Friday, August 21, 2020

Don’t Fence Me In

I owe so many thanks to my God for placing me right where I have always wanted to be; Mississippi. I have room and space to build or do anything I please. Even so, I have enjoyed experimenting with growing vegetables and fruits in various large containers.

As I learn more about soil, composting and what grows best in the southern climate, successful crops are becoming more the norm than failures.

Read How I Got Started!

I used to till and work a large plot that was about 70 x 150 square feet. That was fine when I had children to teach and help, but I have been blessed to learn ways to work smarter, instead of just harder.

Applying Hugelkultur techniques to large containers has created a super-rich soil environment for year-round crops. Positioned with full-sun (southern exposure) my plants are thriving as I reap the bounty.

I have retired my big tiller in favor of a shovel, a yard-cart and some handheld tools. Living in the forest provides unlimited sticks and leaves for nutrient-rich beds, but I also use my composter to turn kitchen-scraps into plant food and there is more goat and chicken manure than I ever thought possible – LOL.

So, whether you are growing tomatoes in buckets or herbs in pots, rest assure that you do not need acres of land to grow some food.

Shop Garden Tools and Supplies On eBay

Enjoy a Musical Treat💚

Monday, May 1, 2017

Patience: When God Is Having His Way

It is often lonely and challenging to step outside of the normalcy of our routine, especially when God has called us to do a thing that is seemingly, completely outside of our scope. Moses knew that feeling, and I can imagine him asking God, “Are you serious?” when he was instructed to go get His Children out of Egypt.

It takes a combination of Faith, Strength, Courage, Endurance and sometimes, plain, old-fashioned, stubbornness, just to keep going when everything seems to be urging us to stop. How often have we just felt like chilling? After all, if it is meant to be, it will all work itself out...right? But we know in our hearts that God has chosen Us to be the ones through whom He works it all out. We may not have chosen to be the catalysts for change – but somebody has to do it; why not us? And it can become really tempting to start rushing to just GET-R-DONE!

A wall is erected – one brick at a time.

Our Hearts are strengthened – one prayer at a time.

A physique is sculpted - one workout at a time.

A garden is planted – one seed at a time.

With so much work to be done, we MUST remember that balance and patience are key elements of success. Think of it like this…

What if Noah had abandoned his fields, crops, flocks and herds and focused all his time and effort on building the Ark? Not only would his family have starved during the building process, but there would have been nothing to feed all those animals that began arriving two-by-two. What chaos might have erupted on board the ark? Wheeuuww!

Trust, I know that there is nothing quite like the thrill of seeing quick results. “Quick & Easy,” have been the catch-phrases for products and services throughout my generation.

Fast-Money. Quick-Fix. Drive-Through. Ready-Made. Get-It-And-Go. Instant. Fast-Food. And the list goes on. I am among the ranks of the spoiled, who really don’t care to wait if I don’t have to. So, I work, shop, go to school, connect with partners, family and friends, and handle finances online. This affords me more time to craft the lifestyle I desire. But Farming has been a re-education in PATIENCE.