I have been growing sweetcorn. I planted the kernels directly into the soil in the green house. A week later, on morning inspection, they had been wiped out…a morning raid by dastardly squirrels! I had never grown sweetcorn before and was on the verge of giving up when the still small voice of the Holy Spirit said ‘keep trying, don’t give up.’ I tried replanting in small pots and took them into the protective care of my bathroom window sill where it was warm, humid and protected from all adversaries. All living creatures flourish in that kind of environment, I was sure, and sure enough they sprouted and grew very quickly. When pot bound I transplanted the new plants back into the green house with some trepidation as to whether they would survive or not, but they continued to grow. I was told that they didn’t need stakes that they would not topple over. And lo and behold, they grew straight and tall and are now taller than me!

Later on the sweetcorn plant started growing extra roots above the soil. They grew down towards the soil and some reached the soil and penetrated it. They looked like stabilisers…like the ones a ferry puts out on either side of the hull when the Irish Sea is a bit rough! I had to do a bit of research with our friend Mr Google and found out that they were called ‘Brace Roots.’ Most growers seem to believe that they are indeed offering greater support to the plant as it grows taller to stop it from toppling over in the wind (as most of God’s aMaizing plants are grown outside 🙄.) I did though, come across an article that claimed that it was an indication that the soil was poor, that the main stem had become clogged up and that the new roots were a way of getting more nutrition to the plant. It made the claim that those crops with the most yield do not have brace roots at all.

Either way the plant is making the most of where it finds itself!!

I am learning the monastic wisdom of staying in one spot and dealing with whatever conditions prevail. It is said that the natural world is God’s first teaching…granted, I water the sweetcorn plant every day and give it feed twice a week…but then God feeds me too with His word and body every day and I am growing as well, rooted in this place. Lord help me to put out my own ‘Brace Roots’ and draw nutrients from this new soil that I find myself in.

I am learning from the sweetcorn plant

I will let you know what the fruit is like…when I finally taste that corn on the cob dripping with melted butter!