Dubbed the "Bummer Summer" by British Columbian standards, it's been a cool, wet first half of the year. Personally I haven't missed the scorching temperatures blanketing much of the continent but I can't say the same for the garden. While seed germination has been spotty, the weed population has exploded; while the berry crop has been great, empty spaces in the rows of beans and peas have been replaced by masses of thriving portulaca and for a while, unidentified "volunteers". This phenomenon definitely affected the way I've worked my plot.
Take the strawberries, for example: after Hubbie transplanted them this spring they gained a new lease on life and produced the best crop ever. "Aha," I told myself, "this is going to be one weed-free and well tended sector of the garden." Incorporated into my daily picking of the fruit, I've tossed all sorts of invasive growth into the yard waste pile - with one exception. Between thriving berry plants I left the unplanned potato plants in the hope that they will mature and replace the ones we planted and saw rot in the rain. Same thing in the bean patch - few beans but lush squash and fruit-laden tomato plants. Unbidden, unplanned and randomly situated throughout the garden, I have the compost heap to thank for filling in where my efforts failed. Though far from what I planned or planted, I am delighted with the variety these "surprises" have provided - just think of how much we would have missed had they not popped up.
Whether in our personal, social, community or church lives, let's be careful we don't lose rich blessings by rejecting those we think don't belong.
"For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." (Romans 10:12)
