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| Red KnockOut Roses are joining their white rose siblings in blooming. |
Springdale sent the truck to pick up our brush, but I had enough to fill the entire truck bed, so they stopped in front of the house. I went out to talk to them, anxious to have the jumbled mountain of limbs taken away. They laughed and said, "We will be back today when we are empty."
Sassy and I watched later as the claw truck came back and began loading. When I thought they were almost done, they made five more grabs with the claw. They raked up debris and took every last branch away. I walked outside and thanked them. They grinned and said, "We are proud of our work."
The red KnockOut roses began opening up, and most new roses are leafing out well. Tomorrow will be another round from the Intensive Creation Unit - barrel water and pruning shears.
I saw some ugly weeds growing in the back. Several were Queen Ann's Lace that I inserted by leaving seedheads in the back area. Once I recognized their carroty nature, I was happy to see them. Another ugly one had a reddish bottom part. Red root pigweed? I like that one too. I would like more goosefoot, which is wild spinach, good to eat.
Earlier I planted "spinach strawberries," a type of goosefoot that grows berries enjoyed by birds.
Parsley seems to be growing in the vegetable garden, although I remembered planting it early in the corn patch. Everything in the corn patch failed - it was too early during a volatile snow and sun spring.
Three Sisters Garden
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| I hope this guy is happy with his birdfood and does not covet my sweet corn seeds. |
Sweet Corn
Sweet corn is the star of the Three Sisters Garden, and Silver Queen is the regent of all classic sweet corn. Some claim better versions with more sweetness.
Corn demands:
- Warm soil, so early planting is foolish. Treat sweet corn like tomatoes.
- Full sun. Six hours of sun is needed, so the sunniest patch is best for corn.
- Rich soil. Corn is a heavy feeder.
- Water. Corn grows fast and is thirsty.
- Nitrogen. Nitrogen is green, growth compound.
- Close quarters for wind pollination.
Seed sellers disagree about how far apart to plant the corn. The plants can be 6 to 12 inches apart. The rows can be close, 12 inches apart, or several feet across. The answer is - closer is better. I work on 12 inches for both, but I plant rapidly and somewhat haphazardly.
I bought 400 seeds and dropped in two seeds to a hole. Some gardeners put in three seeds. The idea is that the corn plants support each other, or gardener can thin them out later.
Paul did say, "Sow abundantly, reap abundantly." I cannot tell which seeds will survive the squirrels, the crows, the weather, and my own mistakes in planting them too deep or two shallow. I do know they are almost 100% alive and ready to grow.
God's Word is not almost 100% alive, but completely alive, powerful, and effective. No one who looks across the landscape can figure out how God's Word will take root. I have seen many clergy blinded, hardened, and deafened by God's Word. They are like the hollow geodes that float in water, surrounded by water, with no water penetrating the inside.
That does not argue against the efficacy of the Word. Just the opposite is true. When people scorn the plain meaning of the Word and solemnly declare their sect has all the answers, they are hardening and blinding and deafening themselves by playing games with the Almighty God and His Word.
When thieves break into a power station and melt themselves by trying to steal live, thick powerlines because of the copper, they are doing that to themselves, no matter how clever, strong, and daring they imagine themselves to be. Electricity is powerful, far more than copper thieves realize, but God's Word is even more powerful, able even to "save souls."
When I am planting seed, the doubts arise, and yet what I see around me chases the doubts away. Some great plans, like the Creature Convention Center, lasted a few hours at first. But the overall effect of applying the principles of Creation is impressive. I am doing very little work, a bit each day, to allow God's creatures to do the work for me.
The corn patch, as a lawn area, was difficult to dig, so we covered it with newspapers and shredded cyprus. When we had too much mulch, we begged for more newspapers. When we had too many newspapers, I bought more mulch. For seven months the creatures worked on the grass and weeds that died under the shade of Jackson Mulch.
My wife said, "I thought you just were going to sow the corn, toss it on the ground." I answered calmly, "That is called - Feeding the birds."
The soil was soft and easy to dig with the small trowel. Assuming the corn germinates and rises above the mulch, there are almost no weeds to face. Worst case - I have an area for pumpkins and beans. In all that time, almost no weeds had grown in the entire corn patch, more than 120 square feet.
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| Some gourds are already planted. Pumpkins are good for covering the floor of the Three Sisters garden. |