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
Week 3 of April brought unstable weather, rain, severe thunderstorm warnings and even tornado watches and warnings. It also brought us one 80°F day that was greatly appreciated! We escaped most of the severe weather and only got rain and wind!
Tasks I worked on
This is the 3rd year in a row that the Sugar Sprint snap peas have had very poor germination! This tells me that it is time to switch to a different variety of snap peas. I don’t have any clear explanation for this but I do know that this is encouraging me to find a variety of snap peas that I like and to begin saving my own seeds.
The Penelope variety of English peas has endured frost several mornings, echoing my grandma’s belief that each frost increases your yield. Frost and snow naturally prune the main growth tips, prompting secondary shoots, which produce more flowers and lead to bigger harvests.
These crops are all doing well, they are still very tiny and only now developing their first true leaves. I’ve been keeping the lid to the cold frame closed during colder days, trapping heat hoping to encourage them to grow faster because I want to transplant them into the big garden!
The start to the garden season should fill me with hope and anticipation. The rain that falls should be filling me with gratitude. But with each cold day that passes and each inch of rain that falls, keeping me from the garden my anxiety seems to grow. When walks to the garden don’t feel like a devotional walk with the creator but instead make me feel burdened with all that is still to do! The Weeds keep growing no matter the temperature and I struggle with feeling like I am already behind! With each walk around the garden, I see a dozen things I want to do and need to do! It is almost enough to make me forgo my daily garden walks.
But then I remember.
My joy is not dependent upon a perfect gardening season! My joy comes from the Lord. I will walk through my garden and praise him through rain, thunderstorm, tornado watches, weeds, and whatever else may come. Because growing a successful and beautiful garden makes me happy and is a good thing, is not the BEST thing. The best thing of all is the joy of eternal life!
22 Responses
Thank you Ruthann for sharing everything you do. I have learned a lot from your videos.
I feel your pain with the weeds. In my 24’ garden, I am using cedar chips. So far, it is keeping the weeds at bay, but the real test will be though out scorching hot summers. Hopefully, those chips will keep the insects away from munching plants as well. My vegetable garden is on a very small scale as we live in the city in California’s Central Valley 9b zone.
Our late February through April, we had beautiful warm spring weather up into the 80s. I’m finding it so pleasant that I’m not wanting to come back into the house. Just like I was a young girl again. But that will change once the weather really gets hot.
My most problematic grow, is tomatoes.
I grow plenty of vines with very little to no harvest. I have planted some of the determinate varieties to see if it yields better. This will be my fourth year at it . The cherry tomatoes, seem to be better. We have farmland in our area and I wonder if the heavy chem trail spraying has anything to do with it? (Makes you wonder.)
Second problem is slugs eating my new baby cucumber plants.
I get great joy from watching the beautiful plants God gifts us with. Every thing is possible through Him.
Thanks again Ruthann for your inspiration.
Hi Ruthann. I’m getting ready to start the garden here in Ohio and I plant some of the same things you do, but on a much smaller scale for my family of 2. I love your videos. I’ve noticed your roaster pan is missing a leg. You could probably use gorilla glue and attach a cork or slip of wood to the corner that is missing a leg to make it steady. I’m sure as creative as you are you can fix it if you find the time. Blessings!
Hi, I’m surprised that you started planting April 1th. Im in zone 5 in Québec Canada and we don’t start before April 15th.
I don’t know how you do it all. You are amazing and such an inspiration to me. I am so glad I found you!
Love the last 2 paragraphs! Honesty and refocused attitude keeps us dependent on the One who provides ALL.
A month of no rain and nearly 90-degree temperatures here in SC has me worried as well. I planted late (for this area) and many seeds haven’t germinated after weeks. I’m weighing trying to water gently and evenly in this heat or just waiting until it rains to see what happens. The gardens are always greener elsewhere, it seems! I am a novice, so I approach the garden season with much less confidence than you do, but this is still true: I plant and water, but God gives the growth. Our garden is mostly for worship – to teach us awe. And hot, sweaty work and perseverance and other things too, secondarily. God is so kind to use every part of His creation to teach us about Himself! Blessings, Mary K
I agree that eternal life is more important than anything!!! I am thankful Jesus helps me through all things.
The chore “to do “ list never stops. But I love that our joy comes from the Lord!
Amen!
I was wondering where you get your cups again , i think you said a cousin? Would you send me the link? Thank you
We are praying for any rain here in North central Nebraska.
Your “Reflections” is a beautiful reminder of what is truly important 🙏🥹🙏
Thank you 😊
‘A beautiful garden is a good thing, but the best thing is eternal life!’ Amen. Love it, thank you for sharing your joy with the Lord:)
Perfectly said. Thank you King Jesus for JOY and eternal life!
Thank you RuthAnn for your words of wisdom. I hope your children take your wisdom as gold. I have a question about the snap peas and english peas. This is my first year to grow peas. I am in central Texas and I would like to know when the pea is ready to harvest? How do I know? Thank you for your time. I know you are a very busy woman trying to take care of your family and the food that feeds them all along with everything.
Your blog is inspiring to me because I have planted a small garden this year. It is something I have wanted to do for a very long time. But with work and the long hours I would find myself needing to conserve the energy I had left to raise my children. Now I am retired and have time and energy to work on a garden. There are many things that are happening in the raised beds, in the in ground garden and yes in the planters and 5 gallon buckets. All this growth yells out to me our Lord is present in all we do. He is with us and there is no need to worry. He will see us through it all. I give thanks for every cucumber, every tomato, every sprig of rosemary. Thank you for sharing your garden diary.
I enjoy reading how and when you do
things. You motivate me in getting my garden in. I am so late this season. We don’t have a good place like you have but do as much as we because we are in the woods. You are so good in what you do. Your kids are so well behaved and kind like you. Keep up the good work and may God bless you and your family.
I love your closing to this blog! I am no longer able to physically get around a nice garden, your devotional is what makes me happy of the time I have and enjoy what I’m able to still do! I just grow what I can handle and be happy I can keep doing it. You always bring a smile to my face during your YouTube videos too.
RuthAnn, my sister in CHRIST!
You are amazing! I am so proud of you and all you do! You are coming to Waco this weekend to see your dear friend and speak at Homestead Heritage. I will not be able to go, sadly. I wanted to meet you, but I won’t be able to this time. I watch all of your videos and shorts in mid week, and love you and your precious family! Blessings on your trip and your speaking engagement!
All is Grace (a gift),
Laura Wilhite
Amen! So thankful true joy doesn’t depend on circumstances. Here in California, we are in full gardening season already. It always amazes me how different the climate is in the various parts of our country. When I weed, I think of sin. If I don’t get the root out, it keeps growing! Thank you, RuthAnn, for sharing your heart.
We love to garden too.
The fresh air, breeze, sunshine and the smell off freshly tilled dirt. We’re in dire need of rain so please ask the Lord to blow some up here to Minnesota.
I feel Him too, when Im in the garden.
I know you have thought this…but I can so easily see a book here! I would buy it! Wouldn’t it be cool to have your musings with space for the reader to add what is happening in their garden at the same time
Amen!! wondering about the weeds….. is a small blow torche an option to save you time while not disrupting the plants?