One of our fall garden plants still growing throughout the winter. Photo by J&J
Here in East-Central Mississippi it is already time to start thinking about our next planting season!
A week or so ago I asked a group on Facebook if they thought I could plant another crop of Turnips, and they advised not to. However, I was also told that in January I should be planting English Peas and Potatoes!
So, it is off to the planning board!
Winter Garden
Some things have managed to live and grow through the cold. Our own Black Seeded Simpson Lettuces (grown from our own seed we harvested this last summer) are growing extremely slowly, but are growing. One of the Red Romaine Lettuces is still growing as well.
The Red Romaine Lettuce still growing despite the cold. Photo by J&J
The Bunching Onion is doing just fine too – plump for the eating, but not growing any. I hope that they might bolt in spring so we can save some seed from them!
I also have another plant growing – though of course my previously poor record keeping has my scratching my head. I think it is a cabbage, but darn if I know!
Vegetable Garden Preparation
I spent some time pulling out the old plants and raking the wood chips around in order to pull out some weeds. The wood chips seem well decomposed as there is only a light covering of visible wood chips any longer.
We will now start laying down more rabbit manure over the next month to help build the nutrients back up before we sow the seeds.
We are also going to plant some potatoes, but those will be planted in a large tub. I was so frustrated with the grubs getting to our potatoes last year that I want to grow them in a more controlled environment this year.
Not using any insecticides or herbicides can be daunting, but it is worth it.
This volunteer Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce may well grow through spring. Photo by J&J.
Vegetable Garden Planning
I really want a larger garden this year, but for now it is time to focus on the next plantings. Rabbit manure needs to be laid, wood needs to be chipped and spread.
But most importantly a trellis of some sort needs to be built for the peas to grow on. Thankfully we are already in a nice sunny area that runs from East to West, so there should not be any problems with location.
The hardest thing for me is to remain focused on this season of growing and not try to build a trellis big enough to feed the county.
We still plan to use wood chips as a covering, Back to Eden style. So stay tuned for the 2014 version of our garden!
(And cross your fingers that come the end of the season our fruit trees decide to give us a little fruit for the first time as well!)
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I want to try some Back to Eden gardens next year. We used to be able to get free mulch from the county, but last year, they found out it was infected with ganoderma butt rot. I put it in one garden, and it killed everything I put in there. I can’t find another source of free mulch, so I don’t know what I’m going to do. Probably, I’ll just go around picking up free oak leaves.
We have a chipper and just chip our own. Since there is a mulch company just down the road nobody will bring us the free stuff, they always take it there, and then they want $$$ for it.
After praying what to do about gardening in the heat of FL, God sent me to the Back to Eden method.
I cried out of gratitude and then asked the Lord for some mulch because we really couldn’t afford a truck load…it’s pricey down here.
The electric company sent out some tree trimmers shortly after that and they were chipping up the branches as they were cutting them.
I told my husband to go ask them if we could get the woodchips. He didn’t like the idea at first, but I showed him the video and he changed his mind.
So, we got two truckoads of mulch and I started mulching everything in sight, LOL! And it cut down on watering tremendously.
But we ran out of mulch. I asked the Lord where we were going to get mulch?
He provided again. The church allowed some landscaping company or something dump semi loads of mulch on their property and we are allowed to get as much as we want!!! PTL!!!
Luke 11:5-10 AMP
5 And He said to them, Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and will say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves [of bread],
6 For a friend of mine who is on a journey has just come, and I have nothing to put before him;
7 And he from within will answer, Do not disturb me; the door is now closed, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and supply you [with anything]?
8 I tell you, although he will not get up and supply him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his shameless persistence and insistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9 So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.
God is really good! Most of the time we don’t get what we need because we refuse to ask OR we don’t have the faith that IF we ask, then He’ll give it to us.
Once, I prayed for about 3 solid months about a certain issue and I kept telling God, “Your Word says….”
One night, I was praying and I said, “Lord, it’s your pest again. I’m asking in Jesus name, according to Your Word in Luke 11…and I read it back to Him…”
For 3 solid months. One night, I had opened my Bible and started reading. And I just couldn’t believe it!
See, I had asked the Lord WHY? Why is it, that if the Holy Spirit was upon those in the OT and those in the NT were indwelled with the Holy Spirit, why was it that today we didn’t see those kinds of miracles and answered prayers????
God gave me the answer that night and immediately ole slew foot tried to tell me I wasn’t perfect enough.
But I kept reading anyway and this is the passage that God gave me.
READ THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES AND LET IT SINK IN!!!
James 5:13-20 AMP
13 Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray. Is anyone glad at heart? He should sing praise [to God].
14 Is anyone among you sick? He should call in the church elders (the spiritual guides). And they should pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord’s name.
15 And the prayer [that is] of faith will save him who is sick, and the Lord will restore him; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16 Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].
17 Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months. [I Kings 17:1.]
18 And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual]. [I Kings 18:42-45.]
19 [My] brethren, if anyone among you strays from the Truth and falls into error and another [person] brings him back [to God],
20 Let the [latter] one be sure that whoever turns a sinner from his evil course will save [that one’s] soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins [procure the pardon of the many sins committed by the convert].
If we are in Christ Jesus and have forgiveness of sins, we are considered righteous, just as Elijah here, which is a prophet from the OT.
So, I put into practice what the Word teaches in Luke 11. And God answered my prayer and showed my how to receive miracles in James 5.
My life has been changed since then, forevermore!!!