Heavenly Plant Matters

Sometimes gardening in North Texas can be, well, adventurous! Here is the snapshot story of my first time growing collard greens in the fall. Planting, consuming, dehydrating, and leftovers! 

A harvest of collard greens was the goal and the main focus, but I planted some other things too. I kind of can’t help myself – you gardeners understand . . . so I officially had my first fall garden!

Quick List of Fall Harvests:

• Radishes – a little extra spicy! Next year I’ll plant them later to avoid the heat. 
• Onions – two sprouted, out of about 30. That area is now covered in mulch – we’ll see what happens in the spring. 
• Carrots – are growing . . . but they definitely won’t be ready until spring – if – I decide to overwinter them. 
• Lettuce – still growing great!
• Snow peas – these always do great. 
• Pumpkins – I couldn’t keep up with the aphids and the rats, so I’ll have to rethink those next year. 

And Now the Collard Greens!

I planted these in early October and covered them with some window screening, where the collards grew for about six weeks. Occasionally, as they grew taller, I would just smooth down the leaves so they wouldn’t get crumpled against the screens. 

Honestly, the Collard Greens grew beautifully. No pests disturbed them because the screening did an incredible job of keeping them out. All of them. Rabbits, rats, grasshoppers . . . 

Quick Tip – Did You Know . . . ?

. . . that marigolds attract the cabbage white butterfly? I recently learned that from the Millennial Gardener, so I made sure not to have any in the garden this year. That’s sad because it’s one of my favorite flowers and so easy to grow. But true to his explanation, I had very few white moths in my garden this year! The Millennial Gardener is located in North Carolina, but has a lot of great tips that work well in North Texas! 

The Adversary

There is one relentless pest, however, that I didn’t expect to see – and that was the fire ant! If you’ve been following my posts at all, you know they have been my garden nemesis! 

They showed up about two weeks before Thanksgiving, and I just left them alone for a bit while I pondered how to deal with them. I didn’t want to pour the boiling water on them, because that would have killed the greens, lettuce, and carrots that were nearby. I also didn’t want to use orange oil that close to harvest. So I ended up cutting the greens and lettuce at the base of the plants, to not disturb the soil. I cut ALL of the Collard Greens since it was a week before Thanksgiving, and I only cut the lettuce that was closest to the ant mound.

Safe removal and no bites! Now for those ants . . . 

I poured about 7 pots in and at the base of the raised bed in the late afternoon. The boiled water method is really difficult in a raised bed, because the ant network goes so deep into the ground, beneath the base of the raised bed. 

In the morning I checked and there were still ants milling around, so they got three more pots of boiling water! Total – 30 gallons. I was not playing around with these ants. Sadly, the boiling water also kills any earthworms, healthy bacteria, and other microbes. 

That grass is all brown now but it’ll grow back in the spring, it’s a relentless variety. 😅

Help Is on the Way!

I am so done with these ants. But spring is right around the corner! I need them to be gone. 

With that in mind, I reached out to the local agricultural extension. In my area, it is Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, “an educational outreach agency of Texas A&M University.” I reached out after dinner, and got a response the same night! They referred me to the Master Gardeners helpdesk, I contacted them, and had that response within 24 hours! That was amazing. The service they provided was a refreshing change. My question was apparently read thoroughly and responded to in kind. All during the week before Thanksgiving, no less! I cannot convey how impressed I was.

They sent over this informative article on the varied methods of fire ant control. Some organic, and some not. Check it out and be sure to read it carefully, according to your needs, before implementing any of the solutions. 

I also saw this video by the Millennial Gardener, called Stop Ants Forever. Wow! I highly recommend this 15-minute video for a detailed overview in conjunction with the above-linked article. Then make your decisions on what products to use and where. 

🤓

Time to eat (almost)!

These beauties needed a quick cleanup even though they were pretty well protected. I always soak my home-grown veggies in water with ACV, just in case. 

There was some “waste” with the stems, and I bagged up the leaves just as if I bought them from the supermarket! After all, Thanksgiving was only a week away. 

And here, the stem and leaf “waste” is cleaned, dehydrated, and powdered – to serve as a great supplement to smoothies and other yummy, healthy things! I learned this tip from The Canadian Pioneer Woman! Feel free to read my CPW-inspired post: The Power of Pioneering. 

Let’s eat! For real.

Did you see all those greens? Two whole bags full, and harvested only one week before Thanksgiving. It was surprising how much they cooked down. Really fresh makes a difference, and yet we still had enough for Thanksgiving Dinner and leftovers. 

Another benefit of home-grown and freshly harvested? They were so tender and delicious. Cooked with smoked turkey neckbones. Mm-mm deliciousness! 

When we finished the greens and got all that we could off of the neckbones, we decided to flavor some beans with what was left. Served it over rice for a very tasty meal. 

And that, my friends, was the journey of the Collard Greens! Does it count as farm-to-table if it’s backyard farming?

Insights

Although this was just one vegetable crop that I wanted to try, it turned into a bigger-picture fall garden because of that one thing! There was also the inspiration to do more with these greens than with store-bought because I was more vested to see it to completion: the mark of completion was different here. 

Think of all we do or are a part of in any given timeframe when we follow the leading of our Heavenly Father and: 

• Start a project
• Work side-by-side with colleagues
• Worship together
• Share a meal
• Start a business

And He gives the grace to both gather, and, give: 

• New knowledge
• Deeper friendships
• New perspectives
• New recipes
• Courage and persistence

Our points of connection to him and each other are both direct and indirect. Our projects or callings may seem completely unrelated, yet somewhere along the way, we help each other when our interactions are seasoned with grace – much like the collard greens, turkey broth, smoked turkey neck bones, and beans.

This reminds me of the Apostle Paul when he said: 

“Conduct yourselves with wisdom . . . making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

Colossians 4:5-6

We work together. As we interact with, respond to, and encourage one another, let’s run the race with joy, overcome the challenges that arise, and share our insights to encourage others, stretch our resources, and flavor our interconnected lives with a new perspective! 

Life is worship, and worship is life. ❤️

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