The Garden Is Coming - Part 2

One full month just passed, and a lot of things are changing in the garden. The tomatoes, peppers, carrots, corn, lettuce, peas, radishes, potatoes—everything is growing. I am amazed at the miracle of life. I feel like a little child observing in wonder the project the teacher instructed us to do. “Ask your mom for a glass container, add a wet cotton ball. In the middle of the cotton ball, put a couple of beans then place it in the window where the sun can reach it. After that observe what happens there every day. Draw all the changes that you notice.”

Tomatoes, peppers and peas

Really, I didn’t notice any changes after three eternal days. I thought that if I spent more time observing the beans something would happen much sooner, but no. My observing time in front of the glass container does not change the beans at all. The fourth day however, something happened. I didn’t notice it, I should admit, my mother noticed my frustration and told me, did you notice something in the little belly of that bean. And voila, the navel of the bean was exposed. I noticed a little white spot in what I called the navel of the bean. My mother burst out laughing, and agreed with me. The bean exposed its navel and I should be paying close attention to it.

Here at St. Placid, I am paying attention to the garden, not as close attention as when I was six years old, but still. I notice so many changes in our garden and myself. Now I can identify the corn, the peas, the carrots. I love the transformation our garden is going through. I noticed some volunteer peppers, tomato and squash plants. I told brother Edmond about it last Saturday when the monks of Saint Martin’s Abbey visited us at St. Placid to share pie and coffee. He told me that they used to feed their chickens with vegetable left overs, so the seeds came from the chicken manure he gave us for fertilizer.

Only three rows of lettuce

The mystery in the garden continues, there should be four rows of lettuce but there are only three. I didn’t know why. At first, I thought that the seeds were not good. But Sr. Angela solved the mystery. She pointed out to me a beautiful green spot at the entrance of the garden. The spot is full of lettuce! All in one spot. I have no idea how that happened. I was sure I sowed some seed in the first row. I don’t know what I put there instead. I don’t recollect throwing away the seeds. I think this is what happens when you are a beginner gardener.

The missing lettuce row!

Nico’s tomato plants are growing so tall and are full of yellow blossoms. The deer have not approached them, and we pray the deer will not find them. I have a lot of expectations about our harvest. However, I will be out of the monastery most of July. Just when the lettuce is becoming ready for harvest, I will be attending a workshop for vocation directors in Kansas. Maybe someone will send me pictures!

Nico & the Tomato Stalk?