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Angels in My Garden Week #9 March 1, 2010 |
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"The deeper
we look into life the more it unfolds itself, allowing us to see more
keenly. Life is revealing. It is not only human beings who speak; if
only the ears can hear even plants and trees and all nature speak, in
the sense that nature reveals itself, reveals its secret. In this way
we communicate with the whole of life. Then we are never alone, then
life becomes worth living. "
Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan Hang in there Fellow Gardeners, Spring is truly on her way. It may seem hard to believe with snow still all around us but it's true. My broccoli and cauliflower seeds have sprouted, and every day I can see that they've grown a little bit as they patiently wait to be planted in the garden. So what to do while we (and they) are waiting? March is the time to start the rest of your indoor seeds of tomatoes and peppers. Tomatoes are best started late in the month to avoid ending up with spindly plants in May. Would you like to grow a very special tomato plant? I'm going to tell you how. This is called the Selke biodynamic tomato. The seeds for the Selke are produced by a man named L.A. Rothraine in Bradford, Pa. About ten years ago I was at a biodynamic workshop and L.A. was the keynote speaker. He told us about his very special cherry tomato plants and how they can grow to twelve or fifeen feet tall and produce a couple of thousand tomatoes (yes, I'm talking about one plant). L.A. showed us pictures of these giant tomato plants and gave us each a few seeds to take home and plant. I was skeptical, not that I didn't believe that it was possible to grow such a tomato plant, just that I didn't think that I could do it. I thought it would take a very gifted gardener to pull this off. Nonetheless, I took my seeds home and planted them, first in the house and, when the time was right, in my garden. I picked the one that looked the strongest and healthiest and planted it exactly as L.A. Instructed (There's a special planting technique). In early July I called L.A. and asked, “What do I do with this thing? It's huge.” He instructed me to support it with bamboo, which I did, but two weeks later my husband and I had to replace the bamboo with 2 x 4's. The plant did grow to be about 12 feet tall and produced over 2000 tomatoes. It was so big that... Well, a picture is attached. This picture was taken in July so you can imagine what it looked like in September. Our backyard is terraced so I'm actually standing above the tomato plant and, as you can see, it's a few feet taller than my 5' 6” frame. It became an attraction in the neighborhood, especially for the kids nextdoor who used to come over and feast on these sweet cherry tomatoes as if they were candy. And of course, they are – nature's candy. So, if you would like to grow one of these glorious tomato plants, write to L.A. Rothraine right away and he will send you seeds for $2.00 - the cost of shipping. Write to L.A. Rothraine at Highlands Star Seed, P.O. Box 990, Bradford, PA 16701 Reflection: To be able to grow a 12 foot high tomato plant that produces over 2000 tomatoes from one tiny little seed is, to me, a miracle. It is Mother Earth saying, “Look at what I have to offer you. If you will simply allow me to continue the creative process as God intended, I will give you an abundance of goodness; I will give you more than you will ever need.” There are so many miracles of nature happening all around us. In my readings this morning were these two quotes from very different sources, many years and many miles apart but in complete harmony of spirit. "Angel of Life, I invoke thee; for in everything that has life is the Holy Law written. In the grass, in the flowers, in the forest and in the trees. In the animals, and the birds and the fishes in the seas. All life speaks to us and if we listen, we can understand the tongue and the will of the living God."
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