FROM A PERSONAL TESTIMONY
This short article was published in "Thy Kingdom Come"
(January 2005) - a publication of The Association of the Covenent
People, Burnaby, B.C. Canada.
LETTING THE LAND REST (courtesy Anglo-Saxon World-slightly
abridged)
I want to tell you of the great benefit of letting the land
rest. We have let ours rest each seven years since we moved to
this piece of property eighteen years ago. The previous owners
had used so much commercial fertilizer everywhere that the land
was almost sterilized. There was not an angle worm to be found.
Most of the trees had scales upon them and there was so much
poison on the fruit trees that we were afraid to eat any of the
fruit. The spot they had used for their vegetable garden was as
though the land was dead.
We had learned of God's Law (in Deuteronomy and Leviticus)
about letting the land rest once every seven years. We had also
subscribed to a magazine called Organic Gardening. Based on what
we learned, we saved all of our leaves, grass cuttings, weeds
etc., and prepared several compost heaps. We discovered a passage
in the Bible that suggested to us that only fertilizer from clean
animals should be used, especially on those things such as
vegetables and fruit and berries. We decided not to use blood
fertilizers or horse manure, as so many do because they are less
expensive. The first year showed little positive results.
We added some sawdust mulch to our garden and flower beds, since
we have very sandy soil. We repeated all these things, i.e.,
compost and manure and sawdust mixed on all our beds, for six
years. When the seventh year arrived we let our vegetable garden
patch go to weeds, ate the fruit we needed but did not pick any
for canning. When it came time for l the fruit to fall, we let it
lie where it fell and let it decompose there. Many friends and
neighbours told us this action would bring disease to our garden.
Some said we were wasteful in not giving the fruit away to hungry
people or that we would regret what we had done for many crazy
reasons. But, we stood fast and the following year we had such a
crop of apples and raspberries such as we had never experienced
in our lives as gardeners.
Everyone commented on our beautiful foliage. We had no
"peach curl" on our two peach trees. We lost no strawberry plants
from "weavils" getting into the mots. Even our prim roses were
gorgeous, with no loss there, while at the same time, our
neighbours were having an awful time with bugs, weavils and many
other things. We were able to can fruit, give much away and even
to sell some. We could eat it with all the enjoyment one could
want, because there were no poison sprays on it. We sent many
boxes of apples downtown to the missions to give to the hungry
men who would drop in. Such an abundance! We could hardly believe
it ourselves.
Yes, it is work, and takes more time and energy to do all
this than to spray and throw on commercial fertilizer out of a
sack, but it is so well worth it. Our tomatoes were solid and
most weighed two pounds each.
We have let our land rest twice since being here. If we are
still here on our 21st year, we will do so again. We have angle
worms all over the place that aerate our garden and provide us
with their little piles of fertilizer each morning, especially in
the early spring when we have so much rain. We don't even spray
our few rose bushes anymore. I must add, however, that because of
our heavy rainfall, we are having trouble with excessive moss in
our lawn. We have so much lawn, and all of it needs a good shot
of sheep guano and lime. Our fruit trees still bear lots of fruit
even though the apple trees must now be at least 25 years old. I
know what God meant when He gave us all these instructions for
our health's sake. I think there is a great blessing for
individuals who obey them, but, it has to be on a National Scale,
for greater blessings to all our nations. Then, I think the
blessings to the individuals too, would be far greater. Oh, what
a day it will be when all Israel will be observing God's rich
laws in His Kingdom.
Sincerely, A Daughter in Israel.
..............
Entered on this Website January 2005
