A Tomato Harvest :-)
Last Spring the boys and I were studying life science and plants. I told them we would have a garden, but they had to be on-board with helping me plant the seeds. Let me first say, I do NOT have a green thumb and have tried for years to have a successful tomato garden or cucumber garden, and I normally have to buy my flowers already grown at the garden center and plant them.
I began studying on soil because my neighbor who happens to have a green thumb stressed to me that it's all about the soil first, sure you need a sunny spot in your yard, but even if you have the perfect spot, the soil has got to be right.
I began first getting the soil ready. We started to make compost with some help from youtube videos, gardening websites, and of course my neighbor's tidbits. Then I studied what else is good for vegetable soil. Next thing you know, the boys and I are buying styrofoam cups from dollar tree and mixing our soil, planting our seeds. We had a total of 100 plants from seeds. Mostly were tomatoes and cucumbers. It took weeks to get those tiny 2 mm seeds to sprout, and then it took weeks of me caring and nurturing them to start growing.
I was ridiculous at times, because my house does not get alot of sunshine indoors, and I have only a few sunny spots outside, as I would carry these boxes of styrofoam plants all around the yard every day so they could get what they needed.
We were going to sell the plants to neighbors, but that never happened, so I decided we would give them out. I kept a few and put in my garden. To make a long story short, the only plants that harvested were my cucumbers, while everything else just grew a little and then never produced anything. I was ecstatic over my cucumbers, though, that was amazing.
The other day I was up at the school and my son's teacher from last year who had received one of our tiny tomato plants had come up to me in excitement. She had been meaning to tell me about the tomato plant. Apparently, she has the right spot in her yard, and possibly a green thumb, though she stated she barely did a thing to the plant, and that it is a monster tomato plant. She and her son have been picking tomatoes left and right off this plant. I couldn't help but be extremely happy for her and her family. Even if I didn't get a single tomato in my yard, we had planted a seed and someone else saw the fruit and enjoyed the fruit.
You know me, every thing always = a story about God working in our life, right? Well, what can you say about this? What seeds have you planted, that you don't even know about, where fruit is developing in big heeps, and a harvest is happening. There may be times when we are told about the fruit, but there may be times we may never know, but God knows. I encourage you to continue to plant those tiny seeds, because a harvest will come and never underestimate the fact that you are receiving any fruit from your plant. Our seeds can touch others and make huge impacts.
We can sow seeds of love, encouragement, prayer, kindness, forgiveness, gifts, you name it, and wait. Some may not grow at all, like my tomato plants, and don't get discouraged, because a plant is growing somewhere else and making a huge impact somewhere.
Sometimes I think, wow, no one even reads this blog, and God is giving some real messages to share. I could think this is like the withering fruitless tomato plant or this is like the plant that is bearing fruit and I had no idea. So be encouraged again, that we need to keep planting seeds.
It is ironic also that the other day I did read my children Johnny Appleseed. This story will melt your heart as you learn about the tender spirit of Johnny Chapman and his apple seed mission to spread all those precious apple seeds along the Ohio River Valley. His brother thought he had lost his mind, but apparently, this is what God had called him to do, plant seeds. Have you ever tasted a fresh apple off the tree? It is so crunch and juicy, nothing like it. We may never truly know the truth behind this man, but rumor has it that he was real and did plant apple seeds and that is where our apple harvest originated in this country.
Deuteronomy 7:13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land--your grain, new wine and oil--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you.
Seeds of Peace: John 14:27 eace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
I own a book about God's Promises. These are seeds, because the word of God is a seed, read it and allow God to minister to you and to grow something amazing in your heart.
Here are some fruits that God has in store - Galations 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Thank you God that you are a sower into our lives and we have been given seeds to sow back into others. Help us to have peace that when we sow a seed, we can rest it at your feet and not anxiously wait for self approval or feel that we did the right thing. We just need to rest it at your feet. Amen.
I began studying on soil because my neighbor who happens to have a green thumb stressed to me that it's all about the soil first, sure you need a sunny spot in your yard, but even if you have the perfect spot, the soil has got to be right.
I began first getting the soil ready. We started to make compost with some help from youtube videos, gardening websites, and of course my neighbor's tidbits. Then I studied what else is good for vegetable soil. Next thing you know, the boys and I are buying styrofoam cups from dollar tree and mixing our soil, planting our seeds. We had a total of 100 plants from seeds. Mostly were tomatoes and cucumbers. It took weeks to get those tiny 2 mm seeds to sprout, and then it took weeks of me caring and nurturing them to start growing.
I was ridiculous at times, because my house does not get alot of sunshine indoors, and I have only a few sunny spots outside, as I would carry these boxes of styrofoam plants all around the yard every day so they could get what they needed.
We were going to sell the plants to neighbors, but that never happened, so I decided we would give them out. I kept a few and put in my garden. To make a long story short, the only plants that harvested were my cucumbers, while everything else just grew a little and then never produced anything. I was ecstatic over my cucumbers, though, that was amazing.
The other day I was up at the school and my son's teacher from last year who had received one of our tiny tomato plants had come up to me in excitement. She had been meaning to tell me about the tomato plant. Apparently, she has the right spot in her yard, and possibly a green thumb, though she stated she barely did a thing to the plant, and that it is a monster tomato plant. She and her son have been picking tomatoes left and right off this plant. I couldn't help but be extremely happy for her and her family. Even if I didn't get a single tomato in my yard, we had planted a seed and someone else saw the fruit and enjoyed the fruit.
You know me, every thing always = a story about God working in our life, right? Well, what can you say about this? What seeds have you planted, that you don't even know about, where fruit is developing in big heeps, and a harvest is happening. There may be times when we are told about the fruit, but there may be times we may never know, but God knows. I encourage you to continue to plant those tiny seeds, because a harvest will come and never underestimate the fact that you are receiving any fruit from your plant. Our seeds can touch others and make huge impacts.
We can sow seeds of love, encouragement, prayer, kindness, forgiveness, gifts, you name it, and wait. Some may not grow at all, like my tomato plants, and don't get discouraged, because a plant is growing somewhere else and making a huge impact somewhere.
Sometimes I think, wow, no one even reads this blog, and God is giving some real messages to share. I could think this is like the withering fruitless tomato plant or this is like the plant that is bearing fruit and I had no idea. So be encouraged again, that we need to keep planting seeds.
It is ironic also that the other day I did read my children Johnny Appleseed. This story will melt your heart as you learn about the tender spirit of Johnny Chapman and his apple seed mission to spread all those precious apple seeds along the Ohio River Valley. His brother thought he had lost his mind, but apparently, this is what God had called him to do, plant seeds. Have you ever tasted a fresh apple off the tree? It is so crunch and juicy, nothing like it. We may never truly know the truth behind this man, but rumor has it that he was real and did plant apple seeds and that is where our apple harvest originated in this country.
Deuteronomy 7:13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land--your grain, new wine and oil--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you.
Seeds of Peace: John 14:27 eace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
I own a book about God's Promises. These are seeds, because the word of God is a seed, read it and allow God to minister to you and to grow something amazing in your heart.
Here are some fruits that God has in store - Galations 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Thank you God that you are a sower into our lives and we have been given seeds to sow back into others. Help us to have peace that when we sow a seed, we can rest it at your feet and not anxiously wait for self approval or feel that we did the right thing. We just need to rest it at your feet. Amen.
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