Garden

Sacred Serenity

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“Sometimes we think our good acts or contributions to the greater whole must be huge and spectacular, and oftentimes, if we can’t think of something that meets these standards, we simply don’t do anything. I can tell you that the simple act of growing food and feeding others and myself from the land is an act of pure peace and joy, the ripple effects which will forever be in motion.” ~Heather Fraser

HeatherFraserGardenPlotI recently acquired a garden plot as part of a community garden in the town where I live.

This community garden is part of a wonderful project that helps to provide organic, locally grown produce to the town’s food bank.  I am provided with my own personal garden plot to grow whatever I like, while at the same time I agree to grow and maintain a second plot to grow vegetables that will be donated to the food bank.  This is such a win/win situation!

The green space for this project was donated by a local church that had a full sun, large front lawn that was simply taking up space and energy to keep it maintained.  Just think about all the local churches in your area on beautiful, large plots of land that need to be sprayed and mowed, when they could be used to grow food to feed people.

I am not affiliated with the church or the rotary club that has developed this community garden project. I simply purchased a plot and happily agreed to the terms of volunteering my time towards a good cause.

What this has brought to my heart is a sacred serenity…the kind that goes deep…to the place where peace and silence live.

Living in an apartment for the past eight years, I have longed to grow my own garden, to get my hands into the dirt; and now I am blessed to grow two gardens! Continue reading →

Top Strategies For Protecting Your Organic Garden From Pests

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“100% PURE Amazingly, pure peppermint oil scrambles the senses of insects, leaving them disoriented, unable to breed, feed or breathe. We have actually seen aphids land on treated rose buds, scramble around for 15 minutes and fly away!” ~Aaron Dykes

Simple strategies to fight garden pests the organic way!

GardenPestsThe bane of every garden is its pests – unwanted insects ravaging your growing crops, as well as four-legged creatures ready to treat your hard work as a free meal.

But for those raising an organic garden – without potentially harmful chemicals and pesticides – it can be an even greater challenge to keep out invasive and nosy creatures without killing the life around you and introducing detrimental compounds into your body and the surrounding ecosystem. But some of the strategies are often simpler than you expect.

Organic pest control – Natural bug and insect repellents

This video from Howdini.com covers some basic approaches to control pests in an organic garden – where avoiding the use of any synthetic pesticides and chemicals is one of the first priorities.

Also check out Bryan from Terminators Pest Control in Philadelphia on why it’s imperative to encourage beneficial pests in your garden. Beneficial pests naturally regulate harmful insects, keeping your garden as organic as possible.

Some of these relatively simple tips include:

– Observe your garden: According to Scott Meyer [Author, The City Homesteader & former editor of Organic Gardening], about 80% of insects commonly found near gardens are actually beneficial. The most well known and celebrated of these beneficial insects is the Ladybug, but others include the Preying Mantis (which prey upon other insects, not you or your garden, despite its menacing appearance).

This chewed up broccoli leaf gives testament to the fact that not all pest activity is harmful to your crop – which in the case of broccoli is not the leaf, but the head. Screengrab from Howdini video (2009)

– Not all pest activity harms your garden: Using a well-chewed broccoli leaf, Meyer also explains how not all invasive foraging interferes with your production. While this broccoli leaf has been nearly destroyed, it in no way compromises the healthy head of broccoli (which is the coveted vegetable treat most intended to grow).

Thus, if insects are only munching on parts of plant that are not critical to your harvest, it may not be harmful and could even have a side benefit of drawing pests away from other leaves that are edible crops (such as Kale leaves, etc.). This is sometimes done intentionally with radishes, which are quick growing, less valuable and can be planted between other more desirable crops. Continue reading →

Lasagna Gardening: A Sustainable And No-Till Method Of Gardening

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NaturalNews March 26 2013

Lasagna gardening is a method of gardening that requires no tilling or weeding from the gardener, yet produces rich and fluffy soil. Also called ‘sheet composting,’ lasagna gardening involves building layers and layers of organic matter in a designated area of the garden, waiting until they compost, and then utilizing the fertile soil that is produced to grow plants. Aside from being convenient and physically undemanding, this type of gardening is beloved by gardeners because it is environmentally-friendly; rather than throwing your biodegradable waste into the trash, you’re using it to enrich your garden’s soil.

Creating the first and subsequent layers

To begin your lasagna garden, you need to create your first layer. Acquire some brown corrugated cardboard, or several newspaper layers, and place them wherever you want your garden to be (this could be on a weed patch, on a patch of grass, etc.). Then, once the cardboard or newspaper is in place, water it. This will start the process of decomposition, since the wet layer will gradually sink into the earth, both suffocating the grass and weeds below it and attracting earthworms that loosen the soil by tunneling through it.

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Calendula Plant Benefits: Grow Your Own Medicine

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Natural Society | January 29 2013

Calendula officinalis is a plant most often used to brighten up a garden or flower bed. It’s a popular choice because it’s pretty and is super easy to grow. But, what many people don’t know is that their pretty garden-addition is a valuable herbal remedy.

Calendula, also known as “pot marigolds” are usually a bright golden color. It is often mistaken for “common marigold” or Mexican marigold, which are very different and are members of the Tagetes genus. They don’t offer the same medicinal benefits as calendula, so it’s crucial when looking for the herbal remedy that you know what you are after.

The flowers of Calendula have been used for centuries for a variety of ailments and health problems. Some of those benefits include:

  • Wound healing
  • Burn soothing
  • Immune boosting
  • Collagen regeneration
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Liver, gallbladder, and uterine tonic
  • Anti-fungal
  • Rash soothing
  • Calming scrapes, cuts, bites, and other minor wounds
  • General skincare

Calendula officinalis also has antimicrobial, antiviral, and astringent properties, and is a go-to skin treatment for many herbalists.

“Calendula is such a soothing and calming skin herb when used topically,” says herbalist Dawn Marie Dillon of Breathless Beauty. “I use Calendula in every baby soap and salve I make.”

Making Calendula Oil

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Life Unfolds In A Series Of Seasons

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Inspire Me Today | August 9 2012

Life unfolds in a series of seasons: with each season that passes, you either move closer to or further from self-actualization and your fullest potential. ~ Kongit Farrell

Your life is a seed and life is a series of seasons.

What do I mean by this? Well, imagine that planet earth is a huge garden and that each individual life is a seed. A person’s environment becomes their garden and each person is their own gardener.

If a gardener does not understand that his seed needs to be protected in a safe garden environment and nurtured regularly; or that it will only sprout after a cycle of seasons passes, he might starve his seed, dig it up prematurely or let other gardeners or bad weather prevent it from blossoming.

The same goes for life: We must protect ourselves from harmful environments and the people, things, and situations that don’t nurture us. We must not force ourselves into situations before the season is right – because when we are patient, protective and nurturing, our life seed will blossom peacefully, effortlessly and gracefully.

I have found that having the awareness that my life is a seed and life is a series of seasons has helped me to expedite the self-actualization process, with minimal drama. Having been one who neglected my garden on numerous occasions in my youth, I can tell you from experience that moving towards your goals in harmony with life’s seasons is much easier and much more peaceful than not.

When you don’t protect yourself and your life, you leave it to the fate of the elements and as we see in nature, sometimes they are not kind. The elements can come in many forms, including stormy relationships, cold employers, or clammy health.

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