Searching for that Green Thumb.

During the dead of winter, my husband began to entertain the idea of a garden. It may have been birthed from the simple fact that our souls were getting frost bite.  We were desperately longing for summer. We were open to anything that would take our mind of our frozen fingers and toes.  I was officially over the winter and for the first time in my life I wanted summer.  I wanted the Sun.  I wanted the heat, the sweat, the humidity, and the sunburns.  I was to the point that if I saw one more snowflake I was going to absolutely lose my mind.  There are aspects of winter that I do enjoy but I was ready to move on. 

I tried to picture myself hunched over a flowerbed with my gardening gloves on.  I visualized myself showing off flowers and various pots of greenery to my friends and announcing "This one's name is Betty and this little guy over here is our beloved Thomas".  How most people visualize cat hoarders is how I visualized myself as a gardener.  I also pictured my Grandmother.  She has/had the biggest garden I have ever seen outside of a corporation/small business.  My mother and her work this garden all by themselves.  We are talking HUNDREDS of tomato plants, as well as a few hundred pepper, jalapeno, carrots, potatoes, squash, okra, cucumbers, onions, and so on.  After the extensive long walk through the vegetable garden you find yourself in the flower garden.  Hundreds of flowers as well as trees and bushes my grandmother planted herself. Did I mention that she is in her 80's?  I feel I also need to mention that my mother is handicapped.  I also begrudgingly should say that my grandmother is in better shape than I have EVER been in my life.  She absolutely can run circles around me physically and mentally. Needless to say, I was a little intimidated by the garden.

Richard brought up the Garden almost every day for three weeks, I finally surrendered and told him I would plant him a garden in the Spring. So began the hours of research and shopping around for the best prices/ideas. My grandmother's blood flows through my veins so I know my green thumb is somewhere deep down.  I just had to find it.  I decided to start in March.  As in March 1st. The first day the temp was about 40 degrees.  (40 degrees = spring. Right? No. A most definite no)  I didn't know that most people plant their plants Easter Sunday or after. I also didn't realize that it would still snow.

Our seeds came in and we got started.  We decided to start simple. Just to see what would happen and if we could do it. My heart sank when I opened the first package of Lobelia seeds.  I thought the package was empty.  It had a tiny plastic bag in it and what looked looked like dust. One hundred specks of dust. How in the world are we going to plant 100 specks of dust? After fiddling around for an hour, I got tired of it and poured the whole thing in one pot and swirled it around with a spoon. THERE! Done!  On to the Coleus. We graduated from dust specs to flakes of pepper. When I saw those seeds I pretty much gave up on the idea that we would actually grow anything.  On and on we went until every last seed was planted. We ended up with starter kits of marigolds, zinnias, coleus, lobelia, tomatoes, and peppers.

For 2 months garden starter kits littered our home. They were everywhere.  At every window because it was still too cold to leave the plants outside.  I had/have no idea what I was doing. We watched every day and after a week things started to grow.  Everything except the Coleus and the Lobelia.  (Big surprise there...)



Day 5 of the Marigolds.  Which has been our most successful flower. We grew every single seed.

 

I have spent many hours in our Garden since March.  I have come to love it.  I have loved watching these plants grow. I have made so many mistakes and my grandmother just laughs and says "That's the only way you'll learn"  So far we have lost 23 zinnias and 2 tomatoes.  I have gained so much insight in the character of God.  The next few blogs will about those lessons and truths I have gained.  I am a very visual learner and sometimes the bible doesn't make sense to me until I see it laid out in front of me. I can see God so much clearer in the smaller things than in the larger big picture things. One thing has been made clearer and clearer. I cannot make these plants grow or thrive.  It is entirely out of my hands.  Just as the seeds we plant spiritually.  I can do my part such as, pulling the weeds, providing the soil, sheltering them, and nurturing the seed.  I can't make it grow or produce fruit.  Some plants just will not produce fruit.  They look like they will and maybe they start producing but then it withers.  Some of the flowers started out very weak and almost died but they ended up being the most beautiful of the bunch. 

 

Our neighbors love our patio garden and it has opened the door with so many of them.  The entire complex knows who we are.  All we have to say is "we are the apartment with all the plants" 

 

Here is our garden today:

 

Patio Garden 6.24.2015

 

Patio Garden 6.7.2015

Until Next Time,

 

Amber