Pull Out The Weeds And Let The Good Seed Grow

Now that the cold season is over in the Southern part of the world where I live I have been working in my garden, pulling out weeds and old plants; and putting new seed into the ground.

 I have been working in my garden; pulling out weeds and old plants; and putting new seed into the ground.

Observations of what is happening in the garden alerted me to two things that I felt are very important life lessons. In every garden or farm there is always competition going on between the good seed that you really want and the weeds. Somehow the weeds seem to have an upper hand over the good seed and they grow very quickly and many a times if left unchecked they almost always crowd out and choke the good seed. It seems the weeds are native to the patch of soil without any effort from me they just flourish whereas the good seed actually requires me to firstly clear the ground, hoe it, add manure, put them into the ground, water and tend them to maturity.

Allow me a little digression. Over the past three years I have had interesting experiences with one weed-cum-vegetable. In Shona Culture, like many other Bantu Cultures, the tender leaves of the blackjack plant are consumed as a delicacy in the rainy season. Being anaemic I am particularly fond of this weed-cum-vegetable because it is my opinion it is a natural iron supplement and when I moved to my current place of residence the blackjack plant was all over the yard and the garden. Being the man that I am I always allowed it an element of free reign certain sections of my garden so that I could enjoy it. The results were always catastrophic for the other vegetables that would be growing in the same section with the blackjack. Anyone with a little farming experience would tell you that weeds and "plants" compete for nutrients, water, and sunlight and if left unchecked the weeds have an upper hand in the competition.

I would liken weeds and the good plants to failure and success in that order. When you consider any area life from relationships, academia, business or careers we also have our weeds and good plants. Just like the weeds in my garden the weeds in these areas of life seem native to us and don't require much effort to flourish. Think of how easily we lie and cheat on our spouses. Think of how easily we break our promises to our children. Think of how we almost always neglect studying until the very last minute before the exam. Think of the many businesses that aborted before they even started.

Failure is so native in and to us and no wonder it is all over : failed marriages, failed businesses, failed and failing students, and recently Africa and other parts of the world have started producing failed states. Just like the weeds in my garden it does not require effort it rolls out on its own. The good plants of success on the other hand like the good plants in my garden require deliberate and conscious effort if we are to enjoy their fruits. The ground has to be cleared, hoed, manured, good seed planted and tended to maturity. And as you consciously grow the good seed of success you have to consciously uproot the weeds of failure because the two can not exist side by side. One of the reasons we fail in life is simply because we do nothing and the weeds just grow. As a teacher, and a lay leader in church I have met a lot of people whose sole problem was inactivity or what I would like to call an, " I am going to do nothing about my situation syndrome " or worse still an " I know what's wrong but I am not going to do anything about it attitude ". With this attitude the weeds will definitely flourish and failure becomes commonplace.

As I conclude let me provide justification for my earlier digression on the blackjack plant. Life also gives us our blackjack plants and these are usually weeds which can be enjoyed as vegetables but in the greater scheme of things are damaging to the rest of the good crop in your garden. Our blackjack plants differ and it is your duty to identify yours. At a personal level I generally love reading, and for that matter I read on almost any subject that comes my way. I remember in my first two years as teacher I reached a stage where I could miss work because I was engrossed in one form of reading or another. Just like the blackjack in my garden this delicacy called reading for the love of reading was crowding out the good plants in my teaching garden. For another it may be the blackjack of flirtatious conduct at the office which may end up crowding out a happy marriage or the blackjack of uncontrolled use of social media which my end up crowding out your relation.

For another it may be the blackjack of flirtatious conduct at the office which may end up crowding out a happy marriage or the blackjack of uncontrolled use of social media which my end up crowding out your relationships or academic work.

Written By Tendayi I Mawango for Arthur Mutambara

Crucial Conversations Messages From The Garden Series #4

The lone mustard spinach plant

Gardening experiences are always instructive to me. I am going to share with you a story about the lone mustard spinach plant that is in my garden.

Mustard spinach (tsunga) is a vegetable of choice amongst the adult population in Zimbabwe. Recipes include mixing the vegetable with different types of stews, mixing the vegetable with tripe or other offal, boiling the vegetable and then mixing it with peanut butter sauce or my personal favorite, broiling and then adding tomatoes, onion and salt for taste. In our home these dishes feature prominently whenever we have mustard spinach in the garden. In fact mustard spinach happens to be the only vegetable that my wife actively encourages me to grow.

Mustard spinach (tsunga) is a vegetable of choice

At the beginning of the cold season I discovered half a packet of mustard spinach seeds. I had open space in my little garden courtesy of a carrot crop which we had finally exhausted after several weeks of enjoying fresh carrots. I prepared a small seedbed and in no time there were some healthy looking plants ready to be transplanted. After the initial shock of being moved from the seedbed the plants started flourishing. Like all the other plants in my garden the mustard spinach received a lot care and I had no doubt that a harvest was in the offing. Then, one very cold morning, I woke up to find that the frost had burnt up the entire crop except for one plant which looked as healthy as ever. The inner voice of hope that I always carry told me that the plants were going to recover that was not to be. The lone mustard spinach continues to flourish but we cannot pick up its leaves for the pot because they will not be enough. I am saving the plant for the seeds once it flowers, pods and eventually dries up.

The demise of my spinach had me asking questions about how some farmers in the area were still getting vegetables of all sorts, mustard spinach included, to the market. The answer was simple: green houses and perennial crops.

The story of the mustard spinach plant is instructive in that it taught me to do things in tandem with seasons. Many a times our bright ideas fail because they were planted in the wrong season.

The lone mustard spinach plant in my garden is a symbol of hope after a failed venture. It tells me that there still seeds of greatness locked up on my inside and in the right season I will yet again throw see into the ground.

Some ideas have to be insulated from the elements of weather by green housing them. In our daily walk there are too many things working against even our brightest ideas and like the farmer you have a duty to insulate your bright ideas from the 'elements of weather'.

The perennial plants are those ideas that will not succumb to the elements or whatever pressures the world will be exerting on you.

Written by Tendayi I Mawango For Arthur Mutambara

Crucial Conversations: Messages from the Garden Series #3

In my previous articles I explained how important it is for one to be in control of the space around him/her. The terrible winter is almost over and I was preparing my garden for new vegetables. I learned some very important life lessons as I was preparing my piece of land for the coming season.


Sunlight
The Small Space that I wanted to utilize the garden for only receives an average of two and half hours of sunlight per day. It was therefore very important that I planted vegetables that would survive under the said conditions. I knew very well that vegetables don't grow well in the shade.I knew that I would get the best results from a garden that gets light.

I learned some very important life lessons as I was preparing my piece of land for the coming season.

I equate the sunlight to knowledge and wisdom. Every human cell and every form of life on Earth works in harmony with the sun. The sun is a source of food and life. The Sun also created seasons and times of day, which provides rhythm to nourishment and reproduction. No human being can ever be successful in ignorance. We all need light to survive. We need knowledge and understanding. Proverbs Chapter 4 verse 7 says Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Dig to Break Up The Soils

It is very important to dig the ground to break up the soils and in the process kill any possible weeds that may grow in the future. Digging will enable one to remove any bits of weed root or stem to permanently stop them from growing.
I liken digging the soil to unraveling all the areas of life habits, traits and personality. Always review yourself and regularly dig areas of your life. I call this reset and rejuvenation. Find yourself someone to mentor you and to break up the old you.

Compost
Soil texture is an important element in gardening. It is necessary to apply compost to improve output and productivity.Manure should be applied moderately as an addition to any garden. Improve yourself on a continuous basis. Read books. Surround yourself with people who nourish you with goodness. Throw out negative minded people out of your life.


My garden is teaching me to be a better person by day. And by the way it is not only the garden that can teach you. Look around you and find something to teach you lessons.

Crucial Conversations: Messages From The Garden #2

When I moved to my current place of residence I was moving from a farm house where the dairy farmer had allowed me unlimited of space to pursue gardening. The new residence in the small town of Ixopo had a patch that I could use for a garden. After the family had settled in I set out to clear the patch of land, which at that time was overgrown with weeds and had old stalks of maize from the previous season notwithstanding the fact that the maize crop had been harvest more than five months before the time in question. The lawn that occupied the rest of the yard had also crept into this patch of land. After clearing up the grass, the weeds and maize stalks I set out to dig to get the soil ready for planting.

A sad state of affairs confronted my efforts. Previous occupants had dealt criminally against the piece of land. Broken beer bottles, plastics, plastic bottles, oil and fuel filters, broken ceramic tiles, and traces of engine oil were amongst the many undesirables that I unearthed as I tried to get the land ready. Added to these undesirables was some strange looking soil which I quickly deduced was the result of pieces of broken bricks which had been dumped on that patch when the house was being constructed. Though the broken bits of brick were by this time very few those that had disintegrated had compromised the fertility of the soil.

Crucial Conversations: Messages From The Garden

For two months I dedicated my weekends to getting this six by two metres patch of land ready. First I picked up all the undesirables listed above. A process which many a times seemed to be going nowhere because the more I picked up the more I unearthed. Next I imported topsoil and cattle manure from a farm where a friend was working. The farmer was kind enough to allow me to get soil from the heaps on the edges of the silage pits and an unlimited supply of manure was availed to me. I turned the soil, manure and watered it several times until I was satisfied that I had done the best that I could. As I was contemplating putting some seed into the ground the municipal tractors came to cut grass in the stadium which is opposite my place of residence. I took advantage of this circumstance and I collected several loads of grass which I proceed to place in pits which I dug in each space where a vegetable bed was going to stand. In the opinion of my family members I had gone overboard in my land reclamation efforts but if you ask me I will tell you that I was just making sure. I didn't want to leave anything to chance.
Many a times in our lives we find ourselves confronted with similar circumstances as what faced me and my small patch of land in one or more areas of life. I knew I wanted a garden but the available land was just not suitable for the enterprise that I had in mind. I could have spent all my time wishing I was still at my previous place of residence. I could have resorted to buying my vegetables or asking for vegetables from friends who had thriving gardens. Come on, I had a valid excuse not to plant a garden. But I have learnt in life that my most valid excuses are my worst enemies because they give me a reason not to do anything. And whenever I have found myself with a valid excuse I have failed to progress.

I am asking you to embark on your own process of land reclamation in whatever area your life you need to plant a garden. Reclaiming the land is a lot of work but it can be done and I am challenging you to start now. Don't put it off. Don't listen to any other voice except to the one that is saying it can and it will be done.

Written by Tendayi Mawango for Arthur Mutambara

Crucial Conversations: Messages From My Garden.

Do you have a passion for growing things? Have you ever grown anything in your life? Do you wish to grow your business? If your answers to the questions is yes then let us together get inspired through my garden experience.

My Garden As My Teacher
My garden is a master teacher. It has taught me how to be patient and to be careful. I have through my garden learnt to trust in God for everything that I don’t see. That is faith. My desire to make things grow emanated from my small garden. I took time to appreciate and understand my garden passionately. Everyday I report into my garden for lessons on how to deal with myself. I have had such a wonderful experience.

My garden is a master teacher. It has taught me how to be patient and to be careful. I have through my garden learnt to trust in God for everything that I don’t see.

For those of you who have read Crucial Conversation: My stolen Red Rose, you may love to know that I have a small garden at home. It is well arranged and it is well looked after. Apart from sustaining my family, the garden provides life lessons to us. I have also used my home as laboratory where various farming methods have been tried.

My garden is a master teacher. It has taught me how to be patient and to be careful. I have through my garden learnt to trust in God for everything that I don’t see.

I grow lettuce in small containers which I customise from used plastic containers. These plastic containers are from empty beer bottles. I take part in environment conservation through cleaning up what is discarded from the beerhalls. I love cleanliness.

I grow lettuce in small containers which I customise from used plastic containers. These plastic containers are from empty beer bottles. I take part in environment conservation through cleaning up what is discarded from the beerhalls. I love cleanliness.

The Lettuce In My Garden.
I grow lettuce in small containers which I customise from used plastic containers. These plastic containers are from empty beer bottles. I take part in environment conservation through cleaning up what is discarded from the beerhalls. I love cleanliness.

But Why the Garden?
Through my garden I have learnt how to be resourceful. Resourcefulness means to be able to deal skilfully and promptly with new situations. Many people ask me, “Hey Arthur, what makes you smile in the face of difficulties”. My answer to that question is, I have hope for tomorrow. I know that God is control, no matter what situation. Just as I am responsible for my plants in the garden, God is in control of my life. I don’t plant vegetables with the intention of seeing them wilt and die. I actually cannot stand the sight of anyone harvesting vegetables out of my garden. It is probably the reason why I was so hurt when my Red Rose was stolen.

When I look at my garden, my eyes see beauty. I become so full of peace. I feel relieved. I derive joy from seeing my plants grow.

When I look at my garden, my eyes see beauty. I become so full of peace. I feel relieved. I derive joy from seeing my plants grow.

 What Do I see In My Garden?
When I look at my garden, my eyes see beauty. I become so full of peace. I feel relieved. I derive joy from seeing my plants grow.

When I look at my garden, my eyes see beauty. I become so full of peace. I feel relieved. I derive joy from seeing my plants grow.

These lessons also apply in business life. They apply in educational life. If you get time, I am persuading you to have a small garden and be happy to see something grow.

When I look at my garden, my eyes see beauty. I become so full of peace. I feel relieved. I derive joy from seeing my plants grow.

Grow something and get inspired.

Born for the sky

Here is a little story (of unknown origin) that helps to illustrate a difficulty that many people will face at some time in their life.

A man found an eagle's egg and put it in the nest of a barnyard hen. The eagle hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them. All his life, the eagle did what the barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chicken. He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and cackled. And he thrashed his wings and flew a few feet in the air.

Born for the sky

Years passed and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty among powerful wind currents, with scarcely a beat of its strong, golden wings.

The old eagle looked up in awe, "Who's that?" he asked. "That's the eagle, the king of birds," said one of the hens. "He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth - we're chickens."

So the eagle lived and died a chicken, for that is what he thought he was.
My friend, you too were born for the sky. As a unique human being, you have, deep within yourself, a burning desire to achieve something with your life. But for many people, the reality is that they get so caught-up in the daily-grind of trying to make a living, that they never really discover that desire and so they end up living their entire lives like the "chicken"

What the "chicken" really needed was to discover that he really was an eagle; and then he would have been able to begin to learn how to fly (even eagles need to learn); and eventually he would learn how to soar.