I did not set out to grow my own food

My love for God only grows as I continue to learn about his designs, and I’ve become more committed to using them (naturals) in my life the more I learn. But though I’m tremendously blessed by the turn of events, I didn’t set out to grow my own food.

My journey began with the discovery that the electric rate in Phoenix was higher than in Seattle and that my cooling bill in the summer would be far bigger than I’d planned for. It was in asking around for plants that would quickly shade my windows that I fell in love with the idea of growing my own food, but the potted fig trees that were suggested hardly met my original need of shading windows. 

A seed company told me of another fast-growing tree to try, and it worked much better partly because it truly does grow quickly and partly because it doesn’t mind staying in a pot. It is also highly unusual in that it fruits a good deal in less than a year when grown from seed! Most fruit trees take several years to fruit for the first time and even longer if started from seed.

But it wasn’t until the third year of growing food organically (I note that my garden was funded by a “starvation” diet and long-term planning: 1. buying seeds, young plants, pots, soil, fertilizer, trellis supplies, and more instead of most groceries and 2. by eating little more than what I’m able to grow), when I’d already moved out of the home with the many windows that needed shading, that I found the perfect solution--an edible vine that laughs at the Phoenix heat! It grew up my wall (trellising recommended especially if shading a window) with ease and speed--to the roof in perhaps less than six months.

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