The sun is shining, the air is warm, and it’s a beautiful spring day. With graduation weekend in full swing and Mother’s Day around the corner, our community is bustling with excitement. Amid the festivities, we spent the morning outside. We were soaking in the sunshine, getting our hands in the dirt, and working together in the garden.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Nutrient-rich soil for the garden
Today’s focus was preparing the soil for new plantings. We mixed nutrient-rich dirt and sand with horse manure, carefully working it into the beds where our tomatoes and cucumbers will grow. The tomatoes, which we planted a few weeks ago, are looking strong. The cucumbers are struggling a bit, likely because we didn’t harden them off properly before planting. It’s a lesson learned.
To protect our more delicate plants from the wind, we’ve temporarily relocated them to the front porch. By moving them to covered porch we are giving them time to toughen up. We’re also using a mix of repurposed containers—milk jugs, plastic coffee canisters, and five-gallon buckets with the bottoms cut out—to shelter the plants already in the ground. It’s not fancy, but it’s effective.
This morning was also a hands-on learning opportunity for our kids. They helped mix the soil, add nutrients, and learn about why each step is important for healthy plant growth. We talked about teamwork, and how working together makes big jobs easier—and more fun. It became a perfect moment to teach our oldest about delayed gratification: how the hard work we put in now pays off later.
A great example of that is our potato patch. A few weeks ago, we planted rows of potatoes together, and today we saw the first signs of sprouting. We added more mineral-rich soil and horse manure on top to support their growth. We can see the leaves starting to poke through but knowing we won’t harvest them until fall. The kids and I talked about the anticipation of digging them up at the end of summer and how rewarding that moment will be.
Family Effort in the Garden
The kids stayed involved by scooping dirt with their own buckets (since the shovels are a bit too big). The wishfully happily collected grubs in hopes for a future fishing trip. It was a reminder that with a little creativity, hard work can be made fun—especially when done together.
We want our children to grow up with a sense of responsibility and appreciation for producing their own food. Gardening teaches patience, perseverance, and the value of effort. And there are tangible rewards: by growing some of our own fruits and vegetables, we save money on groceries, which allows us to enjoy other activities like swimming lessons, zoo visits, or summer picnics.
Most importantly, we’re growing more than just food—we’re growing memories, skills, and values that will last a lifetime. And we’re eating healthier, too, with fresh produce that we nurtured ourselves.
Spring days like today are a reminder of what’s possible when we work together, learn together, and enjoy the simple pleasures of being outside. Here’s to a season of growth—in the garden and beyond.
Faith
In moments like these, we are reminded of God’s presence in the everyday. From the warmth of the sun to the miracle of seeds turning into food, we see His hand in all of it. Gardening is a powerful reminder that we are stewards of His creation. It’s a way to teach our children not only about responsibility and patience but about gratitude—for the land we work, the food we grow, and the blessings we’re given. As we dig, plant, and water, we also pray for growth, for provision, and for the wisdom to raise our children rooted in faith.
Ecclesiastes 3:1–2 (NIV)
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to plant and a time to uproot.
Psalm 67:6 (NIV)
“The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.”
Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”