The 6th gift my garden has given me is tolerance. Those days when you find out that the wrong seed has been planted, there is an unexpected frost or the plant has been damaged by the cat, the best way to handle those changes is with tolerance. Taking a cue from Mother Nature’s systems, when we are co-creating in the garden, there are moments when things can go awry. A garden should be a stress-free place. So when you find a problem, there is no reason to panic. The first step in diagnosing a problem is accepting it’s there and that it might take a little time to set right. This imperfection is a part of life.
One example is that in this 2016 growing season, I am having difficulties with the spider mites. I have dealt with them in the past using all organic methods, and this year, they are spreading so much that I can barely keep up. In this instance, this isn’t an imperfection to sit back and allow. It is an issue in the garden that you patiently continue to try to set right. Protecting the garden is important, but you have to remember that there are times that the only way to set it right again, is to pull out the infected plant and start fresh.
Another instance of tolerance is in the tomato patch of the High Performance Garden this year. Some of the seeds were mislabeled by one of my favorite seed companies. And instead of the tomatoes that would continue to produce throughout the season, I got a variety of tomatoes I have never grown before, that may or may not put out one harvest of tiny tomatoes and be finished for the year. Sometimes you have to play by mother nature’s rules, this wasn’t found out in time to replant the tomatoes. So, I will watch with tolerance for this new life and see how to best care for it.
This tolerance from the garden can apply to so many areas of our life as well. With all of the turmoil in the world at this time, I believe everyone would benefit if there were a few more tolerant gardeners out there, willing to listen and learn from the imperfections.
It would be an honor to help you grow a garden that grows in harmony with nature and not against it. In my garden, I am not tolerant of weeds, unproductivity, and difficult growing systems. So you won’t have to worry about a garden that is not enjoyable.
Begin learning how to grow a weed free, productive and organic garden by joining me in the High Performance Garden Show, and share the garden show with a friend. The many life lessons such as peace, patience, tolerance and satisfaction that you can learn from a garden will help you to live a more connected life despite the imperfections.
Are you ready to begin? Join me in the Garden Show today, as my gift to you, so that we can both grow into more tolerant gardeners.
Until then, may you be tolerant of the garden’s many changes,
Lynn
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