A beautiful day calls for an update on the abundant life God has breathed into our land! It’s September, and we have been so thankful for a bountiful harvest from our garden, even though we started a bit late. For the most part, everything has been producing beautifully. That’s not to say it has been easy- this garden was A LOT of work. Daily, sometimes twice daily, maintenance, all in the name of love and gratitude for the tools and resources that blessed our hands. It has been our duty and our honor to have the ability to learn how to work the raw materials of the earth.
We are hoping and praying to get one more solid month out of the garden. It has been getting quite cold at night, but the warm sun seems to be sustaining new growth. I’m playing with the idea of a Fall Garden, but right now my focus is on canning our produce and procuring seeds. We do have many vegetables that will grow into the cooler months, like broccoli and lettuce, so we will try to get as much as we are able to.
Here are the major things I’ve learned this year:
- Start earlier. 80% of our garden is from seed, which I am so proud of! But next year, we need to start the seed indoors sooner.
- Strategically map out the garden. I am actually happy with most of the garden. The only thing I wish I would have put elsewhere are the strawberries. I didn’t know they spread like vines, so we will let them take over the rest of their corner and till up a few more feet out next year.
- Many fruits and veggies, like strawberries and bell peppers, are smaller homegrown!
- De-leaf dead ends, so that the energy goes to the fruit of the plant.
- Compost (in addition to the compost soil we buy). On a very small scale, mixing egg shells and coffee grounds into the dirt will help the nutrient count for the following year.
- Keep up on weeding. It’s a jungle out there!
- Water twice on days its 80 degrees or more.
- It’s okay to skip watering on mild days, once the plants have taken root.
- Get trellises for tomatoes and cucumbers.
- Dr. Earth’s fertilizer is the best!
- Plant seedlings even if they look weak- they might end up being the strongest ones!
- A spray bottle with water + Thieves Household Cleaner + 10 drops peppermint eo is great for any kind of general maintenance, bugs or otherwise.
- Message me for an effective concoction to keep out deer/rabbits/animals! It’s probably everything you have in your kitchen!
- Pray over your harvest! Thank God for the opportunity to use the land (or pot), and ask him to guide your hands carefully as he breathes abundant life into the soil! Believe He will!
There is SO MUCH we have to learn. We lost a pepper plant in the beginning, and I’m not sure why. Our onions are growing SO slowly, and I kind of gave up on them- we started from seed, and those definitely need the long haul. Asparagus takes a few years to get girthy, and our watermelon and rhubarb never popped! Overall though, our garden is massive and we are SO THANKFUL for what we do have!
Here is where we started, and here is where we’re at now:
How are your gardens coming?
I want to encourage you to try one, even if it’s just a pot or two! It’s more intimidating than it looks. Water and sun- that’s all you really need. There is so much grace in trying something new!
xoxo
