My attempt to document the planting, growth, harvesting, and preserving of our family’s 8000 square feet of garden.
Northeast Iowa Gardening in growing zone 4
Last frost date May15, First frost date September 15
The Second week of April kept us indoors with rain and cold temperatures. Most nights had temperatures dipping well below freezing. Thunder and lightning came with every rain shower, and our rain totals exceeded 3 inches. Snowflakes were seen floating through the air on multiple occasions.
Reasons I was happy with this cold spell.
Watch for a Youtube video with a tutorial on using these plants soon!!
Know why the grass always looks greener after a thunderstorm? Why does a thunderstorm seem to give all plants a boost?
It is because of nitrogen! Nitrogen is a fundamental building block for all life! It is an oderless and colorless gas in the earth’s atmosphere.
Nitrogen is the most important nutrient for plants! Nitrogen is the key component of
chlorophyll, which a plant uses to turn sunlight into food.
Nitrogen in Earth’s atmosphere is tightly bonded, making it inaccessible to plants without assistance. Plants rely on lightning and certain soil bacteria to break this strong bond. When lightening strikes, it provides intense heat and energy that breaks these nitrogen atoms apart. Once broken the nitrogen quickly attatches itself to oxygen and rain carries it to the soil where the minerals and bacteria in the soil help deliver this essential nutrient, nitrogen, to the plants. And this is why, after a thunderstorm everything green is suddenly much more lush and green. Because every green plant received a nitrogen boost!
Nitrogen is also the core ingredient in our human DNA and protiens. And while we humans breath it in with every breath our bodies can not utilize it in the gas form. So how do us humans obtain this essential Nutrient?
You guessed it!! By consuming these plants. Nitrogen is found in very high concentrations in the leaves and stems of plants. Think, arugula, spinach, lettuce, type plants. In moderate concentrations in root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes and in lowest concentrations in seeds and fruits such as tomatoes, apples, cucumbers, sunflower seeds and dried beans.
My favorite and easiest way to make sure that my family is consuming this essential
nutrient is not by making sure they have leafy greens in their diet year round but rather
the grass feed beef and milk that we also raise right here on the homestead! I know you are following where I am going here because I gave you a hint when I put ‘Grass fed’ into bold italics!
When cows (or any ruminant) eat grass, stems and leaves and all, they absorb the nitrogen in form of plant protiens. Their amazing ruminating digestive system rearranges these nitrogen atoms into proteins that build muscle (meat). When we consume this ruminant meat or their milk, our digestive system breaks down the animal proteins into an essential nutrient called amino acids. Amino acids are the primary way human bodies utilize nitrogen. Using it to build our own muscles, DNA and more!
So while this week’s weather wasn’t conducive to gardening and I didn’t get to physically work in the garden, I smiled with Joy as the rain fell, the lightening flashed and the thunder rolled because I got to watch God’s amazing creation working just the way he designed it to and it reminded me that I, the gardener, am simply the steward of His wonderful creation.
14 Responses
Ruth Ann,
You are such an inspiration in all that you do, especially honoring our creator. Thank you for sharing your gifts with all of us.
Very interesting! My Doctor wants me to limit beef. Now I’ve got some great NITROGEN ammunition. I love beef 🥩! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Ruthann, I just love you! I feel like we’re soulmates! Thanks for all you do!
June
You are so full of love and such an inspiration. I wish I knew half of what you know about living from your garden and livestock. I grew up in big city but wish I grew up farming.
Sweet RuthAnn, I pre-ordered your book today for my niece and nephew’s Christmas gift. You have reinvigorated my passion for being a life-long learner. In the past week, I’ve canned baked beans, made my first wheel of cheese, used they whey to make flatbreads and thrifted some curtains to make my first apron…my project tonight is cutting and taping my pattern together.
I feel closer to Christ simply by absorbing your thoughtful ideas and busying my hands. Thank you being such an inspiration to so many.
In Christ, Tracie
Hi Ruthann! I’m loving your new weekly post. Great information. Keep up the good work!
Love watching your YouTube channel, also!
Blessings,
Sally
Good morning and God Bless. Thanks so much for the info. I planted potatoes last week also the it rained like crazy for 3 days now ,lol we live in potato country here in Eastern Oregon, so April is potato planting time we also have had snow and cold below 32 nights, praying for our fruit trees 3 years in a row no fruit, late freezes .
Wow, I learned a lot from this post! I am surprised that you are in the same zone as me here in southern Alberta. I would not even dream of planting potatoes here yet, but maybe I should try!
God bless you all.
That k you Ruthann for sharing the information about nitrogen! That is something I never knew. I’ve learned so much traveling along this journey with you through YouTube. God bless you and your family and, as always, thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom with us. 👒🌄
I so enjoyed your ‘Weekly Garden Diary’! The last paragraph gave me tears of gratitude- knowing that special connection. Thank You
Ruthann, I am enjoying your weekly posts! (I didn’t know all of that about nitrogen!). Reading your posts is pleasing and relaxing; I hear it in my head as if it’s being read by you in your calm, peaceful voice that I hear on your videos 😊! Much love to you and your family!
I love how you teach and then bring the honor back to our Lord! He truly is amazing in even the smallest of ways. Thank you!
Thank you for the info on the connection between nitrogen and lightning! Fascinating to see how God designed all things to work together for our good!
Well Lady, I just feel at home with you. I know God made us from the same cloth. ❤️ Every time I watch you on YouTube, I feel a sense of my ancestors beckoning me back home …time for dinner … So to speak. 😀 I don’t know how I came upon you. It has to be God knew I needed it! Thank you so much and keep on …keeping on. Much love Machele