Springtime is full of hope and laying foundations. It’s a lot like homeschooling in that we take time to plan and work, but we won’t see the results of our efforts for awhile. In the case of a garden, we plant our seeds and seedlings in the spring in hopes of a harvest a few months later in the fall. Some things work and grow beautifully. Other things get attacked by bugs or the dogs get in and destroy everything. Or we find that our soil wasn’t all that great or we forgot to water, etc, etc. But if we have a strong foundation, those plants will grow well and each year we may adjust and learn and change things a bit. It takes daily attention at first as the seedlings get established. And then we can’t just let them go, we have to be watching, watering, fertilizing and controlling pests continually, until it is finally time to harvest.
I never realized how like life and raising kids a garden really is. I have had so many failures in my garden (and my life for that matter). But the garden is especially embarrassing because I have a degree in horticulture, I love plants and this should be my thing!! But I’m super easily distracted and we have moved around a lot, and my kids have been my main priority. They have also been my main distraction. But every year, I still plant in hopes of something great that I can use and in hopes of one day having excess that I can share!! I have learned over the years to be grateful for the few things that have grown. I’ve learned a lot of what not to do. And now we are in a place where I hope to be able to establish good soil and strong trees and bushes. It has been fun to watch anyway. Nature doesn’t care how much we hope though. If our plants don’t have the right things to grow, then they won’t.
And with that, a garden, even if it’s just a flower pot, can be a great teaching tool for our children. And one of the best parts of raising kids and homeschooling is learning right along with them. There are so many things I don’t remember from school or maybe never learned. There is too much, we can’t learn everything. And I guess that’s what keeps life interesting. And with gardening there is always something new, always ways to improve and confidence built when we do it right and can reap the rewards of our efforts.
So with that, happy gardening!! Go plant something, ’tis the season!!
I’ve made a podcast explaining how to garden and to avoid the many mistakes I’ve made, I’ll post a link once it’s available. In the meantime, I also made these charts to help you plan your garden and have the most success possible!!
Just enter your email below to get your printable Garden Guides!
