BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Pagan Fairy Garden clean up

Looks like the mint survived the winter and that is all so today I tried out a little present for myself.....a 4 horsepower mini tiller YEAH, and I tilled to get it ready for some spearmint, more lemon balm, bought 4 very nice size lavendar plants, and of course I will add a few herbs. We have a very short growing season so I have learned that if I start plants from seeds, they have to be in pots until they get big enough to leave outside (this means lemon balm has to be in pots, taken in the next winter until it is fairly large). Oh I almost forgot, catnip ! With 5 of them (3 are ours and 2 show up on occassion) the poor catnip hardly gets a chance to grow large.

Eva

Here in Seattle, we start seeds indoors too, as the amount of sun and the temp shifts in early spring can make it hard to get things started outside. Also, we have a cloche (a hooped plastic cover) built over a raised bed and that too helps keep stuff warmer and get it going.

I'm just about to pick a bunch of our dandelions and make a tincture from them. That's my new "thing" this spring... making tinctures.

Our mugwort is already showing signs of being super-huge this year, it's well-established and usually ends up being about 7 ft tall. I picked rosemary earlier, just before it flowered and I'm going to harvest some really good lavendar this year too.

this year I am doing container gardening (vegis and flowers alike). It will be my first attempt. I have done potted plants for the house, but this is my first venture for the outside. I will also plant a few things in the ground outside. Our landlord is nice and allows us to plant near the house and such (who wouldn't when it adds value) but not dig up spots in the yard LOL

Our growing season is quite long since we live near St. Louis. It's much different than the growing season I grew up with in Chicago, that's for sure.

My veges are growing beautifully, but my herb garden didn't survive the cold start to autumn.

But we have managed to attract fairy wrens to the bottom of our garden by giving them their own little water bowl (the bird bath is too big and deep for them).

this year we were warm, and then suddenly a few days ago we are in sweaters, coats, and the furnice is back on. Weird start to spring and summer I tell you!

I am going to clean out my sort of mud room and turn it into the plant nursery. I have 2 poinsettia, 2 years old and right now still in bloom so I figure that is the "magic plant room" and will use it wisely. I am seriously thinking about investing in a greenhouse for vegetables.

Eva

I would love to do a greenhouse. They have so many newer more efficient and inexpensive DIY kits now. I saw one I'd love to buy and if I buy this place, i might just do it

My boyfriend brought up the idea of getting a greenhouse once we put up a fence in the back yard, surprised me, guess hes imagining the day room filled with shelves of little green things waiting to be planted outside...hehe

So we might be looking into one at the end of summer when they go on sale, probably a nice 6'x8' one. We'll see.

Rae,
New to gardening as an adult... how do you know when to harvest lavender or other herbs, how to dry, etc. I have a couple of lavender plants that were given to me and I didn't really do anything with them last year. Any good sites or advice appreciated. Thanks!

When an herb is harvested can really vary, depending if the leaf, flower or root gets used. Most items are dried by hanging in a cool, dark place.

If you do web searches for the specific plant you are curious about, you can often find good info. I don't have any particular faves, as my sister the herbalist seems to have all the info I ask about in her head... LOL...