Gardening Journal - Post your gardening updates here

Looks like my Foxglove is starting to peek through too.

[imgur] [link to imgur.com (secure)]

Indoor germinating 24 "Black Cherry" and 24 "German Pink" heirloom tomatoes, started 5 days ago. 3 were up this morning. 8 are up this evening. Today started the germination of 36 Lavender (those take a long time to sprout, weeks). Snow all gone this morning.

Outdoors: Just dug 2 holes for Cherry tomato that we just germinated.
In each hole I put 1/2 a Trout and one Chicken Egg.
Also have 17 Garlic in a large container started in November and doing well.


Indoors: We have about 60 Candy Onion plants under lights, started from seed and doing well (first attempt at onions, and from seed, no less).

Nice try, but you are not getting any classified information on my tomato plants.

Looks like the Red Aramanth is coming along well too.

Don't forget to post planting dates and zones.

I'm in Zone 8A.

[imgur] [link to imgur.com (secure)]

Nice.

Yeah, you guys had that snow coming through in up in zone 7.

Fortunately, May day isn't far off. Should be clear to move them outdoors.

You know, I didn't let my garlic bulb through the winter this year.

You should have some nice bulbs by harvesttide.

I actually keep notes on my garden & last year I discovered something quite surprising!

One would think that a tomato plant that was planted 2 months earlier would bare fruit 2 months earlier...But that was not the case.

I started plants early in cups/pots. I had tomato plants that were 3 months old...2 months old...and one month old.

I planted them into the garden all in the same week.

2 months later all the plants were the same size and baring the same amount of tomatoes.

- MC

Yep, you're right. They bear in season when they're outdoors. They simply know when to withhold and when to bear.

That's why I finally decided that unless you're going to be doing serious professional greenhouse gardening through the winter, it's fairly useless to start them early.

I just throw it in the ground now.

The best surprise of the evening is that my Baptisia is coming in.

These were all started at Passover Full Moon. Just they're just about exactly on target.

Some I can do without. But I'd really like to make my Wild Indigo tincture at harvest.

[imgur] [link to imgur.com (secure)]

And what is this I see?

I do believe we have our first Yellow Henbane Sprout.

Dr Scudder said in 1870 that the only difference in Henbane as medicine for congestion and as a mortal poison was the amount you used. And right he was. Nonetheless, this much maligned little flower has wonderful medicinal uses.

[imgur] [link to imgur.com (secure)]

They say society is hell out there right now. They talk of wars and rumors of wars. They say it's the end times.

Better get in the garden and make your medicine before the mandrakes scream.

Song of Songs 7

13The mandrakes will waft their fragrance,
And within our garden gates are all fruits pleasant,
Every manner, both the novel and the ancient,
Which I have up laid in store for you, O beloved.

I forgot to mention that the shepherd's purse over in my edible herbs section is coming along nicely.

Why in the world is it a good idea to keep a little Shepherd's Purse in your apothecary bag?

Well, mainly for dyspepsia and disentary.

Capsella Bursa Pastoris (Shepherd's Purse, Wild Mustard) has another use that may be relevant to the times. You hear of infertility and miscarriage among women today due to Covid lockdowns. That's where Shepherd may come in handy.

It has been shown to have a marked effect against chronic menorrhagia, that is when menstrual discharge occurs to frequently.

However, it is good in the pelvic region of both men and women against hemorrhage, miscarriage in women, hemorrhoids, dysentary, hematuria.

Dose from 10 to 15 drops tincture every two to three hours.

I might also add that it does very well in the dessert southwest.


[imgur] [link to imgur.com]

If you haven't planted yet, you might plant on the April Full Moon on the 26.
It's certainly not too late, but try to plant by May Day.

Interesting. The April Full Moon will be in Lunar Palace 15 Al-Gafr (the Scribe) and it is to be a Super moon.

[imgur] [link to imgur.com]

Psalm 45
1{To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of Love.}

1 My heart is inditing a goodly matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.

3Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.

4And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

5Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

6Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

7Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

8All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

In western terms, the April Supermoon is in Libra.

Should be a good crop of Justice this year as the seed is sown.


Psalm 85

10Mercy and Truth have embraced;
Justice and Peace have kissed.

11Truth shall sprout the earth from,
while Justice looks down from heaven.

12Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land her increase shall yield.

Do you use the Aconitum? and the other herbs..I see the herbal reference for Shepherd's Purse on here.

The homeopathic applications are interesting too, if you are worried about needing medicines.

I am still waiting to get into the garden. Snow is gone but I wanted to be sure the pollinators had a chance to wake up. We sadly have an over abundance of sun chokes. (do not plant in your garden, always keep them separate and away from your garden especially if you rototill)
But I should go out and look at the hazelnut, currant, and berry bushes. I did weed the strawberry patch and those plants look happy so far. We are supposed to go into another freeze this week and I'm really hoping my apple tree doesn't blossom until afterward. Here's the nectarines

https://imgur.com/a/cXgRobJ

Oh, yes, I keep a little Aconite/Monkshood tincture on hand.

However, you must get your dosage right if you're using it as a specific for low blood pressure or fevers.

1/2 drop is the usual dosage.

In apothecary terms, gtt iii to x in 4 ounces of water.

Dose one teaspoon every hour.

In English, 3 to 10 drops to four ounces of water at only one teaspoon per hour

Indications are cholera infantum, diarrhea, dysentary, tonsillitis, croup, periodic fevers, scarlet fever, diphtheria, measles, parotitis, rheumatism.

Everyone should carry a little Aconite in the apothecary bag.

For senior citizens in a survival situation with low blood pleasure, it a requirement.

Thread: Planted some Tobacco seeds last year..

Nice. :-)

I haven't put in any tobacco because I flat don't have room this year.

I'm trying different things, but I really should have a tobacco plant because it's really the only thing useful for tetanus in a survival situation.

Wow, you are starting a bit late. You should have started after the last freeze in March.

This the first time we are gardening in the ground. The tomato, bell peppers, radishes, red union, and squash doing great with little effort. Surprisingly carrots, asparagus, beans, broccoli, spinage are not doing well at all. outside of a container. This the first time we are gardening in the ground.

We are getting the hang of composting and raising chickens too. Except one of our chicks appears to have been born a male, when we were counting on only having one pen with all hens. I thought it might be sort of nice to hatch some chicks, but my spouse is not having it. He does not want to deal with having to get up in the early morning to put a no crow color on our cock every morning.

So it looks like in about 4 or 5 months, we actually might kill and eat out first chicken. So, I have been researching human ways to kill and process our chickens.

Composting on the other hand is going well. Not smelly at all. We turn our pile regularly, keep it damps and add stray regularly.

Finally, my spouse has been focused on our back yard, while I focus on chickens and the front yard lawn care. Have to keep up appearances of a middle class household in the suburbs, while the back yard is being tuned into a 1/8 acre small farm.

Well, actually I started 2 days before the Passover Moon in March.

I planted on March 24th, that Friday before Easter week.

In Zone 8A they really don't recommend starting before April 1 if you're planting outdoors, but Passover was a decent enough time.

When you can in the season, please do post updates on all the garden vegetables and your composting and watering cycles. Also post zone and weather patterns/rainfall for year.

I guess my Red Amaranth didn't upload last time.

Here is it again.

Why Aramanthus in the medicine garden?

Anti-cancer tincture. You can use it as a daily driver in combination with Buckthorn for a powerful anti-tumor, anti-cancer nutraceutical. I can think of no more powerful anti-cancer antioxidant you could have in the garden including green spinach.

[imgur] [link to imgur.com (secure)]

One of the issues you'll eventually run into in making your medicinal remedies is having to read an apothecary system prescription.

The apothecary system can be traced directly back to ancient Greece and Rome. For example if you lived in Rome during the time of Christ and went to the market for an "octarius" of wine, it would be nearly exactly what you know today as a pint because the English apothecary system came directly from the Roman apothecary system.

So, let's just demystify it because it's something you've used everyday of your life already and may not have even known it. In so many ways, what is called the "American" system of weights isn't American at all but was the direct heir of the ancient apothecary system. Most of the world adopted the Metric system after France's move in the French revolution. It may be better suited, or less well suited for prescriptions, however. That's a point that is arguable. Still, you'll need to know the basic apothecary system to even read old Household Searchlight recipes.

Apothecary System Weights & Measures (Warner's Therapeutic Reference Book, 1889

[imgur] [link to imgur.com (secure)]

I’m on like week 3, my first garden ever and a garden flower bed for fun. I’m 47 years old.
Spent loads and used like 12 gigantic bags of gardening soils, and top soil. Weed eated everything, spread the soil out, put the seed in, added more soil.
Watering religiously and nothing has sprouted yet.
I’m being Assaulted by squirrels trying to get at the seedlings of lettuce, onions and peppers.
Now I’m out there keeping it raked and adding cayenne pepper and coffee grounds.
Fingers crossed.
This may be my first and last experience in gardens !

It's getting very late in the season, but I am planting basil in a big pot, from seed, in a very deep shady place. Fresh herbs are skyrocketing!

I thought, I post here my biggest gardening, or rather pre-gardening mistake of the year (2021). Many gardening vlogs say that coco coir is good when mixed into soil mix for seedlings. May be it is, but I have everything turning yellow this year, until I googled like crazy to find out that you have to fertilize with cal-mag when growing in coco-coir. Ordered, applied at 1/2 a strength, and now waiting or rather hoping for a miracle. :(

Coco-coir...

You're doing, what, hydroponics?

Sounds really acidic.

Reason to cut with cal-mag.

What PH are you running it at?

I'm in Minnesota so I can't plant seed just yet...green house plants DO save me a little time.

But it taught me to NOT buy larger plants...it's just a waste of money. The smallest plants will do the same.

- MC

Should be fine.

In most zones, you can start herbs up until mid May unless they are cold germinates. I have a few of those that won't be coming in till late, late October.

Sometimes they gave to sit in a damp mulch up to 4 weeks before germination.

Most herbs will take to most anything as long as you have a fairly decent PH from 6 to 7.