To those who wait...

In this day and age where quick results are the norm, a garden still unwaveringly demands patience. A seed still must germinate and sprout, and a plant must still grow two leaves before it grows twenty. Still, there must be a flower before there is fruit, and that fruit must ripen before it is ready to be enjoyed.

Patience is one thing that I am still working on learning. I realized just how deficient I was in this area when I found myself resisting putting seeds in the ground. Because do you know how LONG you have to wait to get food from that seed? Might as well just buy everything and have it right now. And if for only this reason I am thankful that I have my garden, because I am learning right along with Ryan that good things really do come to those who wait. I see him eyeing those pink tomatoes…and I encourage him "just wait another day or two, they will be much yummier (it’s a technical term)” Sometimes, he is strong. Other times, the plant will be completely stripped of any tomato with the faintest blush.

Seeds are really quite incredible. For those of you who grew up gardening, or truly who have ever gardened, you know what I am talking about. But one day I would love to actually take a picture of something like a zucchini seed through its stages. Talk about a prolific seed! In our first Iowan garden, Phil encouraged me to plant 5 large hills of zucchini. Apparently he was planning on feeding the entire eastern half of the county with zucchini fricassee. With nightmares pleasant recollections of that garden, this year, I planted only one hill. I eyed those tiny sproutlings warily- will you truly amount to much? Maybe I should have planted two hills this year, I need to replenish my supply of relish…Today I looked out my office window and lo and behold, the plant is enormous! Overnight it grew from a wimpy, spindly Olive Oyl to a regular Bluto.

Patience, I tell you, is something to strive for. Also, perseverance. This, ironically, can be learned through dealing with garden produce.