The Druid’s Garden: Principles of Sacred Gardening

Part of my own Druid's Garden! Part of my own Druid’s Garden!

One of the greatest blessings of gardening and growing things is the deep energetic connections that you can develop with plants. When I grow a pepper in my garden, I have developed a relationship with that plant from the time I planted the seed in February, where I tend it and keep it sheltered from the winter weather, to the planting and mulching of that small pepper in late May. This relationship continues as I nurture it into maturity throughout the summer, where flowers and the actual peppers start to emerge. I monitor that pepper plant for insects and disease and do what I can to ensure its success. Finally, I watch the peppers grow large and fat in the heat of the summer. At that point, I have an eight-month relationship with that pepper plant. When I eat the pepper in late August, I know…

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Svalbard Global Seed Vault: The “Noah’s Ark of Plant Diversity” protecting the world’s seed resources

Let Spring Begin…

Good Witches Homestead

Spring is a time of new beginnings and fresh starts. It’s a time to let go of old habits, get rid of old or unwanted things, and give yourself a new start in life. Whether you’re looking to do a deep cleaning of your house or health, we’ve got the natural products to help you do it.

So, what are you waiting for? Take advantage of this time of year to enjoy the simple things in life and take the first steps towards a new you!

Good until 3/04/2019

A Little Something Worth Trying

Forest Fresh Diffuser Blend

5 drops Pine
2 drops Lemon
2 drops Eucalyptus Citriodora

Step in to spring and warmer weather with this diffuser blend. It’ll have you wanting to head out to green mountainsides for a spring picnic!

Spring Vernal Equinox

Date When: March 20, 2019; March 20, 2020

Ah, Spring! A time when “a…

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The Bee Friendly Trust transforming station platforms into habitats for honeybees to thrive

Little Lavenders in the Landscape

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

As spring approaches we get anxious to start planting our garden! In March, we have time to plan which lavenders we want to add or replace in our garden. In late March and into April and May, after the weather and the ground have warmed up, we can usually tell which lavenders need to be replaced. After we do spring garden pruning and clean up, we have a better idea of how much space we have to plant. There are also more lavender plants available from local growers at that time of the year.

English lavenders, Lavandula angustifolia cultivars, are the hardiest lavender plants to grow, but eventually, they do need to be replaced with new plants. Some lavender plants that are over 10 to 15 years old are very woody and parts of these plants may no longer produce new leaves or flowers. As long as a garden space…

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Ryerson Urban Farm: Student-led rooftop farm creating opportunities to learn about growing food

Seed Libraries where library members can “borrow” fruit and veg seeds for free

Essential Oils and Flower Essences

Good Witches Homestead

Essential oils and flower essences bestow a concentrated dose of plant energy.

In most cases, however, you may want to work with the whole plant. You may find that if you wish to work with a particular plant, you’re obligated to grow it yourself. This may be for a variety of reasons.

* Some plants are rare to an area. You may need to nurture some indoors or order from a specialist nursery.

* What you desire may not be marketable: the alchemists treasured fresh morning dew caught upon the leaves of lady’s mantle. They called it “water from heaven” and prized it as an ingredient in many enchanted potions. If you want some {and you very well might; it’s reputed to provide a beautiful complexion!}, you’ll have to grow it and gather it yourself.

* In some cases, it’s best to have your own fresh stock of plants, to…

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Starting Plants: Grow Your Own Vegetable Garden Transplants

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Some plants can be started indoors early in the season, before soil and air temperatures are warm enough to plant outdoors. From a seed-starting perspective, most of our common vegetable plants fall into one of three categories.

Don’t do well direct-seeded outdoors – these plants seem to do better if they are started in a controlled environment. The reasons may include poor germination rates or too short of a growing season. Plants that fall into this category include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, pumpkins, winter squash, onions, Brussels sprouts, gourds, and melons.
Do okay either started indoors or direct-seeded – these plants could be done either way. Some plants have a short enough growing season that even though they can be started indoors, the economics of doing it don’t justify the time and expense. Plants that fall into this category are peas, beans, corn, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, summer squash, spinach, Swiss chard…

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Starting Your Seeds Indoors This Winter

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Expert answers to your herb-growing questions.

Q. This year I want to grow some of my herb plants from seeds. What are the steps to starting seeds over the winter?

A. Seed starting is like baking bread- you need the right mix of ingredients, the right temperature, and viable yeast. In the case of seed starting, the ingredient list includes a lightweight growing medium and containers for planting. Provide the right temperature with a warm greenhouse or sunny window; and seeds, of course, are the viable catalyst.

Use a commercial potting mix or seedling mix for the growing medium. Choose from egg cartons, yogurt cups, flats of six-cell packs or small pots when it comes to containers. {Note: Fiber- or peat-based pots should be soaked well before adding soil.} Like yeast, seeds have a limited life, be sure the seeds are fresh or packaged for the upcoming growing season for…

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