Thoughts inspired by tree-planting on a Sunday afternoon

A long rambling thought for a Sunday afternoon....

Earlier I got back from a busy morning in church. I am so grateful that even in my “busyness” during the service, I was able to truly worship, and be blessed.
I had more work to do. Three pot-grown fruit trees that needed to be planted out in the garden. As I worked on giving them the best start I could, I found myself thinking of how young Christians, and young people in general, are like these trees....

For many months, if not years, they have been cared for and tended in their pots. They could stay in containers, but to fully flourish, they need to be taken out of their protective environment and placed in the open ground. This is a place with hidden dangers and perils; pests that can destroy them, and the risk of drying out completely, running out of nourishment, and failing and dying. I have to do all that I can do to enable them to flourish.
First of all, I found the best position that I could for them, remembering that they need room to grow, not to be smothered or stifled as they spread out and establish themselves. I cleared the turf, setting it aside, and dug out a hole much bigger than the pot the trees were in. I know my ground, the environment that they will be in - there is not much goodness, or nourishment, so I need to help them. (In the world today, it can be a struggle for young people to achieve what they should. They can be smothered by problems before they have found their feet. A little extra support, and preparation can help.) Each tree has been surrounded with my best homemade compost to nourish it as it starts out. The compost has been made with care, and kept back for this purpose. I had other places where it could have been used, but I knew that I would need the best I could provide for these young trees. I could have bought in commercial compost. But it would not have been made for this purpose, and adapted from, and for, our garden environment. Knowing the current and future needs helps you prepare properly. Buying in a solution is not always the best way forward.
Plants struggle to establish in our garden; it is arid, and the sandy soil does not hold goodness or moisture easily. So each tree was planted with a watering tube, so when needed in the future, instead of sprinkling water ineffectually on the surface, I can water directly down to the roots where it is needed, encouraging healthy growth. The trees were firmed in, by pressing the soil down around them. It seems harsh, but it will protect them in the future against being rocked by the winds, the storms that will come. Each tree was soaked in position, to make sure that the compost, their food, was all around them and tucked in.
Each plant was labelled with a temporary label, but I also have more permanent solutions. I keep a record of where each tree is planted, so in future, I know what help might be needed, and where. I will also make sure that each tree has a permanent metal label - in years to come, when we as gardeners (or the home church) have moved on, people will know the true provenance of the tree.
I had an offer of help to plant the trees, but other commitments (work) called that help away. I didn’t stop what I was doing, or allow the distraction to prevent me doing my task. Now was the right time for it to be done, and I would not allow other activities to hold them back.
The turf I set aside? Sometimes things (or people!) have to give way for future progress. But it does not have to be wasted. The strength of roots mean that it can be used to create a strong bank, to hold back the soil against subsidence. Its outward appearance will change, but the intrinsic strength will prevail.
An existing plant had to be moved. Although it was growing well, it was in the right place for a new tree, but again the plant wasn’t lost. It was placed elsewhere in the garden, and will be tended and cared for, in the same way as the trees, in the coming months, as compensation for sacrificing its current position.
The youth, in our churches and in the wider world, are our future, yes. But they are also our today! As I stepped back from planting the new trees, I found myself standing next to a “maiden” (one year old) apple tree I planted this last winter. In coming years, its growing branches will carry many apples. But even now, this year, it is carrying fruit. Those apples this autumn will taste as sweet, as good, as the apples in the years to come.

 

....obviously scared people into silence!!

 

Far too deep for me I'm afraid.

 

Nice post Sian
Sadly I don’t have a faith ....it is that part of your post that I envy and it clearly affects not just your gardening thinking
The analogy about youngsters is a good one....well nurtured both have a better chance to thrive. thought provoking indeed

 

Thank you @Verdun. Yes, my faith is important to me. It is the central part, I hope... I know that it does affect my attitude to gardening, and is probably behind my love of nature, wanting to garden sympathetically.

My thoughts about the tree-planting, and the care required for their future, and then thoughts about young people... I suppose one reading could be that of faith, but I think it is true of how we should view young people generally. I just had to get it written down. There are times, places, where we have to make way for them - but when that happens, we also need some care and support. Just like my little blueberry bush!

 

A lot of understanding and appreciation has been revealed in your comment. Thank you for sharing.

 

Thank you @Marley Farley!
I feel that as a society, there is a tendency to throw the youth “out there”, and expect them to get on with life. They don’t necessarily need financial aid (the commercial compost), but a little help, support, and encouragement to know they are on the right path...
Indeed, doing the repetitive but rewarding gardening tasks gives plenty of time for us to reflect. My local wildlife knows all my thoughts and ideas - good to know I am not alone in this habit!!