Are you a Gardener?

[Ray12614]

23 minutes ago, Sower said:

Now that I'm finally shutting down my business to enjoy the fruits of my labor, ,  I also plan the same and to get my grand kids involved in planting a large garden, and will this fall/winter prepare the soil and set up/plumb some kind of simpler irrigation. Have the large tractor and disk, but am looking to score a smaller garden size with smaller implements.  Would love to see your project and any on going progress.

On some of my wood worker and old wood working machinery  forums there is a saying that we post to the effect that when someone talks about a project they made or compleated;

If no pictures are posted it didn't happen.....

Sorry Ray the off road, but it's sorta about gardening..

Thanks for the thread.

 

Thanks. It’s really not my thread, I just am adding my 2 cents to it. Lol. I will post the initial pics later today. 
I am also looking forward to seeing what your garden looks like. I am not the greatest gardener so I thought I’d give it another shot and try again putting in the required amount of time and effort. 
 

Edited May 21, 2023 by Ray12614

[PATrobas]

8 hours ago, Sower said:

You say;   "no one can come to God unless the Father draw them"  I agree as that's what the word says.
So how does God draw us?   Do they have to have been chosen first? Or just known?  Then God send the spirit to enable to receive a desire as you say, to know God? I do not know how others received desire, only myself.
Did all believers just wake up one day with a desire to be saved, or a desire to get a bible and read it? What does the word say?

My understanding the way God calls/enables is the word. Faith is what is needed. Faith comes by hearing the Word.
"And the WORD was God"....The word, God, called me (that desire) when I heard for the first time the words "You must be saved"
"You must be born again, to enter the kingdom of heaven."  (my sheep hear my voice)

I was in the RCC 30yrs, and never heard those words. When I heard them at a funeral, a tiny spark struck, a desire to get my catholic bible out and read to discover the gospel. More reading, questions, understanding, and a child was born.

Months later with my first new pastor on a church visitation to a young mother that had visited our church, in three hours of hearing the word, the good news, she received saving knowledge and cried out for God's salvation mercy. I witnessed my first birth of a child of God, and I was a tiny part of sharing the light she received. That moment is seared into my mind/memory. Sharing a few verses, discussing a testimony, and a few hours of time, and witness the beginning of a sisters new eternity. Cool, huh!

I wouldn't say I am a gardener. But I really enjoy sowing seed. Lately there has not been many days go by where  some delivery person (fresh soil) has received the seeds of the gospel. And the Lord keeps sending them. God answers prayer.

No person can save anybody from their sins. Yet God does says about wisdom;

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise."    Proverbs 11:30

 

 

 

Some things are clear and swift as with the example you cited - 3 hours, wow. But that is what we saw. Perhaps (and probably) God was working for years in her soul to prepare that ground to receive. I think that as man contemplates the universe and world around him, that God initiates a curiosity of Him and thus the desire begins as shown in Romans 1. I don't think a person wakes up and suddenly desires to be saved without a lot of preparation work having already taken place first. Bottom line is that we don't know how God works all the time in people's lives but He knows people, and draws, convicts, saves in His timing. We just must be ready to be used when He puts us in a situation to plant, water or harvest. The Word will either soften or harden a heart, sometimes both (see Pharaoh in Egypt - Let my people go.) The Holy Spirit is always involved in the drawing process as is the Word and the Father. Blessings. Good questions.

[Sower]

2 hours ago, PATrobas said:

We just must be ready to be used when He puts us in a situation to plant, water or harvest. The Word will either soften or harden a heart, sometimes both (see Pharaoh in Egypt - Let my people go.) The Holy Spirit is always involved in the drawing process as is the Word and the Father. Blessings. Good questions.

You say;  "We just must be ready to be used when He puts us in a situation to plant, water or harvest"
Agreed, yet the situation most commonly occurs when I'm the least prepared and not prayed up.
And I think that's God's doing, so that the words, the dialog comes from the spirit, not my own rehearsed thinking.
And realize that there is no time I can think of that is not a good time to share the good news.

You say;   "The Holy Spirit is always involved in the drawing process as is the Word and the Father. Blessings"
And Amen.   The Holy Spirit is God, as is the Father, as is the Son, the Word. And the Word was God.
Unfortunately, we mostly think of The Word as a book with chapters and verses from God. Only.
I try to think of it also as the program, creation, spoke into existence. (Weird, huh:)

You say;  "Good questions"
I reckon I worded them as questions, but primarily was stating that scripture says unless God draws a person, and some also  say unless God enables them, they cannot believe, so only some God chooses to draw/enable to receive. I personally have always believe God has given whomsoever opportunity to know the truth, as seen in scripture. (Doesn't matter to me anyway where the seed falls)
Yet as you also stated Romans 1,

"For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse."      Romans 1, 19-20

They chose, knowingly disregarding God's enabling them to understand, clearly seen, being understood, and are without excuse.

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.  For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish,  just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”      Romans 1, 16-17

Thanks again, Pat

[PATrobas]

33 minutes ago, Sower said:

You say;  "We just must be ready to be used when He puts us in a situation to plant, water or harvest"
Agreed, yet the situation most commonly occurs when I'm the least prepared and not prayed up.
And I think that's God's doing, so that the words, the dialog comes from the spirit, not my own rehearsed thinking.
And realize that there is no time I can think of that is not a good time to share the good news.

You say;   "The Holy Spirit is always involved in the drawing process as is the Word and the Father. Blessings"
And Amen.   The Holy Spirit is God, as is the Father, as is the Son, the Word. And the Word was God.
Unfortunately, we mostly think of The Word as a book with chapters and verses from God. Only.
I try to think of it also as the program, creation, spoke into existence. (Weird, huh:)

You say;  "Good questions"
I reckon I worded them as questions, but primarily was stating that scripture says unless God draws a person, and some also  say unless God enables them, they cannot believe, so only some God chooses to draw/enable to receive. I personally have always believe God has given whomsoever opportunity to know the truth, as seen in scripture. (Doesn't matter to me anyway where the seed falls)
Yet as you also stated Romans 1,

"For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse."      Romans 1, 19-20

They chose, knowingly disregarding God's enabling them to understand, clearly seen, being understood, and are without excuse.

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.  For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish,  just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”      Romans 1, 16-17

Thanks again, Pat

Amen. We can't know the hearts of men and what they don't know but God does, so we share as led, not according to a pre-planned dialogue.

Heb.4:12-13 "The word is LIVING..."

Jer.17:9-10 "...I the Lord search the hearts..."

Amen and amen. He draws yet "whomsoever will" decides to obey or not obey the Gospel.

Good words from you and I can read behind them, the rest of your beliefs without saying them. Blessings.

One last thing. As we Romans 12:1-2 each morning we can be ready at any time, prayed up or not so that 2 Cor.4:7 will take place "...power may be of God and not of us." Blessings again.

 

 

[Ray12614]

23 hours ago, Ray12614 said:

Thanks. It’s really not my thread, I just am adding my 2 cents to it. Lol. I will post the initial pics later today. 
I am also looking forward to seeing what your garden looks like. I am not the greatest gardener so I thought I’d give it another shot and try again putting in the required amount of time and effort. 
 

Okay, so here is the start of my planting . . . . its a progression from grassy ground, to tilled ground (still rough), to better tilled ground, to a planted garden . . . 

Well, seems I cannot attach files that are too large, so I have to make them smaller . . . but here is the first pic.

 

[Ray12614]

3 minutes ago, Ray12614 said:

Okay, so here is the start of my planting . . . . its a progression from grassy ground, to tilled ground (still rough), to better tilled ground, to a planted garden . . . 

Well, seems I cannot attach files that are too large, so I have to make them smaller . . . but here is the first pic.

 

Ok, here are two pictures of tilled ground (3 weeks of work) and the planted garden (3 days work).

Hope it gives you an idea of what it took to get it to this point. All gardeners out there can laugh . . . I understand . . . 

[Sower]

13 minutes ago, Ray12614 said:

Ok, here are two pictures of tilled ground (3 weeks of work) and the planted garden (3 days work).

Hope it gives you an idea of what it took to get it to this point. All gardeners out there can laugh . . . I understand . . . 

Nice size garden, Ray. Your  grass sure looks green. The soil appears sandy loam? I live in the sand hills and soil drys up quickly.
I know how hard it is to prep our soil, and you will find out how well you did when the weeds/grass start saying hello.
Are you going to hand water? Fertilize? I use portable large adjustable  impulse sprinklers, but this wet year even in the sand we have been blessed with a good amount of regular rain keeping the soil very well watered.
Your garden looks good. (and no birds feeding!)

The thing about planting the seeds of truth is not knowing the soil. I try to have a quick dialog when meeting strangers to get to know them so I can "till the soil" before I sow the seed. My method is mostly being friendly, having cold bottled water for them, offering rest room use etc, being genial and not confrontive. Most delivery drivers will pause a few minutes while having a drink.

And when they have to go back to work, I almost never find out if the precious seed was watered or took root. Driver turnover now is regular sometimes only seeing the same face once or twice. I know it is the holy spirit through the word that convicts, and prayers, yet I may never know till we get to be with the Lord.  (So send pictures later of the fruit of your labor)
 

 

 

[Ray12614]

22 hours ago, Sower said:

Nice size garden, Ray. Your  grass sure looks green. The soil appears sandy loam? I live in the sand hills and soil drys up quickly.
I know how hard it is to prep our soil, and you will find out how well you did when the weeds/grass start saying hello.
Are you going to hand water? Fertilize? I use portable large adjustable  impulse sprinklers, but this wet year even in the sand we have been blessed with a good amount of regular rain keeping the soil very well watered.
Your garden looks good. (and no birds feeding!)

The thing about planting the seeds of truth is not knowing the soil. I try to have a quick dialog when meeting strangers to get to know them so I can "till the soil" before I sow the seed. My method is mostly being friendly, having cold bottled water for them, offering rest room use etc, being genial and not confrontive. Most delivery drivers will pause a few minutes while having a drink.

And when they have to go back to work, I almost never find out if the precious seed was watered or took root. Driver turnover now is regular sometimes only seeing the same face once or twice. I know it is the holy spirit through the word that convicts, and prayers, yet I may never know till we get to be with the Lord.  (So send pictures later of the fruit of your labor)
 

 

 

Yes, thank you! Birds are not the issue with my area, in MI we have a lot of deer. So, I tried to put it close by my house and garage (we have 10 acres).  Even so, being near to the house, I also have rabbits, and ground hogs, so I anticipate having to 'thin' those out too.

Fertilizer? Well we did use miracle grow water treatment for our seedling plants. Being the first year for that soil in about 30 years of nothing but grass, I have not fertilized the soil. I think that the first time planting it will be okay. Maybe next year I will get some cow manure from the neighbors farm . . . messy but effective . . . and yes, wash hands when done . . . LOL

As it grows I will post more pictures for you (you seem to be the only one interested).

Grace and Peace . . . Ray . . . 

 

[Sower]

1 hour ago, Ray12614 said:

in MI we have a lot of deer.

Here in south central Tx you can tell by road kill the over population of white tail deer around  our families acres. Since the subdivisions have been expanding out from the cities, deer/turkey fox and coon in our area have found the last habitat on our property. Our property, yard and garden. They adapt.

Our fruit trees and many bushes have all been wiped out, and the garden gets visited often. Investigating deer control/repulsion devices, I was considering making a few Rambo style scare crows  with prox sensors, shooting stream water, flashing lights and predator sounds etc, using 12v pump, 5 gal water tank, spray nozzle, solenoid moving arms, etc.

Further investigation looking into commercial nurseries where their livelihood depends on eliminating loss, I discovered my 'grand' ideas of my Rambo scare crow would be a waste of time. The deer, and most wildlife seeking habitat/food source, know how to adapt. They simply ignore all the deer control devices eventually and browse at time of least danger (night). The nurseries flatly state that an eight foot fence completely around the premises is the only full proof deterrent. $$$

 

[Ray12614]

27 minutes ago, Sower said:

Here in south central Tx you can tell by road kill the over population of white tail deer around  our families acres. Since the subdivisions have been expanding out from the cities, deer/turkey fox and coon in our area have found the last habitat on our property. Our property, yard and garden. They adapt.

Our fruit trees and many bushes have all been wiped out, and the garden gets visited often. Investigating deer control/repulsion devices, I was considering making a few Rambo style scare crows  with prox sensors, shooting stream water, flashing lights and predator sounds etc, using 12v pump, 5 gal water tank, spray nozzle, solenoid moving arms, etc.

Further investigation looking into commercial nurseries where their livelihood depends on eliminating loss, I discovered my 'grand' ideas of my Rambo scare crow would be a waste of time. The deer, and most wildlife seeking habitat/food source, know how to adapt. They simply ignore all the deer control devices eventually and browse at time of least danger (night). The nurseries flatly state that an eight foot fence completely around the premises is the only full proof deterrent. $$$

 

Wow . . . let me know how any deer repelling devices work . . . interesting.