"He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion."
— Jeremiah 10:12
Mara sat at the table with a ruler and a piece of paper covered in tiny squares.
"I'm ready to plant, Dad!" she said, reaching for a bag of bean seeds.
Her father put a gentle hand on hers. "Wait a moment, Mara. Before God spoke the first sunflower into existence, He had a design. A wise steward doesn't just throw seeds; she establishs her world with wisdom. If we plant the corn in front of the lettuce, the corn will steal the lettuce's sun. If we plant too many tomatoes, they will choke each other out."
Mara looked at her blank paper. "So the paper is like my promise to the land?"
"Exactly," her father said. "The plan is how we show the King that we are faithful with the small piece of creation He gave us."
The Power of the Window
In most places, we cannot grow food all year round. We have a "Season Window." This is the time between the last cold frost of Spring and the first cold frost of Fall. In Wisconsin, this window is about 130 days long. Every day is a gift, and every day counts!
The Steward's Secret
Planning is not about control; it is about respect. We respect the plant's needs for sun, water, and space.
Math: The Language of Growth
How do we know how many seeds to buy? We use math! If a row is 10 feet long, and carrots need 2 inches of space, how many carrots can we plant? If a tomato takes 80 days to grow, and our season window is only 130 days, we must start early! Math helps us tell the truth about what our land can do.
[ GARDEN GRID ]
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| T | T | T | T |
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| C | C | C | C |
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T = Tomato (24" space)
C = Carrot (2" space)
The Succession Rhythm
A master steward knows that when one crop finishes, another can begin. When the cool-weather radishes are harvested in June, the warm-weather peppers can take their place. This is called Succession Planting. It is how we make the most of the time God has given us.