"We Make Time For What Is Important To Us"

I’m sure most of us have heard the statement above. It is a statement used for many areas of our lives. I have heard it applied to working out, spending time with our families, or pursuing a college degree. Today I want to relate it to gardening. I had a friend that loved to cook. She created meals from scratch and added her own special touch to them. One winter she began to speak of planting an herb garden. She loved to use fresh herbs in her cooking. She talked about how much “easier” it would be to just go outside and snip a few sprigs from her own garden to add to her meals. But there was only one problem. She did not like to be out in the heat. The few seconds it took to walk from an air conditioned building to her car in the parking lot would result in a series of moaning and complaining. We live in Oklahoma, our summer temperatures are in the 90’s and 100’s.

A further hindrance to the concept of a garden was the fact she had no existing garden spot in her yard. This would mean that she would have to remove the turf from the lawn, then till the soil and add whatever amendments needed to make an adequate growing environment. I told her that under the circumstances the best way would be container gardening. Most herbs adapt and grow quite well in containers and are much easier to manage. She still did not want to give up the idea so I asked, “Are you willing to spend 10-20 hours per week outside in your garden? After you have the herbs planted you will have to water, weed and fertilize your garden in order to keep it thriving. Then, once the herbs are growing you will have to keep them trimmed so that they do not go to seed. New growth is the part of the plant that is desirable for flavoring with most herbs.”

I know it sounds odd that an avid gardener would actually discourage someone from beginning a garden. But I cannot stand to see a garden neglected. I knew this person well enough to know she would not be able to succeed. A garden takes time and TLC. For me those hours in the early spring are therapy, not work. It is my form of exercise and relaxing rolled up into one event. I do not mind the heat. I make time to garden because I love to garden. God’s Word is clear that we are to be good stewards of what He has given us. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Be yourself, do what is right for you, for your life style and the amount of time that you are willing to spend. Together we add our own unique contribution to the landscapes around us and the result is beautiful.
Happy planting!!