Planting a Salad Garden

Salad Garden for the Winter

Although I've put the main garden area to rest for the winter, I'm putting the finishing touches on a container salad garden. There's nothing like cutting or pulling fresh produce, straight from the garden, to reinforce the salad habit that we all need during the winter months. The vibrant freshness just can't be beat.

Here are my recommendations for what to include in the salad garden:

* Butter lettuce

* Romaine lettuce

 * Green leaf lettuce

 * Red leaf lettuce

 * Mâche 

 * Arugula

 * Carrots

 * Radishes

 * Snap Peas

* Curly parsley

Other cool-weather crops that you might enjoy in your salads include broccoli, cauliflower (fussier to grow, though), kale, and beets. Bon appetit!

By Mrmatiko (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons  Salad Garden of My Dreams

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Cleaning up the Garden

Cleaning up and Putting the Main Garden to Bed

While my container garden has winter-hardy plants growing, I'm letting the main garden hibernate. This is good practice for a few reasons:

* It's good to let the soil rest and recuperate after a hearty growing season

* You can test the soil and add natural soil amendments such as blood meal, bone meal, kelp, greensand, compost, and the like: these soil amendments will break down gradually over the winter

* If you've been plagued with pests such as Mexican bean beetles, leaving them exposed in the cold, naked garden will reduce their population

*If you've not been bothered by pests, mulching the garden will keep weeds to a minimum and will furnish their  own nutrients to the soil

You do want to weed before doing all of the above, one last time before cold weather hits. Otherwise, it's time to tell the garden "Good night: sleep tight."

By RainBoxRed (Own work) [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons  Garden Clean-Up

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Sage: Herb of the Month

Sage Advice for the Garden

This month's herb of honor is sage, or salvia officinalis. As with many herbs, sage is easy to grow: just give it a spot in the garden with at least partial sun, and water sparingly in order to concentrate the herb's essential oils. For best flavor and continued production, pinch off any flowers that develop.

To me, sage suggests fall flavor: roasted herbal chicken and turkey, pork loin, dressing, and hearty soups, such as this recipe for Butternut Squash Soup.  Sage suggests Halloween and Thanksgiving, with its special dishes. Sage suggests family gatherings and time well spent with loved ones. Bon appetit!

Forest & Kim Starr [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Check out the Autumn Abundance Sale going on at Sol Luna Enterprises: enjoy 25% off on orders of $25 and over. The coupon code is FALLSAVINGS. This sale lasts through October 31, 2015, so don’t miss out!

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Pleasures of Fall Gardening

Fall Gardening: Feeling the Love

Ahhh: fall is here. The air is cooler, the weather crisper. In many areas, fall is an ideal time for a second-chance garden, especially if the summer garden has sputtered out. The energy-sapping heat is gone. Now is the time for an invigorating gardening season.

Now is the time to create a salad garden: many types of lettuces and cabbages. What is more perfect than cutting salad greens mere minutes before washing them and putting them in the salad bowl? Root vegetables are also a great choice this season: carrots, beets, radishes, even parsnips. Onions and leeks, as well as broccoli, are also fine choices for the fall garden.

Fall gardening also is a good excuse to get outdoors for some fresh air and exercise. Fresh vegetables, fresh air, and invigorating exercise: what more could you want? Dream big!

By Srl (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons  Fall Gardening of my Dreams

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Fall Gardening: A Second Chance Harvest

Countdown to Fall Gardening

In many areas, it's beginning to cool down as we leave summer behind. It's time to plan and plant a fall garden, or, if you will, a second-chance garden. If the summer's heat wave dashed your gardening hopes earlier this year, all is not lost: it is possible to start again for an even more bountiful harvest.

In the more northern regions, this will mean using cold frames and possibly floating row covers to coax along the plants, depending on what has been sowed or transplanted. For these northern regions, it's hard to go wrong with peas (English, snap, and snow), your root vegetables (carrots, radishes, parsnips), cabbages and other cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kohlrabi), and lettuces.

In the more southern regions, what's listed above can be planted or transplanted in, say, November. But now's also an ideal time to plant tomatoes, peppers, beans, and summer squash, as well as Swiss chard.

Even with these general guidelines, don't forget to add your favorites; after all, this is your garden and should represent your tastes. Happy gardening!

By WayneRay (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons  A rather ambitious cold frame

The Big Shining September Sale!

For 30 days only we're offering a super affordable extended payment plan for the Shining Biz +Life Academy!! From now until September 30, join the Academy with 12 Payments of $49.95 

About the Academy:

The Shining Biz & Life Academy is a divinely-guided, wildly-affordable and deeply-powerful success library that’s just a fraction of the cost you see elsewhere.

It is chock-full of programs & resources to help you shine in every area of your biz + life, it’s one of the most generously-priced, powerfully inspired transformational training systems you’ll find, ANYWHERE in the world. Upon joining, you will receive the following:

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Planting a Medicinal Garden

Grow Your Own Medicine Cabinet

As I write this, I am getting over the throes of a nasty head cold. What better time than now to plan a simple medicinal garden?

The following plants would be great additions for an all-purpose medicinal garden. All are fairly easy to grow in either a traditional garden or in a container garden:

Aloe vera: Buy established plants and transplant. Good for treating minor burns and scrapes: just break a leaf and apply the serum to the affected area. 

Calendula: Buy established plants and transplant, or sow from seed. Made into an infusion, calendula is a good all-purpose antiseptic wash; you can also make a balm.

Cayenne: Buy established plants and transplant, or sow from seed. Good ingested as a cold remedy and can also be made into a cream to relieve muscle aches. Caution: when handling any hot peppers, wear gloves. Trust me on this one.

Chamomile: Sow from seed. Made into a tea, chamomile is good for treating stomach upset and for inducing sleep. 

Ginger root: Buy the root and cut it up; plant each piece. Ginger root is the number one treatment for nausea and is good for stomach upset. 

Echinacea: Buy established plants and transplant,  or directly sow the seed. Use the root as a decoction at the first sign of a cold. 

Feverfew: Buy established plants and transplant. This herb is great for fevers as well as headaches, even relieving migraines for some people. 

Lavender: Buy established plants and transplant. This herb prefers a slightly alkaline soil, so it's best to plant it in its own container or planter box. Made into an oil or infusion, lavender can be used to heal cuts, stings, and burns, as well as insomnia and not a few other woes. 

Lemon balm: Buy established plants and transplant, or sow directly from seed. This member of the mint family is great for cold relief as well as digestive complaints. 

Mint, especially peppermint: Buy established plants and transplant, or sow directly from seed. This herb is great for relieving gas and stomach upset, as well as relieving muscle pain when made into a balm. 

Rosemary: Buy established plants and transplant. Made into an infusion, this herb is wonderful for digestive issues and headaches. 

Sage: Buy established plants and transplant. Sore throat relief and alleviation of hot flashes are but two of sage's gifts. 

By User:Mattes (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Medicinal Container Garden of My Dreams

If you want to consult an herbal handbook, I recommend the following books:

Culpepper's Complete Herbal: A Book of Natural Remedies for Ancient Ills.

Walter Last's The Natural Way to Heal: 65 Ways to Create Superior Health.

The New Age Herbalist: How to Use Herbs for Healing, Nutrition, Body Care, and Relaxation.

500 Formulas for Aromatherapy: Mixing Essential Oils for Everyday Use.

Check out the Autumn Abundance Sale going on at Sol Luna Enterprises: enjoy 25% off on orders of $25 and over. The coupon code is FALLSAVINGS. This sale lasts through October 31, 2015, so don’t miss out!


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Gardening and Grief

Gardening and Working through the Grieving Process

My father died May 1, 2015. He hadn't planned to do so, of course. Ever since then, I have been working through the five-stage grieving process--or seven-stage, depending on which model you choose to observe.

While I've been tending the container garden area, the main garden lies almost dormant this summer -- except for the asparagus plants and what I affectionately call "mystery squash": various squash seeds were started, and I failed to label them.

While I have been mourning my father, the main garden, sadly, has suffered from neglect: the weeds have taken over, the soil has not been enriched lately, and I've not planted anything new. Yes, El Niño has certainly played a role, with the torrential downpours that have occurred until recently, but still: grief has invaded the main garden.

By Angelsharum (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

As I move into the acceptance phase of grieving, it is time to reclaim the garden.

In the cool of the morning or in the evening, accompanied by the cool, reassuring presence of Spirit, it is time to pull weeds. Yes, Ralph Waldo Emerson did say the following about weeds: "What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." Be that as it may, as I cast away weeds, I cast away regrets, the "might-have-beens," to be left with the good, loving memories of my father.

It is time to feed the soil, to nourish it, for fulfilling the promise of a vibrant, vital autumn garden: a second harvest and a second chance.

It is time to begin today.

By tending the garden, I tend my soul as well as my father's legacy: the lessons of love I have learned from him and his contributions towards making the world a better place. In his memory, I till the ground and plant the seeds of a promising tomorrow. Namaste and Blessed Be.

Getting Your Gardening Fix in an El Niño Year

Gardening in Spite of El Niño

This year, weather-wise, has been topsy-turvy because of the emergence of El Niño, which consists of warm water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator. This pattern can wreak havoc on anything related to weather, including gardening.

In my neck of the woods, we have been experiencing record rainfall, while other areas have been experiencing moderate to severe drought. Either scenario is going to affect gardening efforts.

While I have added to my container garden--cherry tomatoes, peppers, squash, and herbs--I have, honestly, not been able to do anything with the main garden this summer. While the weeds continue to grow higher than my head, I could start feeling frustrated and inadequate, not to mention resentful of this weather pattern, but what purpose would beating myself up mentally serve? This attitude would be a waste in emotional energy.

Instead, I've decided to take things a sunny day at a time. On the mornings or evenings it's not raining, I take an hour, or even two, to weed, to tend the container garden, or to prepare the main garden for a fall garden (in my area, a fall garden is feasible and practical). The "Tortoise and the Hare" fable definitely comes to mind here: I know I'll get there, eventually. It's a practice in delayed gratification at its finest.

An example of a container garden 

I have determined that the El Nino pattern could be seen as an obstacle, or it could be seen as an opportunity to slow down and to savor the garden, even if it's not "perfect." The truth is that a garden is always a work in progress: this realization becomes more obvious when one has to seize the gardening moment whenever it decides to present itself.

There's no use in fighting or resisting the El Niño weather pattern: that is an exercise in futility, and who needs that?

"Learn to be an observer in all seasons. Every single day, your garden has something new and wonderful to show you"  (Anonymous Author). This is a worthy goal and lesson--even in an El Niño year. 

Dreaming of a Spring Garden

Spring Vegetable Garden: Dream Big, but Start Small

Ahhh! Spring is here at last! It's time to shake ourselves out of hibernation mode and start digging in the dirt.

As with every year, I have a lofty aspiration of creating the vegetable garden that will surpass all others. This is a hopeful season, after all. In order to keep this goal realistic and manageable, I have created a path to get the garden to where I want it to be this year.

1. Test the garden soil: done. The garden soil's N-P-K ranges have graduated from depleted to deficient. We're making progress here!

2. Add soil amendments to the garden soil: in progress. Recent heavy rains are delaying this chore a bit, but we do need the rain so no complaints here. This year I'm adding blood meal (for nitrogen), bone meal (for phosphorus), and numerous, about a hundred or so,  Nori sushi roll wrappers, cut up (for potash), as well as good ol' reliable compost.

3. Plant snow peas, carrots, and Swiss chard (the rainbow variety) in the container garden area: mission accomplished.

4. Plan the main garden with an app: done. For a list of great gardening apps, you can't go wrong with Gardenista's "The Top Ten Gardening Apps You Need Now." 

5. Start tomato, cucumber, and squash seeds: partially complete. Some of the seedlings didn't make it, so I'll try again this weekend. I also want to start some pepper seeds--both hot and sweet varieties--at this time. One thing I really want to do is to start at least 90% of my plants from seed myself,  rather than rely on bought transplants.

6. Feed and mulch the blueberry planter box: done. I used pine bark mulch since the blueberry bushes are acid-loving plants.

7. Feed and mulch the strawberry plants: in progress.

8. Transplant the four citrus trees--Meyer lemon, key lime, grapefruit, and kumquat: mission accomplished. The trees are looking happy.

9. Transplant tomato, cucumber, squash, and pepper plants: in about a month to six weeks' time.

10. Keep the compost pile going: this is a continuous project.

11. Plant green beans, wax beans, collard greens, and basil: in a few weeks.

12. Mulch the main garden: in about six to eight weeks' time. This will cut down the weeding headaches tremendously.

13. Put a comfortable lawn chair near the garden area in order to relax and bask in the garden: soon, very soon.

Here's to making garden fantasies a reality! Happy Gardening!

By Spedona (Spedona) (Cliché personnel - own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

This is close to how I envision my garden in the making.

Herb of the Month: Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm: A Blissful Herb for August

Each month we are focusing on a particular herb, looking at its growing and cooking potential. This month, the honor belongs to lemon balm, also known as melissa officinalis. This member of the mint family is great for inducing and inspiring calm and tranquility.The balm in the herb's name also hints at the health benefits that this plant offers. Lemon balm, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center,  helps to alleviate stress, insomnia, anxiety, and indigestion.

Nicholas Culpeper, the Early Modern author of Complete Herbal and English Physitian (1652), has further suggestions in how to use this herb: he says that it is good for women recovering from childbirth and may be used to disinfect certain skin irritations, among other maladies; not only can lemon balm be steeped as a tea but can also be steeped in wine.

How to Grow Lemon Balm

Pick a nice sunny spot: a large pot or planter box works fine. Either sow the lemon balm from seed or transplant the plants. Water well, as for mint. Once lemon balm is established--give it a couple of weeks--make sure that the herb is watered regularly. Like other members of the mint family, lemon balm will spread if not contained; also, like other members of the mint family, lemon balm is (happily) difficult to kill.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Lemon_balm_2.JPG

How to Use Lemon Balm in Cooking

If you want an uplifting herbal tea, look no further than lemon balm. This light, citrusy flavored herb tastes great infused in a tea; sweeteners are optional. As an alternative, you can add the bruised leaves to a pitcher of ice tea and let it set for several hours before drinking for a refreshing beverage. As the Herb Society of America points out, the leaves are better used fresh than dried.

Lemon balm can also be used to flavor poultry and fish, and it can also be added to salad greens. The possibilities are nearly limitless.

Have you yet tried lemon balm? If not, I highly encourage you to try this herb. Bon appetit!

Friday the 13th Fears? Create Your Own Lucky Garden

Bring Luck to Your Garden with Lucky Plants

There's nothing like the appearance of Friday the 13th to jangle the superstitious nerves of folks and to cause a fear known as Triskaidekaphobia. Of course, luck--good or bad--tends to be what we make of it, and we can create our own luck, rather than be doomed to a self-fulfilling prophecy of ill fortune.

As gardeners, we can invite good luck into the sacred space of our gardens. Here are but a few ideas to help facilitate good luck and prosperity in the garden.

Edible Vegetables Associated with Luck and Prosperity

Beans
Cabbage
Eggplant
Lettuce
Peas
Pumpkin
Spinach and other greens
Sunflower (seeds)
Tomatoes (yes, I know that botanically, tomatoes are fruits: let's run with this)

By Sengai Podhuvan (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Edible Fruits and Nuts Associated with Luck and Prosperity

Almond
Bananas
Blackberries
Figs
Grapes
Hazelnuts
Kumquats
Lemons
Orange
Pears
Pineapple
Pomegranate

By Rosendahl [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Edible Herbs Associated with Luck and Prosperity

Basil
Chamomile
Dill
Garlic (more to ward off bad luck so that good luck can arrive)
Ginger
Oregano
Parsley

By H. Zell (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Non-Edible Plants Associated with Luck and Prosperity

Aloe vera
Bells of Ireland
Bluebell (not the ice cream, although eating some Blue Bell ice cream while hanging out in the garden couldn't hurt)
Clover, especially the four-leaf variety
Daffodil
Honeysuckle
Money plant (also can be and is often grown indoors)
Periwinkle
White heather

By Phyzome under the GFDL. (Phyzome) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

Do you have any other plants in your garden that you would consider lucky? Please feel free to share in the comments section.

Garden of My Dreams?

Ultimate Garden? Dream On! 

Each year, at the end of the academic year in late spring, I, like many gardeners, go through the same mental process. We think that this year is going to be different, that our garden will be bigger and better, with more space devoted to what we euphemistically call a hobby. Our garden dreams may very well end up looking like this:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieskowa_Ska%C5%82a_ogr%C3%B3d_zamkowy.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Pieskowa_Ska%C5%82a_ogr%C3%B3d_zamkowy.jpg 

Or this:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hever_Castle_rose_garden_with_fountain.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Hever_Castle_rose_garden_with_fountain.JPG

Or even this:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buenos_Aires_Entrada_al_Jardin_Botanico_Carlos_Thays.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Buenos_Aires_Entrada_al_Jardin_Botanico_Carlos_Thays.jpg

However, a common mistake is to overestimate the time and energy involved in creating and maintaining a garden. Are watering needs being met? Is enough time being devoted each week to everyone's least favorite task, weeding (yes, according to Ella Wheeler Wilcox, "A weed is but an unloved flower," but most gardeners choose to shower love elsewhere)? Is enough energy being spent in dissuading pests from your precious plants? Are compost and/or fertilizer needs being met? If plants need to be pruned or staked, is enough time and energy being devoted to these tasks? Finally, will your schedule allow time to simply be in the garden, to sit, relax, and/or meditate in the positive space you have created?

 If the answer to any of these questions is no, then it is time to scale back that dream a bit. This is not settling for "second best": it is being realistic. It is far more gratifying to start small and expand that garden as time and energy permit, throughout the growing season, than to try to keep up with a grandiose gardening plan that will leave you burned out and feeling frustrated. Trust me on this one.

Gardening is supposed to be a fun, emotionally-rewarding pastime, not a drudge or a chore; that said, anyone who wishes to garden needs to expect to put time and sweat into any gardening aspirations. According to Liberty Hyde Bailey, co-founder of the American Society for Horticultural Science, "A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them."

. And starting small and then building up the garden gradually allows the gardener's imagination to flow more freely, according to Mrs. C. W. Earle, in Pot-Pourri from an Surrey Garden, 1897: "Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination."