At our get-away cottage, we have a fence that runs along the property line on both sides of the back yard. When we bought the house, the fence on the north side ran right against the grass and was just the perfectly location to start a shade garden. I had envisioned a row of hydrangeas growing along the fence and so I dutifully edged out a bed, turned over the dirt, and planted my propagated hydrangeas.

Unfortunately, all the plantings in that bed have not taken. Now after several years of planting other hydrangea plants, I am wondering about the soil. I’ll need to have it tested (which I should’ve done in the first place).

This past Sunday we read about the parable of the sower. The sower spread seeds on rocky, thorny, and good land. It was only on the good land that sustainable growth occurs. It occurred to me that if the sower wants to have a sustainable crop, she has to prepare and tend to the soil in order to receive and grow the seed. I think of how many times we want to skip the tending step (ok, namely I want to skip steps). I want to go right to the reward of the beautiful flowers rather than working through the preparing, planting, weeding, and tending the space.

As our priest was sharing her sermon about the parable, I started thinking about the preparation and process that we need in order to be ready for any growth, whether that is growth in our spiritual, emotional, mental or even physical lives.

Test the soil: See what pH you have and if you need to do anything to augment it. Starting new endeavors sometimes requires a test run. We might need to give ourselves a set amount of time (six months, one year, etc) to see if the new endeavor takes hold, if it is really for us or if we are truly called to it. Other we might need to find out more information about what we want to do.

Prepare the beds: Turn over the soil. Get rid of weeds, roots, or stumps- anything that will impede the development of the plant. Sometimes it is getting rid of habits, certain harmful relationships or even physical “stuff” that prepare us for receiving something new.

Add compost: Compost is taking that which is discarded and seemingly worthless and letting time turn it into black gold. What have we experienced in the past, that which might seem worthless, discarded or rotten could possibly become something that prepares us for the new future.

Know the plants: Right plant for the right growing situation: Like knowing the soil, it is good to know ourselves and what we need to flourish.

Water and fertilize: Generally we can’t just stick plants in and watch them grow. We have to provide nutrients. To keep them from getting parched. I think of our spiritual life. We need to keep watering and fertilizing our knowledge of God through the reading of scripture and through prayer. We need to be connected to God so that when times are tough, we have a foundation to see us through.

Weed and Deadhead: Usually a weed makes it self known quite early in its growth process. That is the time when it is easiest to remove it. But one needs to be vigilant and to observe and remove it in a timely fashion. Same with removing spent blossoms- in doing so one can reap the reward of a second bloom.

Enjoy the bounty: Nothing makes my happier than to see a jumble of cut flowers from my garden spilling out of a pottery jug. The colorful flowers remind me to enjoy and celebrate every moment, for their blooms are fleeting.

Put the garden to bed: As the seed and plant finishes its cycle for the season, it is time to let it rest and rejuvenate. There are times when we may not seem to be growing but the fallow season of rest is just as important as the growing season. Shrubs and trees planted in the fall use that fall/winter season to grow deeper into the ground. We do not see any growth above, but much work is being done to establish roots.

What about you? What kind of soil do you cultivate? Are you producing good plants in your life? If not, what do you need to do?

The one thing about gardening that I always have to remind myself: it is an organic process. Just like life. While I might strive to get it right each season, there is always something that I will learn, need to correct, or figure that I will just try again.