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Who will tell
whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or
walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not
worth all the suffering and effort which life implies.
Erich
Fromm
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Hello
Fellow Gardeners,
Your garden
should be in full bloom now. As the hotter weather arrives, when and how
you water will become increasingly important. Remember, it's best to
water either in the morning before it gets too hot or in the early
evening. Late evening is not advisable as the leaves may stay wet
all night, thus encouraging the growth of fungus.
Here are
some suggestions for getting the most benefit from your garden.
Mulching
If you haven't mulched your garden yet, this is a good time to do so. It
will not only keep the weeds at bay but will help to keep moisture in
the soil during heat waves. (Refer to lesson 19 for information on
mulching.)
Tap your
Tomato Plants
Although the wind does a pretty good job of pollinating tomato plants,
to insure maximum pollination, after they have flowered, very gently tap
or shake your tomato plants ever so often. You will likely see a
tiny cloud of pollen drifting down.
Know Your
Bugs
Regarding insect pests, find out wether they are friend of foe
before you take action. There are many insects that are beneficial to
your garden. Get a good bug book that will instruct you on how to
control the bad guys without harming the good guys.(Refer to lesson 18
for information on organic pest control.)
Extending
the Harvest
As mentioned in a previous segment, you can get a lot of mileage out of
your lettuce and spinach plants by harvesting the outside leaves and
letting the plant continue to grow. My husband and I and our next door
neighbors are still making salad with the seven lettuce plants that
we started eating in April.
Blanching
If you're growing cauliflower, you may want to blanch the plants.
Blanching cauliflower means protecting the heads from sunlight.
Unblanched heads will be yellowish green while blanched heads are pure
white. When the head begins to enlarge, simply pull the outer leaves
over the head and tie them with soft twine.
Reflection:
Early morning is a beautiful time in the garden. The world is still
quiet except for the birds singing their wake-up songs; the air smells
fresh; the plants seem to be standing their tallest, reaching up to
receive the first rays of the sun. There's a newness, a hopefulness
about everything in the early morning, including our own life
situations. It's a lovely time for prayer, meditation and closeness to
our Creator and all of His creation.
The
chariot of the morning doth bring the light
Of the rising sun
And maketh glad the hearts Of men.
The Angel of Sun doth illumine our
path
With rays of splendor.
Angel of Sun!
Dart forth thy rays upon me!
Let them touch me; let them
penetrate me!
I give myself to thee and thy
embrace,
Blessed with the fire of life!
A molten flood of holy joy
Flows toward me from thee!
The Essene Gospel of Peace Book
Three, page 21
Until next week,
Peace be with you,
Rose Mirabai Lord
In
case you missed any of the previous lessons,
go to www.makegardensnotwar.com,
click onto Angels
in My Garden in
the left side bar and scroll down to the bottom .
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