruined during the building restoration so it gave me a reason to get rid of some plants, mainly shrubs but little by little I got rid of other plants. Over the years, I have done a little here and there and gained a bit of knowledge. I think the soil is finally starting to be healthy enough to actually grow something. The challenge now is having enough time and energy to tend the plants, weed the garden and make sure the soil is properly fertilized and watered.
This year we had a very cold spring and then we had the building fire around the time the weather was improving enough to prepare the garden. Last week, after weeks of being in a hotel, I was finally able to get out to the apartment and so some gardening. Unfortunately, I had to weed it for the 3rd time and prepare the soil before I could actually do any planting.
Gardening in this plot is a particular challenge. It isn't like kneeling down in your yard and doing your gardening bit. The garden is in a raised bed with a foot and half high retaining wall. You must either reach over and stretch as far as you can into the garden to lay soil or plant. Alternatively, you have to jump up into the plot and bend over or squat to reach the farthest parts. It is a little uncomfortable. But I press on because I want to see growth.
I've learned I'm not good at growing flowers. At least not yet. So last year, I turned half of my small plot into a vegetable garden and had an abundance of corn for the squirrels and lettuce for the salad. This year, I've decided to continue with vegetables for both the squirrels and for my household.
Here is the kale that I planted. When it is ready, I will use it to make juices. I got this idea from one of the Christian women bloggers I follow. Just in the foreground to the left, you will see a small beet plant.
Here are my corn stalks. These look so pretty when they grow high and wave in the wind. I love to watch the squirrels scamper across the patio railing in the Fall and come and collect corn kernels.
Here are my tomato plants and my various peppers (green, long yellow and sweet red ones).
I have also planted some herbs. This year I've planted dill, rosemary and basil. These are great for cooking.
My little garden also has some flowers and other plants. The rose bush you see below has never been that healthy. It is kind of scraggly. It was in the garden when I moved in and I keep it because I love red roses.
I planted the large Solomon's Seal in the right of the photo. It was a very small plant when I planted it and it has grown large and healthy. Yippee! I love the green and the little white bells that hang from the leaves. I also love the tall grasses that you see in the background because they blow in the wind when they get tall and give me a feeling of peace.
You can see that my little garden really is little. Though I also have two trees in it, one on each side. I don't grow a lot but it is enough to keep me busy without overwhelming me. I love to see even small growth and greenery. It gives me a lot of joy.
I hope you enjoyed my little garden too.
Song of Solomon 2:10-13
My beloved spoke and said to me,
"Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me."
