Can Gardening Be Worship?

Welcome Back To Roots & Arrows Homestead, I’m so glad that you’re here! Today’s post is on the topic of gardening and the question, “Can gardening be worship?” To which, my answer is Yes! I believe gardening can be a form of worship in your life, if you allow it to be.

I’ve just posted a video over on YouTube where I talk a little bit about this. However, I am much more fluid of a writer than I am a speaker. That video, while everything in it is true, is a little all over the place in my opinion. So, I thought I’d come here and offer a little encouragement from this platform in a more followable format.

MY FIRST CHIT-CHAT YOUTUBE VIDEO

Worship

The definition of worship (according to the Oxford Dictionary) is “to show reverence or adoration for a deity”. For most of my life, I viewed worship as a church service or singing in the choir. As Jess mentions in her video, a few songs before the preacher preaches. As I grew up, I realized that worship is those things, but it can also be so much more than just those things. Worship is a way of life, finding awe and joy in every thing that we as humans get to experience.

Recently, I’ve been working hard at building up our first garden.

I have admittedly fallen prey to “chicken math” when it comes to plants… so I guess it’s better termed “plant math” for me. When I started planting seeds on my birthday (Feb. 25^th), I was so excited, and I couldn’t wait to take on this new season of growing my own food. But I told myself and others that I was starting small; that I just wanted to see if I could keep something alive. That was basically my goal. I wanted a few tomato plants, a few bell pepper plants, and a few onions. That was my idea.

Well.

We started with one small greenhouse inside (below), then built one big greenhouse, and now, we have another big greenhouse outside and another small greenhouse inside!

Fast forward two months after I said I was starting small and here is the (partial) list of what’s currently growing in my greenhouse(es).

At least 5 different varieties of tomatoes – 3 or 4 plants of each
About 10 California Wonder Bell Pepper plants
2-3 Jalepeno Pepper plants
2-3 Banana Pepper plants
4 Cucamelon plants
7 Cucumber plants
Burgandy Okra
Clemson Spineless Okra
Red and Green Beans – Both Climbing & Bush varieties
Basil
Mint
… Just All The Herbs…
Red Onions – not going great.
Spring onions – same.
Carrots – a few different varieties
Potatoes
Watermelon
Zucchini
Pumpkin – Sugar and Giant Jack

And seriously, the list could continue (plants, plants, plants…).

Y’all, I have no idea what I’m going to do. Other than simply pray and figure it out as I go. I have purchased a couple of raised beds and will be putting them outside. But most of these starts, I’m thinking that I will have to try and sell them or even just give them away. Sad, but true.

All That To Say

If you’re going to have a garden, have a plan. Haha.

When I started planting seeds, I was so excited to see what was going to happen next. Then those seeds started growing, little green stems and leaves started popping up out of the soil where I had planted those seeds. Y’all, excited is an understatement. I was over the moon. This is when I think I officially put my seed plantin goggles on, so to speak. I went on Amazon and ordered all the interesting varieties that I could find, just to try it.

And this is where I think my vision got a little blurry.

Sure, I had room in the house to put seeds, but what would happen when those seeds grew and then I had 4 seedlings (or more) that needed to be up potted. What about when those 4 seedlings grew out of those pots and needed to then go outside to the garden – the garden which I have yet to build/establish. I remember being, and still am, so in awe of how things grow. I want so badly to see each of these plants bloom and produce fruit.

And this is where and why I believe that yes, gardening can be worship.

Jesus walked with his disciples, he planted those seeds, cultivated the soil, pruned them, and then, when they were at their peak, he told them to go out and make more disciples; plant more seeds. Multiplication. One seed planted brings fruit, that fruit contains hundreds of seeds. Those seeds are then spread, each one producing another plant that will produce more fruit with more seeds. And the process continues over, and over again.

Jess’s Video on Roots & Refuge

Can gardening be worship? Yes – Yes. It can. I pray as I garden.

Do you ever do that? Right now, I mostly pray that I’ll find a way to keep everything growing. When I started this process, I thought we were faced with an unavoidable move. So, I had planned for everything to be temporary/mobile. Enter, grow bags. Now, that move I thought was going to happen, may not be happening after all. So, I’ll probably need to put in some raised beds in our small back garden. If that happens, I need to find a way to keep the neighborhood cats out of my garden (they jump all the fences).

It’s just a lot.

I pray for peace.

I pray for growth.

I pray in awe of how things grow.

I pray that all this work isn’t going to be wasted in the end.

Even if I could give these plants to people who will care for them and harvest their fruits when the time comes, then it would still all be worth it.

These last few months, I have learned so much. More about me, more about God, and more about life. I will continue my garden with as many of these plants as I can. The season is far from over, I’ve just got to figure out what the next step is.

I’ll let you know when I do!