I just love this time of year. No. Not the lights. No. Not gifts or holiday music. (We don’t celebrate holidays anyway.) It’s a special time for folks who garden. It seems so unusual that the coldest, darkest, and (for some) snowiest time of year would be a good time for gardening. But it is! It’s a time that gets, even I as a novice gardener, so excited. It’s the time that most gardeners begin to receive their coveted seed catalogs and begin to plan next year’s bounty.
I have only been growing a few short years. I’m far from being successful or an expert. However, I love searching through websites and catalogs for new things to grow. I get excited just thinking about getting back out into the garden another season.
Each year my garden dreams get bigger and bigger. I have kept the garden small and expand it as I gain more knowledge of soil and vegetation. Now I want to grow even more food than before and begin to use our abundance in all our meals. I have not been able to do this yet.
Recently, I realized something. One major reason I have not been seeing the results I’d like is because I have only been sowing a few seeds. I’ve planned, learned, purchased and planted. However, because I was so afraid of messing up, I only sown a little. I never realized how I diminished my harvest.
“And this: He who is sowing sparingly, sparingly also shall reap; and he who is sowing in blessings, in blessings also shall reap;” 2 Corinthians 9:6YLT. I have known and said this verse forever. Yet having knowledge and applying knowledge are two different things. Now I know what to do and I plan on doing it. I need to sow more (maybe not varieties, but seeds from the same variety) in order to reap a harvest I can use for my family and share with others.
Although, I know it’s too early to celebrate a harvest. I am approaching gardening believing that I will reap what I sow (literally). You have a certain degree of expectation when you make plans. Whether in a hobby like gardening or a major life decision, you plan for and expect something great. I believe this possibility of greatness can never be fully achieved unless you start by considering what you sow.
I’m planning to preserve what I grow as well. I’d like to at least have a few basic items stocked in my pantry that was grown on our own land. What a lesson for our children in so many areas. They will see their food start as a seed and eventually make its way onto the dinner table. I believe that growing and preserving our own food is a lost art. It’s a simple way of life that we have gotten away from in today’s society. It’s a simple way that starts with just one seed.
See why myself and other gardeners are so excited when these catalogs start rolling in through the mail? It’s because we can see the possibility that each tiny seed holds. We know that by planting those seeds we can expect great things to come.
*I wrote a few weeks ago about Scholastic’s Warehouse Sale. I was able to go on Saturday and here’s what we picked up. Lots of books for our growing readers!
Naja Coles
I’m most importantly a follower of Christ by who’s blood we believe there is salvation. We believe in biblical Truth only. Being led by the Spirit of God, we seek to raise our family by that Truth. I am a wife of 7 years, and mom to 8 wonderful children ages 6 years-11 months. We have been homeschooling for 2 years officially (6 if you include preschool). I enjoy music, gardening, and learning to live a healthy, non-toxic lifestyle.
Matthew 4:17