R.I.P

March 2009-July 2009

I am very sad to announce the death of my beautiful garden today. After talking to some experienced gardeners, I had to make the tough decision to quit watering it and let it die because it was not thriving anymore. This summer has been so hot and despite my best efforts to keep it alive by watering and fertilizing it, it just couldn't survive. My two cucumber plants shrivelled up and died a few days ago and my tomato plants have not grown like they should have. They were still producing a few tomatoes, but the squirrels suddenly took an interest in them and I would find my beautiful, red tomatoes lying in the grass half eaten. I had to give up the fight and let it go. I did get a good harvest in the beginning and I will definitely try again next year!

On a brighter note...when I planted my garden I had no idea all the ways God would use it to speak to me and teach me about spiritual things. I wrote down some of the lessons I have learned from my garden.

1. If you plant a pepper plant too close to a tomato plant you will have hot tomatoes.....We become what we are around.

2. Plants need at least 6 hours of full sun exposure a day to grow....We need to spend time with the son (Jesus) every day if we are going to grow.

3. You have to till the soil and remove all the rocks, old plants and roots before you can plant new ones....We need to allow God to come in our hearts and dig up and remove all the junk in our lives from the past and get rid of it , so He can plant new seeds that will take root and produce a good harvest in our lives.

4. If you plant a tomato plant you get tomatoes...You reap what you sow! ( An obvious but good one)

5. Plants need water to live...We need to water the seeds that have been planted in our hearts with the Word of God daily.

6. The fruit must stay on the vine until it is ripened...We must hang on the vine (God) and He will provide us with everything we need to grow and mature into what He created us to be.

7. My first cucumber plants died because their roots were not deep enough and developed enough to handle a heavy rain fall we had...We need to develop and deepen our relationship with God so that when the storms in life come we can stand and not be blown away.

8. You have to pull off the dead leaves on the plants so the plants energy won't be drained.....We need to tear off, put aside, all the "dead" things in our lives that are draining us and stopping us from doing what God wants us to do.

9. Some plants need to be caged or staked to help support the plant as it grows...We need a good circle of friends and family around us too for support and encouragement!

10. It is a good idea to net and cover your plants to keep birds and certain insects away....We need to pray daily for God's protection in our lives.