It's the Little Things

This week was not the greatest. I guess it's just the little things.

Ryan was sick for a few days, I messed up a crochet project and had to start over, my quest for Brenton's birthday presents didn't pan out, you get the picture. I was hanging in there and soldiering through when I realized I would have been 20 weeks along and found out the gender of our baby this week. That was my breaking point, and I burst into a full meltdown this morning.

To quote Charlie Brown, lately it feels like "everything I touch gets ruined." My starter plants in the front yard were eaten by birds, my hanging basket of fuchsias died, our cucumbers are bitter, the peppers rot before they're ripe, and a bunny keeps eating our low hanging tomatoes and zucchini. It feels as though everything I try to nurture and raise either dies or falls apart. I would have been halfway along in my pregnancy yet here I sit, barren and empty as another month goes by without a positive test. It's becoming a disheartening trial for me. 

About the only thing that has been growing really well is our cherry tomatoes. I pick about 3 dozen or so everyday. Today, those little, bright red tomatoes taught me a comforting lesson. All by itself, a cherry tomato isn't much. Just a little, juicy morsel that brightens your day for moment. But put all of them together, and you have a whole basket full of juicy, delicious fruit. You sit on the front porch and pop several in your mouth at once, wondering how something so small could taste so delicious and make you so happy. 

Here's my lesson. "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6). Instead of letting the negative things bring me down, I can focus on the little cherry tomatoes of life that bring me joy. A long hug from my son, a kiss from my husband, a call from a friend, an uplifting song on the radio, a particular verse of scripture. All by itself, a little moment isn't much. But put all of them together and I have a whole basket full of happy, uplifting moments of joy. 

I guess it's just the little things. 

A Successful Venture

Yes, my friends, the garden was a fantastic success! Remember that cute little plot we had in May, with all the seeds and starter plants in their organized rows and boxes?

Here it is today....

 

Quite the jungle, huh?! We are so proud of our little garden, and how much produce it has given us this summer. We've picked dozens of tomatoes and green beans, bunches of herbs, plenty of zuchinni, lettuce, peppers, corn, cucmbers and spring onions, and this week the melons are all starting to come in. We also have about a dozen pumpkins ripening for the Fall season, and a few butternut squashes, too!

It has been such a thrill for me to water, nurture, watch, and pray over these plants throughout the season. I have been especially proud of the plants we grew from seed. I was nervous about planting those, because I'd never done it before. But each plant came through and brought us quite the bountiful harvest. What a wonderful blessing for our family. Even now as I type this post I'm happily eating a fresh cucumber and several cherry tomatoes, of course. Ryan and I still go out every day and pick handfuls of the delicious little tomatoes and giggle excitedly as we eat them together. It's one of my favorite parts of the day. 

All of this abundance of harvest has made me so grateful for the gifts from my Heavenly Father. Watching his creations grow that I planted myself has given me a deeper respect for Him and His plan. It has been amazing to watch them grow as my son grew right alongside them. Each experience helped me to see the joy in nurturing, and why I'm so happy to be a mother. 

So here's to another wonderful summer full of tasty fruits and veggies. There is so much to be learned from growing a garden, and being able to really see the "fruits of [my] labors."  I'm off to make a batch of zucchini bread. Mmmmm! 

My Favorite Snack

I will write a separate post about our huge garden when I have a bit more time. Right now, I'd just like to give a quick tribute to my favorite snack, which of course comes from our huge garden: cherry tomatoes. They're growing so quickly that each day whenever I'm feeling a bit peckish, I can go outside and pick a handful.  I give them a quick rinse in the sink, and then sit down and enjoy! Ryan's a big fan of them, too. And we can eat as many as we want, because unlike a bag of potato chips, cherry tomatoes aren't bad for you! YUM!! So thank you, cherry tomatoes. Thank you for solving my daily "I need a munchie snack right now" urges. How I will miss you when the first frost comes and I can no longer enjoy your deliciousness. Until then, thank you for the happiness you give me with your sweet, juicy, goodness! (and yes, I had to eat a handful while typing this, because just thinking about them made me want some!)

A Gardening Adventure

Last year, Brenton and I had a very successful crop of tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs. This year we did some research, and decided to attempt square-foot gardening. Here are the steps we did to begin our garden.

Step 1. Acquire wood and soil to build boxes for plants. We got wood from the scrap pile at CFC Fencing in South Provo. They leave all the fencing they tear out just outside their property for anyone to pick up for free. Awesome. Also, with square-foot gardening, the soil is really important, so we ordered ours from Wolf Mountain through a friend who works there.

 You can see our soil in the background

Brenton ingeniously constructed all our boxes. 

Step 2. Clear space in your garden plot for the boxes.

Brenton was our hero, and cleared away all the prickly branches.

Step 3. Purchase plants and seeds. I don't have a picture of our trip to the store, but we managed to get two $40 gift certificates to McCord's garden center for $13 apiece through Groupon. It was a smart move, and we were able to get the following starter plants: cilantro, basil, oregano, rosemary, tomatoes, Grape tomatoes, Jalapeños, Red Bell peppers, Spring onions, pumpkins, Butternut squash, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, and zucchini. We also got seeds for corn, more pumpkins, watermelon, sugar baby watermelon, cantelope, honeydew, and green beans. YUM!!!

Step 4. Plant Boxes. Before putting down the boxes, instead of going out and buying expensive ground cloth that "supposedly" keeps weeds out (I've heard it doesn't really work), lay down sheets of newspaper. It's much cheaper, free in fact if you used your junk mail, and for us, The Daily Universe. Make sure the newspaper goes past the box, so no weeds creep inside. Fill the box with your good soil, then plant the plants!

I only had stamina to plant the first two boxes before I was tuckered out. Here's our pepper box, and our herb box. You can do approximately 4 plants per box. 

Step 5. Take a nap. You may feel this step isn't important, but believe me. It's crucial!! 

I love how Ry-guy's snugging a Wii remote. Precious. 

Step 6. Plant the rest of the boxes. 

While it's not required, cute gardening boots are a big help. 

We are very proud of our boxes! 

Step 7. Plant the melons, corn, pumpkins, squash, and lettuce in the sandier natural soil in your backyard, but make sure the soil is turned, and fertilized. I did this while Brenton was at work, so I didn't take any pictures of it. 

Step 8. Once everything has been planted, compost the entire garden. Again, I did this while Brenton was at work, so no picture. 

Step 9. Make support structures for the plants to grow vertically in the boxes. We used plastic netting and bamboo poles. For the tomatoes, we just put tomato cages right in the box. 

Step 10. Place newspaper around all the garden boxes, and around all plants that have already sprouted. This makes it so you don't have to weed all summer. We did this last year, and didn't have to mulch once. It's a Southern garden trick from my mother's best friend. 

See, there really is a use for The Daily Universe! By the time I was done gardening that day, all my shorts were covered in dirt, so I had to start wearing Brenton's. 

Step 11. Wet down the newspaper. If you don't get it wet quickly, it won't stay where you put it, even if you mulch and then wet it. You need to completely soak the newspaper before you do anything else.

 Going for the reach. Our hose only goes so far, so you have to get creative.

We use a hose attachment called a rainmaker. It's really great because it waters well without disturbing the soil from the high pressure of the hose by itself. 

Once everything's been watered, cover the whole garden with mulch to seal in the moisture, and keep the newspaper in place. My favorite mulch is red cedar, because it smells so good and looks so pretty. 

And there you have it!! We are so excited about our garden this summer. I can't wait to see how everything turns out. So those of you who live in Provo, now would be the time to start buttering up to us to get your hands on fresh fruits and veggies this summer!