Preparing the soil

It’s good to take inventory, to figure out what’s going on. Then, to take it one part at a time to examine what to keep, and what to dig up and toss away. I’ve waited a month to see what was going to come up in the yard, in this space, and simply find out what was there before tackling the job. But now, it’s time. It’s time to clear the brush, loosen the soil, nourish it with fertilizer and water, and carefully choose what things to plant and what things to move. I guess I didn’t think about it this way last night as I stooped, pulled, bent over, dug in, and cleared the ground…but it feels good to put this space to something that is “rightly ordered.”

Because I work full time days, I find that this new hobby of gardening is starting to become an obsession. My neighbor came over last night and mentioned that she sees me out in the yard every night. I explained that there are some nights when I’m not out there, but that I feel the summer is so short in MN, so I have to make the most of every moment I have. Besides, it’s really good for me to have the quiet time in the garden, pulling up weeds, preparing the soil, smelling the compost, and feeling the cold wind against my arms as a strong cold front came through yesterday.

I got 1/3 of the side vegetable garden prepared last night. I turned up the soil to find tangled webs of spaghetti like strands of crabgrass roots that reach deeper than I can dig. I shook out the dandelions’ carrot-like roots and was careful not to get hurt around the prickly stuff and thistle growing rampantly in that untamed wilderness I call a garden. Thank goodness for new tools and good gloves. I was out there in the cool air from the time I got home at 5:30 until the sun went down. I portioned off a third as a goal, and actually made some good progress. I dug up the onions that were spreading like weeds around the perimeter, and moved them to a more orderly place – so they frame that section of the garden nicely. I planted eggplant and cucumbers last night. The rest of the pint-sized containers of veggies will hopefully go into another cleared spot tonight.

We talk about how important it is to live rightly ordered with our finances, power, sexuality, and moral conduct. If it’s a parallel to this garden, then boy, it’s been a huge mess. I can see how hard it is to get it back “right” when it’s been left to go to weed and wild entanglement by itself. A parallel to the way I find myself – left to allow scattered seeds of negative thoughts and disappointment with others and self get planted in my soul. It’s time to dig and remove them before they bury themselves deeper and then the roots are more difficult to remove. I can pull the weeds out, but most times I’m really just breaking off the roots below the ground. Will they pop back up again? Will they find nourishment again to grow and take over the rightly order of this garden I call my soul? Not if I can help it. Of course, it will take daily monitoring…to weed, and check on the veggies, and to water. Do I choose to daily monitor how rightly ordered my own life is? Oh man…this time in the garden is really getting into me. I don’t know it that’s a good thing or not. I don’t want to get too introspective of me – but to look up and out instead – looking out to what others need. I’m hoping that regular maintenance will help me keep it in check.

I hope to get the tomatoes and rhubarb into the ground tonight…and when I clear enough space for the zucchini, squash and watermelon – those will be next. I hope I have energy to tackle this tonight.