Hard Lessons

Life is full of lessons, both simple and difficult, and the work on the homestead is no different. Every year we are learning new lessons. I have eluded several times in previous posts about failures and learning hard lessons, and I have decided to share a few of them in this post.

The garden has been keeping us busy. Our tomatoes have been coming off in droves, and they are delicious. We have also been able to start restocking our green beans supply. A couple of the zucchini plants seem to be struggling after having been attacked by vine bore and squash bugs, but the rest are still producing. I was able to get some shredded and put in the freezer for me to use later this winter, and still have plenty to eat fresh. I’ve harvested several small cantaloupe, and they were delicious. And, the herb garden is doing wonderfully. I’ve been able to harvest and dry out several cuttings of basil and parsley, as well as hanging rosemary to dry out.

Even with all the blessings we’ve received from the garden, there is always more to learn. Proverbs 1:5 says “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.” A wise person is not a “know it all”, they are willing to learn from others to increase their knowledge and wisdom. With their increased knowledge, they are able to assist others. I’m always learning, and this year was no different.

I’ve written before how putting grass clippings on the garden is a wonderful weed barrier, as well as helping hold moisture for the plants. This has worked wonders for the tomato plants, zucchini, corn, cabbages, and peas. But in doing some research and talking with some veteran gardeners, I’ve gained some more knowledge. My pepper plants have really taken off lately. They are green, tall and bushy…however, I have no peppers. I already knew that plant rotation in the garden is a must, as plants take different nutrients out of the ground, and not all plants benefit from the same nutrients. Grass clippings add nitrogen into the soil as it decomposes, and while that is great for plants that thrive off nitrogen, it can hinder the growth of others. In my research and discussions, nitrogen can actually inhibit the growth of peppers. The plants themselves may grow, but the “fruit” will not grow. So…the grass has been pulled from around our pepper plants, in hopes that we might get a few peppers off our plants.

A first for us this year was dealing with aphids. Those little buggers were on my chamomile! I’ve had no idea what to do about them, so I had to do my research. I found that in addition to ladybugs being a natural predator, so are grasshoppers, and fortunately there was a grasshopper in the patch. But, in my urgency to get them taken care of more immediately, I wanted to find a natural remedy. I made a spray of water, a little dish soap and some peppermint oil. It worked!! (Side note……I also tried it on some squash bugs, and it worked on the young ones! Game changer!!)

The final hard lesson I had to learn this year was with my pumpkins and watermelon. I knew the vines of watermelon were very delicate and that you can’t damage them or it will kill the whole vine. What I didn’t know is that it even applies to the little “fingers” that grab onto things. If you move the vines and break those little grabbers, that will kill the vine as well. In my trying to keep the vines all contained in the boxes, some of them got broken, and all the vines died. No watermelons for us this year. We had a similar situation with our pumpkin patches. They got trimmed back (by someone whom I will keep anonymous ;-)…) and maybe got trimmed a bit too much. Between the over trimming and the squash bugs, the vines all died, and took the pumpkins along with them. We did salvage a couple jack-o-lantern pumpkins, but the rest did not make it.

This year was not a total failure. We were still blessed with a lot of food from our garden, and we are still able to bless others. Every year is another chance to learn, and use that gained knowledge for the next year. Blog question…what is something you tried to grow for the first time that didn’t turn out? There is nothing to be embarrassed about, and if you are a reader that can offer your expertise, feel free to have an open discussion in the comments. Have a blessed week!!!