M.J. Abell Farm

Jeremiah 29:5 tells us that God told his people to “build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce,” while 1 Thessalonians 4:11 instructs us to “lead a quiet life” and “mind [our] business and work with [our] hands.” I don’t know about you, but we are still working toward these goals as hard as we can.

The large garden, the one that we plant at my parents’ house, is finally enclosed. As I am no farmer yet–just a gardener–I will be working in patches rather than rows within that enclosure. For some reason, rows intimidate me…likely because I do the work by hand rather than machine. In the meantime, I’ve been busy within the yard at our current residence: 2 raised beds currently in place, filled, and planted, with a third to be set up by next week; medicinal plants are flourishing and I am adding more to our collection; rhubarb is coming up nicely (a bit late, yes, I know); and flower seeds have been planted. It seems like everything is just so late this year, but when you live in the False Spring and Late Frost region of the US, late is the name of the game for those of us with limited indoor growing space and no greenhouses.

Regardless, it’s amazing to see how much of a difference even a simple garden makes around a house. While it is a work in progress, it looks so much more welcoming and…happy. When we moved in, there was no garden of any kind. Our landlords (my parents) said we could “do whatever” to the flower beds and yard, and so we are working hard to make our little parcel-for-now work for us. I am grateful that my parents are so willing to allow us to plant what we want.

What are you growing this season? What are you most excited about?