Finally finished a couple gardens!  The little one is ready to start planting but the big one needs to cycle (get the bacteria colonized) because it’s about half tap water and half fish water.  I’ve got seeds germinating and will plant them in the small one for now until the bigger gardens ready.

I’m probably going to need more fish, but if this weather stays as warm as it’s been I may be ok.  (Warmer water speeds up the fish metabolism allowing you to feed more frequently, aka put more nutrient into the system)

It probably doesn’t look like we made much progress since the last update but we actually did quite a bit, especially considering how HOT it was!  We didn’t even want to attempt to put on the plastic in the heat, that would have put our patience to the test haha.  I’m still unsure about how I’m going to reclaim the water from the condensation catcher but I’ll figure that out later, I just gotta get creative.

So check back here in a few days and I will probably have pics and maybe a video up of the completed greenhouse.  Then it’s time for the fun to begin!!! I haven’t built a garden in maybe 4 months and that is far too long for me!  I have 4 designs I want to build, all using the blue barrels but different sized gardens.  I know there are some serious space restraints for people who live in apartments so I want to provide a simple garden that takes up very little space.  The largest of the 4 will be like the one in the old videos a few posts back.  I’ll probably take local orders for them but there will be some assembly required by the customer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank God for community!  I couldn’t make it without my friends, there aren’t enough coals in my spiritual fire yet.  It helps to talk about stuff and find out everyone is struggling with the exact same things.  When a handful of coals come together you get an unstoppable fire!!

Who get’s more warmth by gathering around a fire, someone who sits by it out of duty, or someone who sits by it because of desire?  The answer is both!  Whether you come to God because of duty or desire the outcome will be the same!  No one draws near to the fire of His great love without feeling the warmth.” – Robert Herber

Check out this ridiculously simple yet cool design:

I’m aware the lateral support beam isn’t level, it’s going to be a condensation catcher and will drain back into a holding tank.  However the angle on it is a little extreme so I think I’m going to redo it to slope less, otherwise I’m going to miss a few feet on the high side where condensation will form.  I wish the pictures would open up to full size when they’re clicked on… my camera’s smallest setting is a little bigger than WordPress’ full size so the quality suffers a little.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This past week has been tough, temptation has been riding me hard.  It’s a super frustrating battle… I don’t know what caused it to come back as I’ve been basically temptation free in all areas of life for the past few months.  I don’t think it’s come from deliberately seeking something out, but from a lack of focus.  The last word from God I’ve gotten was “Keep your eyes on Me” and like usual, I stopped doing what I’d been instructed…  But character isn’t built when things are going well, it’s formed when things get tough and you stand up to the challenge.  Evil was defeated when Jesus died on the cross, it’s up to us to claim (verbally and with CONVICTION!) the authority that is ours in Christ.

“Temptation usually comes in through a door that has deliberately been left open.” - Arnold Glasow

Hope you all had a great Christmas!

I finally had some time to start on the greenhouse so I hammered in the stakes (1/2″ electrical conduit) and cut all the PVC I’ll need.  I’m hoping to have it finished by the end of the week as long as no unscheduled obligations come up.  The only hard part will be applying the plastic smoothly, which I’ll definitely need some help with.  I really don’t want to end up with any waviness, I’ve been imagining this flawless greenhouse with perfectly smooth plastic for the past 3 months.

“It will cost something to walk slow in the parade of the ages, while excited men of time rush about confusing motion with progress. But it will pay in the long run and the true Christian is not much interested in anything short of that.”  – A.W. Tozer

Alright took quite the vacation there so I’m sorry to anyone who was following. Life’s been crazy! I’ve moved into a Discipleship House with some other guys through my church and haven’t had the time/money to set up the gardens I planned on before I’d moved.

I’m starting the greenhouse this week though finally. I’ve been dragging my feet with it because I didn’t have a clear goal of what I was trying to accomplish through it. I wasn’t sure if this is what I’m supposed to be doing in life and I don’t want to waste my time. I’ve prayed a lot about it though and feel like I should continue on this path. We all have “work” to do, our own domain to master. Each of us has a purpose to accomplish – that’s what “work” is.

“Sight is the enemy of vision. Sight is a function of the eyes but vision is a function of the heart. Never trust your eyes over your vision. Vision shows you what could be, sight shows you what is. Always live by what you see with your vision not with your eyes. The Bible says we walk by faith and not by sight.” – Dr. Myles Munroe

Sweeet!