Grace in Gardening

We've spent quite a bit of time developing this soil. It's been pretty much a compost pile, most of the year. Coffee grounds, watermelon rinds, cucumber peels, cabbage ends and pieces...really any fruit or veggie waste has been going into this section of the yard.

We finally began our garden by by digging into the dirt yesterday. Rich deep colors were dug up and spread. We placed an organic fertilizer, and raked out big pieces of roots, sticks, concrete stones, and old vines that had somehow got mixed into it.

Then came the planning..."yes, let's put the tomatoes in the back this year, they took up a lot of space here last year." "a walking path in the center would be great." "this particular plant grows large and spreads"

Next, the planting. Digging deep bowls for each plant. Separating each with high walls to hold in water. Then the watering. Filling each bowl with life giving water.

I snapped a few pictures as the sun poked through the yard this morning

It's funny how many sticks and rocks can come up to the surface when a gardener begins preparing the soil for growth. How the impurities are so easily seen when the the rest of the soil is raked about and smoothed. 

My life, like the soil, wondering why I have to go through a rotten fruit kind of a situation, when in the end it was meant to enrich my ground. 

My sin, so easily seen when my soil is disturbed.

Lord, may Your Word be a gardener's tool. Bringing my ugly to the surface so it may be removed. So my life will yield good fruit. ~amen