Nurturing the Seed

During the Lockdown, we were inspired in the garden, and planted a couple of things we’ve not tried before. We put in four courgette (zucchini) plants, and when they sprouted, we put two outside in the garden and kept two inside in the conservatory. One outdoor one was immediately chewed off at the base by a voracious snail. (Having subsequently discovered a fat hedgehog snoozing in the leaves in the garage, surrounded by empty snail shells, we think perhaps that snail got his come-uppance!) The other outdoor one struggles on, with one or two flowers but so far, no veg.

Inside was a different story. Both have grown like prehistoric jungle plants, putting out glorious flowers, setting baby courgettes which then yellow, wither and die. So far we’ve eaten nothing. We googled the problem, and discovered the flowers need pollinating by bees and insects, so by being inside, perhaps that’s the problem. We now have a paintbrush at the ready, but still, nothing in the pot.

We also planted aubergines (eggplant). Six plants. Three still look like seedlings, a couple of inches tall at best. The others are beginning to grow, but nothing has flowered, and those aubergine feasts we anticipated will probably not now happen. It’s trickier than one would imagine.

Alpha is running in our church now. The seed of faith in and love for Jesus is being sown in hearts prepared by the Lord. With his help, we can keep them watered and fed and bring faith to fruition. It’s not a done deal; it’s not a straightforward process. I pray for the wisdom of Christ within his church so that we can nurture and encourage one another daily, wherever we are on the faith journey.