Rain!

We received about 3/4 to 1" of rain yesterday. What a blessing. The rain barrels were low and the plants were thirsty. No matter how much city water I use, a welcomed rain does so much better. Mulch is essential in the hot August sun. Sifted compost is my best choice.

When we face intense times as a Christian, is nice to have a little insulation from the trials and challenges of the day. A good friend sure meets that requirement. I look forward to Tuesdays and Wednesdays when I meet with two great friends. They keep me focused on the goals God has me looking at. They challenge me in spiritual disciplines and they give me the reality check of being a forgiven person.

I hope your garden got some rain, but more importantly I hope you enjoy the refreshment of friends. Thanks Tom & Matt.

Sam & Ruth Garden

It has been a tremendous day. Dad & I went to a new Farmer's Market in Cedar Park (Cedar Park Farms to Market). I found just the right plants in great condition for Jan's Mother's Day present. We found out yesterday that Steve & Karen are having a little girl in October, Ruth Jan. Today. I made the Sam & Ruth Garden. After trimming the boxwoods, I tilled in some choice compost (home made and FREE.) Several buckets full make the soil easier to work with. The organic stuff will do the plants good. I cleaned up the area before planting. I spaced the plants and added some cuttings of begonias for a great looking mix. A good watering after the planting and we're finished- The Sam & Ruth Garden. We'll see how the cuttings do that were directly planted in the area. Happy Mother's Day, Jan!

Compost

I love compost. It's free, easy, simple and good for the garden. I use 4 piles to speed up the process. Each pile is in a different stage of "cooking". Today I started another pile. I am ready to rake leaves just as soon as they dry a bit. I layer green, dry, brown and wet in making a new pile:

• Green- Kitchen scraps, grass clippings or prunings and fertilizer (to kick start the cooking)
• Dry- Leaves, dead material
• Brown- Old compost, dirt, red worms from other piles (they were free too. Worms just happen!)
• Wet- Water

I have round compost bins. When the pile is full and ready to "cook". I place some light weight to the top to help compress the dry leaves. In a few days (weeks) the compost is turned and re-wetted. This speeds up the process.

More later.

A New Garden Year

It's a late start and the winter has been brutal. We had several days in the 20's and that's tough on the garden and yard. I planted red & white (kennebec) potatoes on 2/18. Valentine's Day is the best but it was muddy. The strawberries did OK through the cold weather. Some daughter plants were transplanted to fill in the gaps. All in all it should be a good start. We should have strawberries and potatoes on Mother's Day.

I started by adding some wet compost. Lots of it and tilling in in with some fertilizer. Potatoes are heavy feeders and this won't be the last application of compost of fertilizer this spring.

Gardening relieves the pressures of intense days of ministry. What a joy to get to dig in the dirt. It's a great place to pray, think, and refocus. I love to see things grow, especially maturing Christians.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Psalm 90:1

Potatoes were planted a couple of inches deep. As they grow, I will mound compost and dirt higher in the plant so the will make more potatoes.