Lately at the Ruby Grow farm at High Rocks, we’ve been dealing with our fair share of downpours followed by unbearably sticky hot days. Prime weed growing weather. The Dog Days of summer have come and sometimes things on the farm just don’t seem to be going right. Weeds are out of control, some crops are even rotting out in the field, and everything just looks…messy. More than that, it feels overwhelming.

At this point in the year, many may make the decision to simply give up on their gardens. Just one look at that tangled jungle of growth is enough to make even the bravest souls say “nope, not today” and just focus on getting what produce you can until your plot is inevitably taken over Mother Nature’s unrelenting creep.

When I feel that despair start to take over, I always try to remind myself that *persistence* is your greatest ally and tool on the farm. Taking things one day at a time, and always making progress where you can. On the first dry, sunny day we had in a while, the whole team attacked our weeds, row by row. It was slow going at first, but after some persistent, focused attention, we began to see the things change right before our eyes.

There was our farm, still, hidden under the weeds and waiting to be brought back to the light. At the end of a long, hot day we sat back and realized that things were not as bad, or unfixable as we had thought. It was a liberating feeling and a great reminder to know that you’re only one or two hard days’ work away from reclaiming your garden.

I think many life lessons can be gained from gardening, and those of persistence, never despairing, and simply doing what you can in the face of uncontrollable forces will put you in good standing in your day to day life, no matter how overwhelming your problems may be. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Tolkien quotes from his iconic character Gandalf the wizard, “Despair is for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not.”

One Row at a Time