Digging Deep: Gardens, Droughts, Herbs, Friendship & Faith

Spring officially started on March 21st as usual, but unfortunately, the Spring rains did not. We have had extremely dry months in March or April.

We are still in an extreme drought situation here in South Carolina even though we have FINALLY had a few days of rain. We are grateful that the dry spell seems to be breaking and we are getting much needed rain.

Our Poor Pastures! We NEED Rain!

Between trying to rebuild old raised beds and install pasture fence the lack of rain has not only made each of these task more difficult, it also has caused a delay in planting the garden and a delay in the Spring pasture grasses germinating.

I am determined that we would have a garden this year. With the food prices and now the petroleum prices causing increased prices in fuel, not only for us for transportation, but also for all the farmers who produce our food, I figured this year it is of utmost importance to try and grow as much food for ourselves as possible and I hope to encourage you to as well.

Although not all the raised beds got replaced, we forged ahead and we have started planting in the garden. The beds have been amended with fresh, homemade compost and the new beds filled with compost.

We had replaced a couple of beds earlier so we had already started white potatoes, "Kennebec" variety, as well as some "Vidalia" onions. I am thrilled they are both doing very well! The Swiss Chard "Bright Lights" wintered over and is still producing. The asparagus "Martha Washington" did fairly well early in the Spring and now the Strawberries planted as companion plants to the asparagus are starting to produce. I really love these perennial plants!

Our "Kennebec" Potato bed

Just look at the size of these Vidalias!

I just planted sixteen "Amish Paste" tomato plants that a friend seeded and grew for me as well as several types of winter squash that we started in the greenhouse. I have more tomatoes "Delicious" in the greenhouse that have to grow a bit before being set out as well as some sweet peppers and eggplant. All of these plants really thrive in the warmer temperatures and along with dry weather our weather has been much cooler than average so I haven't been in a real hurry to set them out.

One exciting and an event I look forward every year is our annual girls trip with my dear friend Beth to Asheville, North Carolina for the Asheville Herb Festival. No matter how things look in the garden when we leave, I always come back with plants, new energy, more knowledge and a spirit ready to get busy doing everything.

Beth is such a dear friend and this annual trip has become such a wonderful getaway where we have the opportunity to rest, learn more about herbs, how to grow them and how to use them, and just take some time to really be grateful for all we have been blessed with.

We were thrilled to be taking her new camper out for only it's second voyage! We camped at Rutledge Lake RV Park in Fletcher, North Carolina. https://ashevillervpark.co/

The RV park is just minutes from the festival and is absolutely beautiful, peaceful and quiet,

They had BEAUTIFUL Egyptian Geese on the pond

Beth's beautiful camper! So grateful for such a nice place to stay.

Beth's love language is gift giving and once again this year she surprised me with the most wonderful gift. A new gardening hat and garden stool FILLED with all kinds of goodies! So grateful for her friendship, her love of all things plants, and her beautiful heart.

Once again, we were so very blessed to be able to sit in on a class taught by Clinical Herbalist Stephanie Hein of Wise Earth Botanicals. She is my favorite herbalist to have the blessing to learn under at the festival.

Stephanie is an amazing woman with quite a testimony that she shares of her journey to herbalism and how it literally saved her life. She is very passionate about teaching others as well as helping them work with their body and herbs to help support their own body's ability to heal itself using the many plants God has given us.

You can find her herbal formulas, information, and even her blog on her website https://wiseearthbotanicals.com/

Beth and I always have a blast when we are together and we both go a little crazy with all the plants available at this festival. It is like a candy shop for plant lovers! Needless to say, I came home with a bunch of plants, both herbs and garden plants.

Yet ANOTHER wagon full headed to the truck!

Beth's saying is...If we buy it, we'll make it fit!

All the new herbs I brough home from the festival

You can learn more about the Asheville Herb Festival on their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/AshevilleHerbFestival

I am SO excited to be adding a large herb garden to our exiting garden area this year. I will share the progress and updates on the various plants as we get them planted as well information about the various herbs properties.

After a recent severe reaction to a prescription medication that required an emergency room visit, I am more determined than ever to learn more about the amazing plants that God has given us to use as medicine. We have to remember, before the pharmaceutical era, people used plants and food as medicine. I want to learn more and be able to help myself and my family and I want to share with you as well.

So even though not all the raised beds got replaced and we are still praying for more rain, I am moving ahead, trusting God will provide for us because as Matthew 6:25-34 states:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

I pray that you too are trusting God to provide for you, but also doing your part to help yourself. We are to be the hands and feet....so that means we have a part in this partnership too.

Get outside.

Get your hands in the soil.

Turn you face towards the warm sunshine.

And look all around you at all the wonderful plants we have been given!