The carrots sometimes are only an inch deep, the tomatoes often still green when the frost is setting in overnight. I have good luck with chard and greens, I usually can get a squash to success.
One thing I am consistent about: I cannot grow potatoes. I have made an attempt with every garden I have had; and I have had zero success. Many types of soils, fertilizers, practices, climate zones, sun exposure, etc.
This spring, my neighbour asked if I was planting potatoes. I told her my predicament, and she offered me a few gnarly wrinkly seed potatoes – they were extra for her, and she said if I didn’t use them she was going to compost them (they looked half-way there already).
So – I tried. I had chosen to leave part of the garden unplanted – so I had space. I tossed them in the dirt, I kept them covered… and foliage appeared! I watched as they got taller, and then flowered, and then kept increasing in size. About every other day, same friendly neighbour asks if I’ve got any potatoes yet….
This weekend, as I was tackling some of the weeds, I noticed a couple of potatoes, just poking through the disturbed dirt. They’re small, and of course there’s only a couple right now – but they grew.
It’s no wonder Jesus used agricultural references for so many of his teachings: they are so relatable, and so easy to understand.
What enjoyable teachings my potatoes have given me:
* It’s never too late to try
* You never know when you’ll succeed
* You never know what’s below the surface
* A different environment produces different outcomes
* The result can be so much nicer than what you start with
…and so many more.
I could reflect more on the joys (and limitations) of the garden, but there’s still some weeding to do, and some errant squash vines choking out the tomatoes… and who knows what potatoes (literal and metaphorical!) might come up today.
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