Gardening 101

Gardening 101

By Lisa B. Thomas – March 26, 2025

My husband John is an avid vegetable gardener so when we moved into our home 30 plus years ago, he couldn’t wait to start planting.

“Then He told them many things in parables, saying, ‘A farmer went out to sow seed.’ ” Matthew 13:3

He envisioned a garden full of thriving plants bearing all the vegetables and herbs his parents and grandparents grew – succulent tomatoes, plump green peppers, bright yellow summer squash and fragrant spearmint, oregano and thyme.

 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.” Matthew 13:4

Excitement to Exasperation

However, John’s excitement soon turned into exasperation as not only did we enjoy the fruits of his labor, so did the deer and the rabbits and the birds. The deer were the worst. Turns out, deer love green beans and chard, especially when the plants are young and tender. In the early years, it wasn’t uncommon for John to find his newly growing plants to be eaten down to the ground where nothing but little nubs remained.

He tried everything to keep them out. When he read that dog urine repels deer, he placed small cups of dog urine provided by our dogs Annie & Allie around the perimeter of his garden. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t work. Likewise, he read that cakes of Irish Spring soap scattered throughout the garden would repel deer. Although it smelled better than dog urine, it didn’t work either.

Undaunted, John next tried physical barriers; he placed 8-foot-high heavy mesh fencing around the garden. Although it kept the deer out, it also gave off a slightly prison vibe. He has settled on putting individual caging around each plant which is more aesthetically pleasing while not reminding us so much of Alcatraz.

“Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.” Matthew 13: 5-7

The Obstacle of Clay Soil

Another significant obstacle John encountered was clay soil–lots and lots of clay. There was so much clay, we could have built a kiln in our backyard to fire the pots we made from all that clay. Growing anything in clay soil is practically impossible so John knew that one of his first jobs was to improve the soil quality.

However, 30 years ago finances were tight. We had just purchased a house and were preparing for our first child. John’s budget for soil improvement was limited. OK, it was zero, but that didn’t stop him. He got creative and built wooden frames with mesh in the middle. The idea was to sift out the clay leaving the good soil. So, every weekend, we trooped out to the garden to sift soil, and I can say with certainty that sifting clay out of soil is a hot and thankless task.

But, did it work? Well, it did help, but it wasn’t until our finances improved and we could afford to have a truckload of rich, fertile soil delivered did his plants really begin to thrive.

“Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.” Matthew 13:8

Always Weeds

And, of course, there are always weeds to be pulled throughout the growing season. Some years, John had extra responsibilities at work and weeding took a back seat. Nowadays, John is retired so the weeds don’t stand a chance against his vigilance as the Weed Whacking Warrior or, if you prefer, the Wacky Weed Warrior.

^“Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13: 8

These days, John’s garden is truly magnificent. By August, his garden is overflowing with ripening vegetables of all kinds as well as an abundance of herbs. To top it off, his garden is truly a joy to look at with paths between the raised beds, benches for relaxing, a sun dial and even an armillary. It is lush and bountiful. It also took 30 years.

When we plant seeds, whether in our backyard gardens or in the gardens of our lives, we have choices to make. We can scatter seeds to grow our relationships, our passions and our spiritual life hoping they land in good soil. We can also hope that the deer don’t eat the tender new shoots and the weeds don’t choke the life out of our efforts. That is, of course, an awful lot of hoping.

Like any plantings, the seeds of our time, talent and money require careful tending. Lent is always a good time to plant and nurture a few new seeds. Plantings to further our relationship with God and to care for our neighbors are wonderful ways to observe Lent and prepare our hearts for Easter. Spending daily time in prayer, helping at the community meal, or visiting someone who is homebound are some places you might sow your Lenten seeds.

Not only in Lent, but throughout our lives, we plant many seeds and, when doing so, we might want to take a page out of John’s gardening book. His abundant and thriving garden only happened because of his creativity, persistence and hard work. Only with intention and diligence can we expect the good seeds we plant in our marriages, our parenting and in our work to further God’s realm to thrive and produce a harvest of salvation. Indeed, to produce a crop a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

“May they who have ears hear.” Matthew 13:9

For Reflection (either individually or with a group)

Read the blog. Read it a second time, maybe reading it aloud or asking someone else to read it aloud so you can hear it with different intonation and emphases. Invite the Divine to open your heart to allow the light of new understanding to pierce the shadows of embedded assumptions, stereotypes, and ways of thinking so that you may live more abundantly. Then spend some time with the following questions together with anything or anyone who helps you reflect more deeply.

• Where do you feel you need to plant new seeds of your time, talent and money?
• What are the deer or weeds in your life that might cause the seeds you scatter to take root?
• What do you expect to grow from those seeds you plant?

Download a pdf including the Reflection Questions to share and discuss with friends, family, or members of your faith community small group.