Nature's Garden

Gardening is one of my passions.  Whether it's the vegetable garden, flower garden or the herb garden, I love to watch plants mature from small babies and tiny seeds.  Try as I might, I have learned that I am not the one in charge of what these plants are going to do.  I am a minimalist when it comes to fertilizing and insect control.  I stick to organic components such as our compost for fertilizing when we first plant and later I use organic pest controls when necessary.  Once they are planted, they are on their own.

Volunteer pumpkin plant

As they grow and start producing what they feel like giving us I am always surprised and pleased when I get volunteer plants that come out of our compost.  I have several cantelope plants with five melons growing among the tomato plants this year.

Nature's bounty

I was also blessed with some beautiful pumpkin plants that came up from last year's halloween pumpkins I tossed out in the backyard.  I harvested four nice pumpkins this week.  From these I froze four quarts.  All I did was thin the plants as they grew and watered them.  No fertilizer necessary!



Some people are very talented with their gardens.  They know all the right fertilizers and secret tricks to make their plants grow big and produce massive amounts.  They are ardent weeders and feeders and dedicate many hours to nurture their plants.  These are the people you want to befriend because they just might share some of their abundance with you.  I, on the other hand, am a bit lazy and am content to enjoy what I get.  What I don't get out of the garden, I buy at our local farmer's markets. 


I am a suburban country lady, not an experienced farmer.  I know my limitations and accept them.  I am perfectly content to accept what nature's garden decides to give me.  You never know what surprise you will encounter each day as you walk in your garden.   All I know is I am not the one in charge and I love that fact.

SCL

"As for man, his days are like grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes."

Psalms 103:15