Throughout this pandemic I, like a lot of people I know, filled in my time with some newfound ‘projects’ through the many weeks of lockdown. From a paint-by-numbers to learning how to make sourdough, to refurbishing old furniture, reading books, to a running program. One project was the establishment of a veggie patch in my backyard.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reaping the benefits of my veggie patch now that it is established, but it certainly took some time to get there. From initial concept to eating delicious produce on my plate, there were a number of steps involved, and quite a bit of waiting, something that seems in contrast to our ‘instantaneous’ society.
Lots of research went into the veggie patch, with a whole lot more ‘trial by error’ and it was encouraging to speak with others who would then offer their advice on my ‘patch’. Adding in their own experience or expertise with advice concerning the soil, direction of sowing, pairing of certain vegetables and what to plant at which intervals of the year.
Waiting
I recall turning over the first piece of land during a lunch break during the work-from-home period, feeling satisfied with the accomplishment of firstly scoping out the best area in my backyard to place the veggie patch with the right balance of shade and sunlight,then turning over the soil to the size needed. From here the soil had two weeks of ‘conditioning’, a whole lot of fertilizer, and different elements to get the soil ready for plants. This was also two weeks of simply waiting.
After this came the planting of seeds, which always pops into my head the song “From Little things big things grow” by Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody, as the smallest of seeds can render such huge growth if taken care of.
Throw in some necessary fencing around my small plot to keep out the opportunistic animals, and I had a veggie patch coming along!
Then…. I waited.
Watering, waiting, waiting, more watering, some weeding, waiting.
First, there were the small shoots, small bright green elements that shoot up amongst the dark soil. Dependent on the crop they might shoot straight up, curl along the ground, or grow around a trellis. This is always promising.
Then…. More waiting.
Most crops were ready to eat around 10-12weeks from planting to be able to harvest. That’s a long time considering my closest supermarket is a 5minute drive away!
Then as soon as it was ready to eat, it was ready to eat! I had more produce more than I could handle! So it was spinach and greens at every meal, and bags of fruit sent to friends.
Drive-Thru Culture
Throughout the process of tilling the soil, sowing, watering, and reaping, it seemed such a contrast to the instantaneous, fast-paced society we live in. A society where ‘drive-thru’ meals are delivered completely in minutes, where I can decide what to eat one minute and be consuming the cooked meal moments later, where the supermarket shelves are populated with a plethora of fruits and vegetables year-round, even though I could only wait on certain types of vegetables to grow at certain parts of the year.
My thoughts around this seem compounded recently during this COVID-19 season where Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) have become the norm to identify the presence of Covid, these tests only take 10-15minutes. Contrast this with the multiple day wait for PCR tests that must occur.
Wait on the Lord
The Bible is littered with verses that encourage us through direction or stories to ‘wait’ on the Lord. This seems vastly different to our society today.
King David in Psalm 27 titled as ‘An exuberant declaration of Faith’ say to “Wait[e] on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!”(Psalm 27:14).
As you begin a new project, eat vegetables (wherever they are sourced from!) may you take time to wait on God, and maybe take up a project that includes waiting – I recommend gardening; the rewards are bountiful!
Kelly Thompson is the newest member of the Sports journalist team. Kelly currently plays AFL for Casey Demons in the VFLW, and practices what she preaches as a HOPE (Health, Outdoor, and Physical Education) Teacher in Melbourne’s southeast.
