We enjoy gardening – both for the sheer pleasure of it and to produce tasty, healthy food. I find that I learn many important lessons while in the garden and this week was no exception. Many of the summer plants in the vegetable plot are coming to the end of their productiveness and they are being taken out and disposed of. The ground is being renewed and fertilised and winter crops are being planted. The hot and humid summer has provided ideal conditions not only for abundant growth but also for problems to be tackled such as powdery mildew and a huge range of insects that have decimated many of the plants. Even seemingly strong and vigorous trees have been stripped of their leaves and the branches have turned black in a matter of a few short weeks.
But the tomatoes have been prolific, even taking into account the amount that the green caterpillars have managed to eat before we could get to them. Half of the freezer is full of tomato soup and pasta sauce – enough to last us through the cooler months. So when the plants started to shrivel up and lose their leaves I thought their usefulness was past and I anticipated removing them from the garden, satisfied that they had been fruitful and it was time for them to make way for something new and stronger.
What a surprise when I wandered out to the back yard following the last big rain to find that I had to harvest five dozen fresh, ripe tomatoes all at one time! The plants may have looked a bit past it but their worthwhile existence certainly was not over. Even with some broken branches and scars from the attacks of various insects, they are still providing valuable nourishment and goodness.
So what have a few withered old tomato plants got to do with anything? Well, I’m anticipating one of those birthdays ending in a nought and starting to question my own usefulness and productivity a bit. Like the plants I have a few broken and scarred bits and the pressures of the last few months have left me feeling rather wilted. Obviously what I need is a rethink and maybe a bit of nourishment and encouragement to see that there’s life in the old girl yet!
We all matter - whatever our age and whatever stage of life we are at.
