A Moment in M.O.M.’s Garden- Spiritual lessons from the Garden

Courtney mentioned something last week that I thought would be good to talk about. On Saturday’s entry I asked, “What keeps you from making bread?” Courtney shared that it is the fear of failure and listed some trials she has had in her garden this year. Ladies, gardening is about a lot more than bringing food into our homes. It’s about spiritual lessons that we learn about ourselves and those we teach to our children who work along side us.

Gardening gives us real life moments to train our children and to examine Biblical principals for ourselves. Here are just a few I have learned through the years.

My first year gardening, nothing grew- I was inpatient and decided to uncover all my seeds to check on them. In my checking, I somehow kept most of them from ever coming up. There was nothing to harvest for the table yet, for my heart I harvested a lesson of patience and trust in God.  The quote by John Quincy Adams became real to me, “Duty is ours- results are God’s”.

A few years later I stopped gardening- Three years after the experience posted above I still had nothing to take from our garden. Why you ask? Because we always moved before the harvest. I became so discouraged that I decided to just stop planting! My mother came to my home and found boxes that I still hadn’t unpacked. I’ll never forget her “scolding” when she told me, “Jeanette. It is your job to bloom where you are planted no matter how long you are there. It is your duty to leave behind you a better place for the next person.”  I came to realize that it didn’t matter if I harvested from the garden or was the one to see the flowers bloom. My service was to the Lord! I have been bought with a price, I am not my own. It was up to Him to decide who would plant and who would harvest!

Four years into my gardening experience and after many thoughts of throwing in the towel, we had a beautiful harvest! Flowers were blooming, birds visited the garden daily, neighbors stopped to compliment the sight that offered refreshment to many sore eyes. I was delighted each day to work in the garden, I sat at night, after the long days with my Bible and read with the mist of the sprinkle system and the shade from the trees. I began having tea time with God each morning out in the garden. There was so much thanksgiving in my heart for what I was given by His mighty hand. So many lessons for the children on weeds/sin, seeds that fall on rocky soil, the fool that won’t harvest in summer, and the list could go on!

Years after that our garden attempts grew. We continued to learn through books and others that had been gardening more than ourselves. The children learned the value of “bending down thine ear to hear wisdom.” The older generation has so much to offer us if we will only stop to listen!  We’ve learned about companion planting, using nature to fight pests, keeping predators out of the garden by learning how God created them to think and by being diligent to keep on doing what we know to do!

Last year our beautiful garden that I spent over 250.00 to plant was washed away in a ingle night by flood waters. Failure? Oh, quite the contrary!  Again, it was another lesson for the Wood family. The Lord gives the Lord takes away but I will say blessed be the name of the Lord! As a family we stood in awe as a man we didn’t know, drove down our drive way to tell us how he planted a 2 acre garden just to keep busy and didn’t want it. He wanted to know if we would like to have all the produce from the garden?!  We visited, set times to go work and then did so faithfully! Each day we picked the harvest we would try and leave them some yet rarely would they accept it. They were just so excited to have our family there, working and using those blessings! There hasn’t been a conversation since that one of the children, Joe, or myself haven’t talked about the time our garden flooded but God gave us a garden we never planted.

This year, all is well in the garden. The children and I continue to learn both practical skills and Spiritual Truths as well. So, what year do you think was our greatest failure? Each year there were funds invested, time invested, and dreams invested! As I ponder each year, I am confident that not one has ever been a failure! Oh, maybe I had nothing to put on the table but I always had something to carry in my heart. I saw God in a new way, I realized how fragile life was, how vain my best efforts are, and how great and faithful our God is!

Courtney, my heart is truly filled with love for you. I am so thankful the Lord has let our paths cross! There is not one moment that we have ever talked or prayed for you and not been filled with thanksgiving for your life testimony! Sweet Sister, you have not failed! You have learned! You now know what doesn’t work, what does need to be done and I am sure there are things you’ve learned that I am not even aware of! Keep trying! Keep learning! You and your family will be blessed for it!

With much love,

Mrs. Joseph Wood

A Moment in M.O.M.’s Garden- Tomato Blight

I’ve received a handful of emails about gardening. How exciting to see others start this adventure of growing wholesome foods for your family! I pray that the Lord blesses each of you for your efforts to provide healthy food for your family. Nothing tastes as good as homegrown food. There are so many lessons from the garden to learn as we work the ground and be a part of what God is growing!

Saturday, the four youngest children and I took a joyous walk through the garden.  Each child squealed with excitement, calling me to take a look at the next veggie growing. At each peak under & around plants Sammy would clap & exclaim, "Ohhhh! Yay! Thank you God, thank you!" Seeing their hearts filled with thanksgiving for all that God had given us made my heart rejoice! What a precious walk in the garden it was.

Today, I took another walk through the garden. It is good to be in the garden often even if it is just for observation. You will notice the small weeds sprouting up and can pull them quickly. They always remind me of a comment my mother made saying, “Keep small accounts with God. Don’t let things go too long.” It’s the same way with gardening or farm life in general, if you take care of the small things you don’t have too many big things that can overwhelm you or even destroy your efforts. At any rate, today’s walk in the garden proved helpful indeed. The tomato plants that all looked strong and healthy on Saturday are showing the first signs of Tomato blight. Actually it’s just one plant, that’s good news for me. Good news because I can act quickly and fix the problem!

If you’re not familiar with Tomato blight I have included a photo for your reference. Make sure you take notice of your tomato plants; when you start having hot temperatures this fungus can present a problem. Make sure you trim back the leaves at the bottom of the plant so they are not touching the ground. Also, make sure the plants have plenty of circulation (this is probably the cause of my problem as my plants in this specific area are two times larger than any others and invading the space) circulation for your plants is critical and trimming can help. Just make sure you don’t trim to much or they can actually get a sun burn. Heavy watering is also a problem. With all the rain we have had in KS this year I really don’t have control over the “over irrigation” so I have to move onto what I do have control over! I will be treating my soil with some kelp to see if there is any improvement. I find that healthy soil means healthy plants so any issue with my plants can typically be improved if I improve my soil. If you have an terrible problem with Tomato blight make sure you rotate your crops next year and plant something else in this spot. Not just any plant though… I wouldn’t plant anything that was in the same family as tomatoes to ensure health to the area.

Keep your plants healthy by frequent walks through the garden and while you’re at it, keep your spiritual life healthy too by frequent talks with God!

With much love,

Mrs. Joseph Wood

A Moment in M.O.M.'s Garden- Organic Garden Ponderings...

Good Morning Friends!
Actually, it's almost noon here in my house. We've had a busy start to our day. Up at 4:30, off to get grain (1 and 1/2 Hour drive), milking and feeding done. Gathered a good dozen or more eggs, breakfast is done and cleaned up (scrambled farm eggs with sprouted English muffins), the chain saw has been humming as Joe and the boys cleaned out a new picnic area for our family to enjoy. Oh, there has been so much more activity  today and yet, we have much more to accomplish. I love to work! I feel useful, productive and alive when I work! Some days I might need an extra cup of coffee to keep me going and other days I may feel like not much was accomplished for all the effort I put out. However, all in all, it works out and eventually I get done what I am trying to accomplish... eventually!

This week, I am going to focus on our Garden. I am so excited we have sunshine so I can get out there and make a reality to these plans we have worked on through the cold winter months. Joe was on the road and picked up a farm magazine that spoke at great lengths about the "organic movement" that is becoming a "force to be reckoned with". Anyone that knows me knows I am not a fanatic however, I am passionate and gravely concerned about the food that is being fed to our children. I care about what I feed to my animals and plants because I know it is going to go into the bodies of my precious children and husband. However, I didn't grow up this way! I grew up with the traditional American diet enjoying all it's delicacies. I was in my mid twenties before I learned that you can make a cake without Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker (and no, that is not an exaggeration!). I was probably in my early 30's before I learned that whole wheat flour and unbleached flour were not just different brands or companies. I am still a work in progress! I am learning, growing, and developing self control on a daily basis. I am constantly battling with choosing what is right and  not what is simply easy or fast. I know that I am not where I want to be yet, I am certainly not where I use to be!  Let my life be an example that  If I can do this so can you!

I have included a link I found with just a few simple organic tips for your garden. There is a wealth of information available. Don't be deceived in believing that healthy food is too expensive. If you're having a hard time with this. Let's talk and I'll share with you how I feed my family economically and healthy at the same time!

With much love,
Mrs. Joseph Wood

Site you might enjoy: http://www.organicgardentips.com/
Informative clip you may enjoy watching:

A Moment in M.O.M.’s Garden- Path to Freedom Watering Solutions

Here in our area of Kansas water is not lacking however, when we lived in CA this was a critical issue. Good water management is relevant to all of us no matter where we are. Even when we live in these areas where water is abundant. I would love to hear how your garden is growing. Make sure to share when you can!

Because of His love,

Mrs. Joseph Wood

A Moment in M.O.M.’s Garden- Path to Freedom Chickens in the City

We absolutely love our chickens and fresh eggs! We do have roosters however, we are out in the country where they don’t bother the neighbors. Watching the chickens can give you such entertainment. Their antics are simply hilarious at times! It’s not uncommon to see several Wood family children gathered around watching the children as they ‘talk’ for them and elaborate on what they think the children are thinking. Not too long ago, Bekah and I were observing the chickens and talking for them. Sarah was with us and with complete excitement exclaimed, “Don't we just have the funniest chickens?” We all burst out laughing because we had gotten so involved in our ‘chicken conversation’ we forgot they weren’t really talking at all… it was us! Fun memories!

A Moment in M.O.M.’s Garden- Path to Freedom Getting Started Growing

Hello Friends!

Another fun clip from Path to Freedom! I am going to post one of these each day this week. No matter where you are you can grow some fresh food for your family. It’s not only fun and nutritious but economical as well! Enjoy!!

 

 

A Moment in M.O.M.’s Garden- Path to Freedom Homegrown Revolution

I posted these several years ago. A sweet momma asked me for them this weekend. I will begin sharing them here so we can keep them in the archives for reference. May you be encouraged!

Let us each we wise and build our homes up...

With much love,

Mrs. Joseph Wood

 

A Moment in M.O.M's Garden- Sprouting Containers

Good Morning Friends!!

Well, the snow has finally melted and we can see blades of green grass trying to push winter away. The children and I decided we had better get our seeds started for our garden this last week. Since my local garden center didn’t have the cell trays I was looking for, I decided to get my garden books off the shelf and start looking for an alternative. We decided to make ‘cups’ out of newspaper. I liked the idea that I could just plant my ‘cup’ into the garden once the last frost was gone. This project wasn’t just easy, economical, and ‘green’ but it was also a great deal of fun! All the children got involved over the two day project; there was great conversation and giggles. I was thinking that this would be a great activity for others as long as you remembered to just keep it fun and don’t get stressed with the amount of time it takes to get done. At one point I was reminding myself that I don’t really grow gardens… "I grow children and in the process a few plants sprout up too."




Let me share how we made our starter cups:

First we got some old newspaper and cut it in strips five inches wide.

Using a filled soda can as our template we began to wrap the can in our newspaper

After one time around the can with our strip of newspaper, we then took another strip of newspaper and put it on the bottom of the can and pulled the sides up. Then we continued wrapping the other newspaper around the strip was done. This held the bottom strip in place. (I have attached photos in case it is difficult to picture)

Then with three small pieces of masking tape we secured it making sure that our cup was going to stay together.

After we made 100 of these ‘cups’ we filled them ¾ of the way with organic potting soil.

Then we placed our seeds, as instructed on the packets, into our soil and newly made cups.

We marked each cup with a black marker to identify the plant.

When they are ready and the last frost is over, I will put these into the garden just as they are. I will be careful to make sure that the entire newspaper cup is covered in the soil so that it doesn’t act like a wick and steal water from my precious plants.

Do you enjoy being in the garden? I would love to hear how your efforts are going and any new ideas you have for giving your garden a head start. I love to be in the garden, I love to get my hands dirty, I love to see the fruit of my hands, I love the work! I have many dear memories with my children in the garden. Lessons of life, found in the garden, I wonder what God will teach us this year!

Note: If you are still looking for a good seed source let me share our favorite place to shop. We purchased our seeds from The Bulk Herb Store. They are my favorite online source for herbs and seeds!