Ordinary Under Grace

I love strawberries–especially homegrown, farm fresh ones. Often times, the ones you buy from the store have white fruit in the middle and lack flavor. I judge a good strawberry by its color. Is it red alllll the way through the berry? If so, then you know it’s going to be good! It’s rare to find such a strawberry from the store. Sometimes you do, but not often.

I had a good strawberry bed going 2 years ago. It takes 2 years for strawberry plants to really begin producing. The spring before we moved, I had my first real strawberry harvest, and those strawberries were so good they rarely made it inside the house! The boys and I would eat them straight off the plant. Mmmm. But then we moved. And with no one to properly care for the strawberries at the old house, they died.

This year, T.J. built me a fence for my first real garden. He has been helping me prep the beds, and borrowed Momma’s tiller yesterday for the first “plowing”. I’m grateful. The first bed the boys and I were working on with shovels and a water hose. It was work. It was good work for the boys, who are eager to make a hand and love to dig in the dirt. I was tired though. And I’m no good at digging.

For my strawberries, however, I have a raised bed. It took 10 bags of raised bed soil to fill it, roughly $100. I bought my strawberry plants from Stark Brothers this year, as they were having a sale. I do love a good sale. I initially thought my strawberry plants would be in last week, but they arrived yesterday.

I’m on call today, which has been nice because I have been going non-stop. It was nice to sleep in today and have a slow morning. I’m rarely home on Saturdays because I usually work, so today has been a treat. When I checked my email and saw that my plants had been delivered, I knew how I would be spending a part of my afternoon.

Before I talk about how I planted them, I need to pause and show you a picture of my rooster. This guy is like my shadow if he sees me. He stays within distance and calls the hens, clucking and pecking, all while eyeing me as he drops the hint that he is ready for his scratch for the day. He is really a nice rooster, which is why he gets to stick around.

Normally, I would soak these plants in some water before planting. I almost opted to soak them over night and plant tomorrow, but we have some storms in the forecast, so I thought it best I get them in the ground this afternoon while I had a chance.

This fertilizer is a couple of years old, and I’m not sure if it is still good, but I go by the saying “Waste not, want not”, and “why not”? The instructions said about 2 tablespoons per plant. I put about 1.5 tablespoons in each hole before adding my plant.

It is important to spread out the strawberry roots a little bit before covering with soil. Don’t ask me why; I don’t know. It just is.

There is a new family of red ants moving into my garden space. The boys are studying entomology for 4H, and I have found myself also intrigued. I paused a moment to watch these insects and recall what a Bible verse says. “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8.

Back to the topic.

Here we have 20 strawberry plants! I’m excited to see how they grow. I watered them after this. And then covered the bed with some hay I have left over from the winter storm.

The hay will help to hold in moisture, I hope. Momma did this with her strawberry plants, so I am following suit. I think mulch would work well, but I don’t have any mulch yet.

When I went to get the hay out of the rabbit shed, I found that Simba, our orange cat, was hanging out on the grooming table, enjoying the air conditioning. He disappeared for a few weeks, and I thought the coyotes had got him or that he had chosen to move to the neighbors’ home. Tye and I were excited to see him again. He is one of my favorites. He is your typical goofy, orange cat who may be missing a few screws, but you love him all the more for it.

I sure do hope he sticks around. He is too friendly and sweet for something to happen to him.

That’s basically it. Now I will tend to my strawberry plants by keeping them watered and weeded and enjoy watching them grow. I think maybe that’s why I enjoy planting things so much. After having a job that can be emotionally and mentally exhausting, it’s nice to be able to come home and complete tasks that don’t require a lot of thought. I’m also hoping to be able to reap the benefits next spring!

I think I’ll sip some more of my Alani drink and then get to cleaning in the kitchen as I prepare some supper. It’s been an unusually busy week, so I haven’t been able to serve a homecooked meal in a few days.

Have a good rest of your Saturday afternoon! I know I will!