Gardening 2011 is coming to a close...

I haven't felt much like posting on the veggie garden this year. The weather has been super hot, here in the south. We had several weeks of record breaking temps. We are not as bad off as Texas is, but with heat indexes in the 110-120 degree area, and humidity, it was hard to breath when you went outside. We ended up with about half of our garden not coming up at all. I believe we got some bad seeds this year. What did come up, didn't produce as much as we expected. We had about 50 tomato plants, and did not get many ripe tomatoes. A lot of green tomatoes that never turned red, but the Tommy toe tomatoes produced abundantly. Our corn was doing fine, until we noticed, it was being eaten by field mice. That was in early July. Our okra decided to come in late this year. I am steadily picking it. The bell peppers did very well and are still producing. I will have a freezer full of okra and bell peppers, at least. The cucumbers produced great and then suddenly died out.The squash and zucchini did fairly well, and has also died out rather quickly. I managed to get one Japanese eggplant to grow out of 2 rows that I planted! It is finally producing, this month (August). I have gathered stevia and sweet basil, the only herbs that managed to come up, out of several varieties that we planted. We had a good crop of bush beans, but it too did not last long. Our peach tree was loaded with fruit, so heavy that some of the branches broke. But, my hubby didn't spray the tree in time,and all the peaches had worms. We lost the whole crop. We also planted a purple plum tree last year, and it produced three little plums this year, and the birds enjoyed those.

We bought 12 dozen ears of corn, for the 4th of July and I managed to get them processed and frozen. A few ears had some sort of fungus on the kernels. We've also noticed an underground hornets nest near our veggie garden, along the fence line. These things are about 2 1/2 inches long! They are huge! My grandmother, was stung over 100 times, by hornets, before I was born, and lived to tell about it. I don't want to find out what their sting is like! And, we have noticed an increase in the number of locusts this year

Earlier this year, we had what they call 100 year floods in our area. It is hard to say we had floods and droughts in the same breath! But within months of each other, we have seen something of both. I do believe we are entering into a season of drought, from the signs I am seeing in the garden, and also in produce that we buy. I've never seen potatoes look as bad as they do now. If I am correct, and really I don't know who long this season of drought may last, only the LORD knows. Please be praying that the LORD will stop the droughts, and have mercy upon us. We have all seen what drought can do to a country.

I've made a decision to buy heirloom seeds, and start saving them myself. I've saved a few seeds over the years, and know a little about collecting them, and preserving them for the next year. And, I may try growing some veggies indoors this winter, in containers. We will see if we can manage a crop to replace all that has failed us this year.

WOW! Thanks for sharing this Valarie. I received HOLY GHOST bumps, reading through your post. It is interesting that Dani's tomatoes did better than mine. The verse you have given does seem to fit what she is seeing in her garden. And, I hope that Julie will post her dream here. I'd love to see what the LORD is REVEALING through her dream.

I keep thinking of the LORD'S HARVEST.

Matthew 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Is HE showing us what will happen if we do not OBEY HIM, in HARVESTING HIS HARVEST?

Amos 4:6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 7 And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. 8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

I do believe the LORD is preparing HIS CHILDREN.

Revelation 14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. 17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

We are indeed entering into a season of unrest.