Author: ObtainingMercy

Let’s Talk Dirt

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, Obtaining Mercy Croft

Dirt is an important subject for the crofter. While most seeds can sprout with just water and light as a catalyst, it takes more than that to encourage good growth for the plant and its roots.

A plant needs to be in good dirt. Or better said, in good soil. There’s actually a great deal of controversy today over the use of the terms “dirt” and “soil”. One is deemed to be “dead” and the other “living.”

So, what makes good “soil”?

Basically, it’s the individual components that make up a good soil.

The term “organic” is used for the part of soil that comes from living things. Those living things are bacteria (single-celled microbes), fungi (spore-producing organisms), protozoa (single-celled animals) and nematodes (worms).

The three main nutrients in soil are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Together they make up the trio known as NPK. These are the numbers that you see on bags of fertilizer, such as 10-10-10. Those numbers tell you how much nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are in that fertilizer. And always in that order, just so you know. 😉

But there are so many other nutrients in good soil, as well. Just in much smaller ratios. These include iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron and molybdenum.

Air and water are equally important to soil. Soil must be soft enough that the organisms living in it can move around freely. When they do that, they break up the soil, allowing air and water to move through it.

In the Gospels we find Jesus using a parable about a sower (gardener). He talks about what happens when the seed lands in good soil.

But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Luke 8:15

I think we can break down the good soil of a heart just like the good soil in a garden:

We must have the “organic” life in our heart, too; and that comes from salvation. That moment when we yield our heart to Jesus and accept His payment for our sins. That is when we come alive!

Then we must have the teaching of Scripture in order to grow well. The doctrines and stories of the Bible give us all the “nutrients” our heart and mind need in order to live well.

We rely on the “air” of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to guide us day by day. In all area of our lives, He is intertwined, and He breathes into us the answers that we need for everyday living.

Lastly, we must have the daily washing of the Water of the Word (the Bible) in order to grow as a Christian. Without it, our souls will shrivel up in anger, bitterness, selfishness, greed and lust. Only by daily cleansing can we grow to be like Christ.

Our amazing Master Gardener set all of these things into play when He planted that first garden in Eden. He knew that man would sin, and that not only would the soil be cursed, but also that OUR SOULS would die.

So He provided the perfect combination of forgiveness and salvation by His death, burial and resurrection.

Now, I’m wondering, have you had that spark of LIFE in your soul? If not, why not? Life can only be lived well when we are ALIVE in Christ!

If you have any questions about how to find that new life in Christ, just let me know. I’d be happy to help.

In His Life,

Alesha Kay

The Master Gardener’s Provision for the Croft

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, Obtaining Mercy Croft, Uncategorized

When God planted the garden of Eden, He provided something that is still very important to every garden today. He provided a source of water.

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden…

Genesis 2:10

God provided a constant source of water for everything planted there in Eden. Water is crucial for all garden life.

  • Water nourishes the cells of the plants in the garden. Plants are 80-90% water. They need water – quite literally – to hold them up. Without it, they would just lay on the soil, where they’d be susceptible to disease and rot and pests.
  • Water helps plants regulate their temperature. They tend to remain too hot or too cold for too long without water.
  • Water carries nutrients from the soil to the plants. All those microorganisms and elemental nutrients that are needed to grow the plant are carried to it by the water coursing through the soil.
  • Water can remove contaminants and pests. Blasting detrimental bugs off a garden plant is one of the best ways to get rid of them.
  • Water is necessary for photosynthesis. Plants use water, combined with the light from the sun to create the energy they need to grow and reproduce.

Scripture tells us that Water is crucial for all spiritual life, too.

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11

The Word of God is our source of spiritual Water:

  • God’s Word nourishes us. It helps us remain upright in character and morality.
  • Reading our Bibles keeps us from being too hot – critical of others – and too cold – uncaring about others.
  • Studying the Scriptures brings us instruction, guidance, good doctrine and direction – the “nutrients” that will help us to grow as Christians.
  • The Word of the Lord washes out harmful thoughts, sinful desires and selfish tendencies that will harm us and keep us from becoming the Christian God wants us to be.
  • We must have the Words of the Bible flowing through our hearts and minds to grow as a Christ-follower and lead others to Him.

The gardening experts tell us the best time to water the garden is in the morning, before the heat of the day exhausts the plants and before the pests wake up to do their damage in the croft.

It’s a good practice to get the Word of God washing through your heart every morning. Before the day begins to rush forward, before the demands of others begin to pluck on our nerves – this is when we should be soaking our souls in His Bible, gaining the spiritual nutrients we need for the day ahead.

How well are you watering the Garden of your Heart?

If you’re feeling a bit weak or parched, attacked or stagnant, get your feet wet in the Water of His Word today.

Crofting for Him,

Alesha Kay

Traits of the Master Gardener

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, Obtaining Mercy Croft, Uncategorized

Genesis 2:8-9

I love to think of God planting that first garden in Eden. Can’t you just imagine Him bending down, kneeling in the dirt, touching each little seedling as He planted it, talking to it, speaking life to it as He put it into the soil.

When I imagine this scenario, I never see God’s face in my mind’s eye, but I do see His legs and torso. He’s always wearing denim overalls in my imagination! It amuses me that I see the Lord God this way, but only when I think of Him in the Garden.

Overalls in the Garden

I can imagine Him humming a little tune as He walked through the rows, touching a leaf here and there, noticing a tiny little pepper popping up or encouraging a butterfly in its work of moving pollen from flower to flower.

It astounds me that the Lord didn’t just speak Eden into existence. He could have. That’s how He accomplished much of Creation during those 6 days. I think it would have been “easier”. We all know, either from experience or from hearing others talk, how much work it is to plant a garden!

And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:8-9, KJV

But verse 8 says “the LORD God planted a garden…” Amazing, right? He actually planned and planted each tiny seedling, plant, tree, vegetable and fruit in that garden. Can you imagine how beautiful it must have been?

When we think of God as a Gardener, it brings to mind those strengths we commonly attribute to gardeners, farmers and growers. A gardener has a plan. He or she sows seeds in specific places for maximum growth. They wait patiently for plants to sprout, grow and produce. Gardeners are nurturers. They pay close attention to each little plant making sure it has everything it needs to grow well. They prune, water, fertilize and support.

It’s easy to see the parallels of how the Lord takes care of us.

  • He has a plan for our lives.
  • He puts us in the places that will grow us best.
  • He watches over us, sometimes protecting us from harm, but sometimes allowing the sun or rain to beat down harshly, knowing we need the storm to make us grow strong.
  • God is patient with us.
  • He nourishes us with His blessings.
  • He rejoices over us.
  • He prunes us of the things that will harm us.
  • He provides the water of the His Word for our nourishment.

How is the Lord, our Master Gardener, working in your life today?

Spend time listing and thanking Him for His goodness to you. You’ll be amazed how it encourages your heart to recognize how much He cares for you.

In Him,

Alesha Kay

Introducing Obtaining Mercy Croft

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Bloggy Business, Obtaining Mercy Croft, Uncategorized, What's Happening
Tropical fruits, figs and corn

After a year of planting, digging, watering and pruning, Doug and I have decided that gardening is just one big experiment. And since it seems that we really enjoy the scientific method, with all it’s trials, successes and errors, we thought we’d name this laboratory of ours.

Introducing Obtaining Mercy Croft!

CROFT: a fenced piece of land used for small-scale food production, usually near a house

We’ve planted, without exaggeration, over 125 different fruits and vegetables since last spring. Many of them didn’t do well, some did better than we expected. Some we planted in our sandy backyard and others we potted up into containers, buckets and half-barrels.

Southern peas, okra and peppers

We’ve discovered things we don’t like to eat and some lovely things we were surprised that we liked.

Cape Gooseberries (Ground Cherries)

And we’ve been amazed at all the beauty to be seen in the garden.

The most astonishing thing, I think, that we’ve learned in the garden is that the garden teaches us so many spiritual truths. We’re constantly learning something about soil or seeds or pruning or watering that exactly mirrors a truth that can be found in Scripture.

And that is going to be our new focus here on the blog.

Along with more regular updates on Isaac and on the garden, you will see more posts of a devotional nature, sharing some tidbit of truth that we’ve gleaned from the Croft.

And…you won’t just be hearing from me, as you have for so many years now, but you’ll also be hearing from Doug.

I know you will enjoy the truths that he has to share!

So…a few changes. Nothing drastic. But we’re excited about our new focus!

We hope you’ll join us as we study our Master Gardener and the things He teaches us here at Obtaining Mercy Croft.

Doug and Alesha

Keeping the Keel Clear

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, KJV Graphics, Thoughtful Thursday

“Distinguish between the fact of God’s presence, and the emotion of the fact…The religious life is not a brooding over emotions, grazing the keel of faith in the shallows, of dragging the anchor of hope through the oozy tide mud as if afraid of encountering the healthy breeze…If we remain groveling on the low ground of feeling and emotion, we shall find ourselves entangled in a thousand meshes of doubt and despondency, temptation and unbelief. Hope thou in God!” ~Streams in the Desert

Can You Believe I Won?!

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Bloggy Business, Customer Service STARS, Florida Weather, How Great is Our God, Obtaining Mercy Croft

I’ve won the occasional online giveaway of a Kindle book here and there and a couple times, won an actual book, as opposed to a digital one. And truly, I love those gifts, because I love to read!

But this is the first time I’ve won a GARDEN GIVEAWAY! And I couldn’t be more thrilled!!!

Brijette over at the San Diego Seed Company‘s channel on Youtube recently celebrated her 10,000 subscriber mark by hosting a giveaway.

We’re fairly new subscribers to her Youtube channel, but we’ve been enjoying the content she puts out. It’s extremely educational and – bonus for us – it is targeted to those growing in Zones 9 and 10 of the Plant Hardiness Zones. That is perfect for us here in central Florida.

I was super ecstatic to receive the message that I won that giveaway!!! I giggled and squeeeeed and clapped and kept saying, “I won! I won!” Honest…you can ask my husband. I was *that* excited!

My box arrived yesterday. It was full of awesome goodies that I can’t wait to use.

So…first thing…this insect spray.

I’ve been so nervous to choose something to use in my garden. I don’t want to use chemicals and I don’t want lose my crops to bugs either. But I had no idea which product to use. Well, now that problem is solved. I’ll be using the Insect Killing Spray by Safer to spray on anything that’s munching on my garden babies.

These lovely plant clips were also in the package Brijette sent.

The reason they’re so cool is that they are made from corn and are biodegradable. If they accidently get caught up in any spent vegetable matter that’s headed to my compost bin, they won’t be leaching plastics into the compost.

These awesome things are called Tomahooks! They’re for growing tomatoes!

These gadgets are used to grow tomatoes in the lower and lean method. Brijette does a video to explain what that means, and I can’t wait to try these out.

Next is this awesome white shade cloth.

We used shade cloth this past summer to cover our sitting/potting area and to cover some of our veggies that were in 5-gallon pots. It does an incredible job of dropping the temp in that area by several degrees. That is a great thing during the hot spring and summer days here in Florida. The cloth Brijette sent is white, which will reflect that sun even more, and there’s a really good-sized piece of it.

And the calendar! Oh my goodness…it’s a thing of beauty!

Every month’s page is full of tips, information and helps for planting in our Zone. She lets you know which seeds should be sown each month and how to adjust for the weather as it warms up. It’s a treasure trove of info for the backyard gardener!

And lastly – these seeds!!!

Brijette was incredibly generous with this seed collection. There are veggies, flowers, fruits and gourds. I was just overwhelmed by the variety. I told Doug we might need to lay out new garden beds just to get them all in for this season.

And here’s the really cool thing about these seeds, the San Diego Seed Company has grown each and every one of these seeds. Much of their farm is designated for growth of plants to harvest the seeds. They grow heirloom, non-gmo, organic plants in a sustainable way for their area. These seeds are adapted to their growing conditions and are therefore healthier and stronger for farmers in those same zones. I’m excited to try them out!

All in all, can you believe this awesome package of goodies I received??? I am just so grateful for small business owners who reach out to help others grow and improve their skills. It’s a very generous practice and it will grow a successful, loyal customer base for their products. Pretty smart, if you ask me!

Thanks for checking out my prizes! I’ll let you know how everything goes.

In Him,

Alesha Kay

Florida Freeze 2022 Aftermath

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Florida Weather, How Great is Our God, Obtaining Mercy Croft, Uncategorized

We fared well with this past week’s cold weather. Some things did great, some did poorly and some we’ll just have to wait and see how they do. I’ll give you the rundown.

We actually had Hard Freeze Warnings for 2 nights in a row – January 29th and 30th. We hit 29* (or lower) the first night and were just at 32* the second night.

We grouped and covered and lighted various plants in the garden. My husband was very creative with his groupings.

He used sheets, tarps, buckets, cardboard boxes, milk jugs, buckets of boiling water – anything that would protect and hold in a little heat. It looked pretty when we turned the lights on at night.

Without fail, anything that was covered and had a string of lights under the cover survived. This included the following:

  • Mango tree – in-ground
  • Tomatoes – several varieties – in buckets
  • Strawberries – in pots
  • Longan tree – in pot
  • Cranberry hibiscus – in pot
  • Peppers – several varieties – in buckets
  • Oregano – in buckets
  • Carrots in buckets

The things that were covered with tarp also survived, even without lights. But to be fair – we also had several of these plants in buckets, uncovered and unprotected and they are ALL just fine. Who knew chickpeas were so hardy?!!

Some things under the 5-gallon buckets did well, especially the ones that were near the house. However, those in the farthest bed with no wind protection did not survive. These 2 tomato plants are the only things we know for sure that we lost. The peppers, however, look great.

Two of our tropical trees we wrapped with ground cover cloth around their roots and stems. We didn’t cover their tops. The banana looks completely dead and the chaya looks fine – even has its little blossoms still intact. The leaves look a bit stressed, but will probably recover just fine. Our other bananas are under the canopy of our oak tree. We mulched them heavily with leaves and they look well. We will leave this little banana tree alone and see if he can recover.

Things under cardboard boxes and plastic milk jugs were a mixed bag. The chicory did great, but the cassava didn’t fare well. Only 1 of the 3 has remaining green leaves.

Three other tropical were wrapped well, one even had boiling water added under its cover, but they are looking pretty sad. The Spanish Hog Plum will surprise me if it comes back, but I think the Jamaican Cherry juuuuuust might make it. (It’s behind the blue wagon, but you can see it’s leaves are very withered and drooping.) The Longevity Spinach is going to have to live up to its name to recover. It just looks like a pile of mushy brown leaves.

All things considered, I am super-duper pleased with our survival rate. The strings of lights definitely seem to be the secret, so we’ll probably invest in a few more of things, along with a few more extension cords.

I’m also amazed at the hardiness of many of the things we didn’t protect at all. They all survived. The list is impressive:

  • Garlic – in ground
  • Onions – in ground and in buckets
  • Sweet potatoes – in ground
  • Collards – in ground
  • Brussels sprout – in ground
  • Blueberries – Florida varieties – in pots
  • Carrots – in ground and in buckets
  • Turnips – in ground
  • Mulberry tree – in bucket
  • Fig tree – in pot
  • Loquat tree – in pot

And the surprise survivor is this:

Tiny baby lettuces that we’d planted on January 21st! They had just begun to pop up on the 27th. These hardy little babies weren’t even covered. Just took on the freeze like champs! Can’t wait to see how they do as they get bigger.

You know – God’s creation never ceases to astound me! There is such an overwhelming variety of plants and trees, veggies and fruits, but they all seem to obey His laws. Each has its own hardiness level and it will respond exactly how God intended it to. It’s a constant reminder to me to grow where God planted me, as I’m here for a purpose by His own design.

The Master Gardener may allow the harsh winter winds to blow us about, but He also gives us the Light of His Word and the Covering of His blood to protect us.

May you grow well, wherever He has you planted.

In Him,

Alesha Kay