It's Veggie Time!

     Our garden is growing and growing and producing some veggies, so we are in full garden mode. It's a daily family activity to go check the garden and see what's ready to be picked. Cooper especially likes  finding the 'big daddy ones' and helping us pick them.

 My garden models, always eager to help out

      Right now we're knee deep in zucchini….we have one plant that has grown to be a monster! We're also getting squash, cucumbers, okra and bell peppers.

 The monster zucchini plant

Okra

     The tomatoes are finally starting to turn so we should have our first tomato this week sometime. And the cantaloupe are making their appearance. Can't wait until one of those is ripe!

Yummy! 

He'll be ready before too long

     One fun thing we got to do this year that we haven't done before is dig our potatoes. Last year the bugs got them all before they were ready, but this year we actually had a 'crop' to harvest. It was a big moment since Cooper and I had been waiting for about 3 weeks now to get to those taters.

Proof I do garden work (excuse the outfit)

Getting potatoes from the roots 

Love those chubby hands

     We dug around each plant, lifting it with the shovel and then grabbed all of the potatoes from underneath. It was really a lot of fun and the boys enjoyed digging for the treasure. Even though we didn't have many big ones, we had a good amount for our first year.

Found one! 

     Today we started officially picking the corn. We have picked some for the last couple of weeks but now it's all ready to be harvested. But I'll make a whole other post for that vegetable.

    It never ceases to amaze how things grow from the tiniest of seeds into a very productive plant. God's ways are so neat and I love how it all points back to Him as we look at creation.

    Dalton and I are more convinced that ever that kids should grow up with a garden if possible. Not only does watching the whole process show us God's creation; it shows us His love for us, in that we are dependent on Him for the seeds to sprout, the sky to send rain, and the plants to produce. It's also a great tool to teach how everything works together and is dependent upon each other; we need the food to eat, the plants need the bees to pollinate, we need birds to eat bugs, the plants need rain from God, the earth needs worms and the worms need the earth. You get the idea. Gardening also teaches hard work and patience. Even at this young age the boys are learning how to put hard work and effort into something, and they are getting to see the rewards each time we pick veggies. Even though the waiting is hard sometimes, it's always worth it when things are ready, just like in every area of our lives. And of course gardening is great because it gives us family outside time. We get to be outside together enjoying a family project.
     So that's my 'go grow a garden' speech. I hope that we keep our enthusiasm about it through the years and that the kids enjoy it too.

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable." Isaiah 40:28