Garden Update

Our garden is growing! The pathetic-looking tomato starts that seemed destined for compost have recovered so well that we added a trellis for them to climb.

This box also features cucumbers, bok choy, beans, and several varieties of peppers. My favorite plant, however, is this cute little tomatillo. I'm so curious to see the husks develop!

Our other boxes are also starting to take off. It's taken some work and replanting, but we now have strawberries, spinach, lettuce, beets, carrots, radishes, chives, swiss chard, and possibly a jalapeno. Despite two attempts, we haven't managed to sprout any kohlrabi, much to Jason's delight and my father's chagrin.

Apparently a big, hungry bird found our red, ripe strawberry before we did. Darn!

Our last box features four different kinds of lettuce, three kinds of basil, green onions, a zucchini, some cucumbers, plus more beets and swiss chard.

Over the past few months, I've reflected often on the purpose of our garden. After all, despite the fact that we don't have many weeds in our boxes, it still is a fair amount of work to keep them moist in the St. George sun. It certainly hasn't saved us any money, particularly this year. The cost of building the beds and filling them with good soil was so hefty that it will be many years before we recoup that investment.

As much as I hate to admit it, so far our garden hasn't even been particularly rewarding in terms of produce. I've discovered that I don't really like how radishes taste, although I love how easily and quickly they grow. And beautiful as the lettuce may be, most of it is so bitter that I prefer to leave it as an ornamental variety in the garden instead of bringing it inside to adorn my plate. Once the tomatoes are ripe, I fully anticipate edible bliss and delight. Yet at the moment, the food isn't very inspiring.

And still, I love our garden. It's worth the time and expense, all for the miracle of watching things grow. It's amazing! Plant a seed so tiny that you can barely see it, and in several months time you'll be chomping on a carrot. I love sharing this miracle with my children, but to be completely honest, I'm just as excited as they are. It was fascinating to watch the pole beans move entire clumps of dirt as they pushed through the soil, transforming the seed bean itself into the bottom leaves. I had no idea that's how a bean grows!

Gardening requires plenty of patience, but it's a godly kind of wait. In today's world of instant satisfaction, there's something deeply gratifying in witnessing the law of the harvest. It's true that you reap what you sow--eventually--but the process cannot be rushed. Remarkably, slow as the growth may be, it's still thrilling.