Yesterday I was reading my Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. How I love this book. It’s filled with exactly 1,145 pages of brilliant advice on how to grow the best of what one wants to grow. Yesterday I was reading about tomatoes and I was fascinated.
Did you know that tomatoes are a wonderful source of vitamins A, B, and C, and that tomatoes will grow virtually in every backyard. Also interesting is its name came from the Mexican word “Tomatl.” The tomato (before we knew we could eat it) was also known as the “Cancer Apple.” In older times it was believed to be poisonous and a disease-producing fruit.
The book shares many fun facts about the fruit, but what fascinated me the most was the collecting of the seeds. From February through March people all over the world get out their tomato seeds to plant. Did you know that one ounce of seed can produce about 2,000 plants?
The objective of the seeds is to take them out of the package, find a container, some soil and then place the seeds within the soil, and keep them watered. When the seeds are finally packed for “growing” one should place their seeds within the window in the house, because the best temperature for germinating tomatoes is 70*, and that is the appropriate temperature for “we humans” too. When all the conditions are right the seeds should appear within eight to ten days, and for the next few weeks following they should be watered from the bottom, because the top soil needs to remain dry and within the sunny window. To much water creates (what the experts call) damping off, a condition fatal to seedlings.
The objective is to give each seed their proper elements so they can thrive and not DIE!
Then seven weeks after the seeds have been sown it’s time to move them out into the garden. The best time to move them is within the cool of the evening. This allows the roots to take hold gently, and creates the least possible disturbance to the soil which has been surrounding them.
Once they are in the ground each plant should be watered and tended to, and within 48 to 86 days after they are planted in the garden tomatoes should abound!
So, why am I talking about tomatoes?
As I was reading the book it shared about the harvesting of the seeds. When the season is nearly over one should take a moment to assess their plants to see which plant gave the best fruit. If you have ten tomato plants and only a few gave fruit, one should never save the seeds from the weak plants because their “offspring” will produce the same amount of fruit. One should pay attention to the bushels they collected, which plant, and at the end of the season the seeds should be collected from the plant that gave the most.
Now, all season I’ve been in my garden. I planted ten tomato plants, and out of those ten plants I have three that have been faithful in producing fruit. Now, I’ve tended to each of those plants the same. They each get the same amount of water, sunlight, nutrients and yes… I even talk to each of the plants equally.
Each plant was tested, and not all of my plants passed the test of “fruit provider!”
Then this morning, as I was watering my garden, I looked around and SMiled. All of a sudden it seemed as if I got a visual of what God was sharing when He states over and over in the Bible the words, “Be fruitful and multiply!”
I don’t know why, but the only way I seem to understand God is to tend to the things that He created. It seems the moment a seed is planted, that is when knowledge arrives.
My prayer today for anyone who finds my tiny Appointment with God is that if you’re wondering if the Bible is the true Word of God, I highly recommend that you start planting seeds of “wonder” because I promise you, you will be amazed at what grows. You just want to make sure you produce tomatoes and not tomahtoes! Because the difference can be everlasting.
L.B.
ONWARD TO HARVESTING SEEDS!
Appointments with God... 