Patience

Our garden is teaching me to be patient. I doubt I'm getting much better at it, but this year especially has shown me that I need to be more patient. Many years ago (7 or 8?) I planted a little pomegranate plant in the back yard of our new house. I'd always wanted a pomegranate tree and vowed that if/when I ever did end up buying a house I'd plant one.

And it refused to grow fruit. Year after year, it mocked me with its brilliant blossoms and vigorous growth.

I nearly pulled it out last year. Nearly chopped it up and composted it. But I waited yet another year. And... Success. It took this long, but we FINALLY have some fruit growing (one of which is size of a tennis ball).

On a much shorter scale, the tomatoes and corn we planted seemed to take _forever_ to finally start to produce. We have a jungle of tomato plants and we have 4 or 5 actual tomatoes growing. And our corn went from zero ears to a whole bunch in what felt like overnight.

So yes, the garden is teaching me patience. And just in time, too, as the kids race toward their teenage years!