The great historian Howard Zinn died this week, and my local radio station aired a speech he gave near Seattle in April 2002- check it out, it is very interesting and gives you an idea of his wonderful spirit. He will be missed! Click here to go to KUOW.org and download a podcast or listen there.
Peace-
Friday, January 29, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Grow Herbs from Plant Divisions
Dividing Plants: Any echinacea, marshmallow, Sorrel, and other herbs that die back every year are easy to divide into new plant now. To divide Echinacea, take a bit of the root that has the new growth of a red bud, and vibrant roots and put it in new rich soil. The bigger the piece, the better success you will have. One plant can be split into many new plants if they are well taken care of. Water both plants daily for the first week, then just check in with the new plant to make sure it is continuing to grow well and getting enough water & not too much sun- shade it with a cloth or another plant for the first year. You can fertilize them both a couple of weeks after the division to help new growth come in.
I just divided out some valerian roots and re planted them in a row near the Tea Shack last week. The flowers smell so good in the early summer when in bloom, and the honey bees go crazy for it, too.
I just divided out some valerian roots and re planted them in a row near the Tea Shack last week. The flowers smell so good in the early summer when in bloom, and the honey bees go crazy for it, too.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Start Herb Seeds Indoors Now!
It is pretty easy to start some of the medicinal herbs from seed at this time of year in the Maritime Pacific Northwest.
1) Choose Wisely- Choose plants like Chamomile, French Sorrel, Dill, Calendula, Yarrow, and Cilantro that can grow in the moist, cool weather so you have better success. If you see them growing in a neighbors yard, ask if you can gather the seeds - take any flower that has been pollinated and dry it out, it will form & produce seeds! You can start all of these now, and in September again.
2) Plant the Seeds- Get some seed starting mix &/or potting soil, water it well, and put it into 4" pots or seed starting trays. I usually make small craters with my fingers in the pots in four places, and put one or two seeds in each one, add more soil or push the soil over the seeds to cover them. You want to make sure not to plant the seeds too far down, so if they are small like basil or chamomile, I just scrape the soil a bit, and put the seeds where I want them, then press the soil gently- moisten the soil well and mist to water at first. Other seeds should be planted about 2x the size of the seed itself.
3) Care for the Seedlings- Cover the pots with a sheet of glass, plexiglas or plastic sheeting so they will sprout much quicker. Once the seeds have sprouted, you want to remove the plastic some to add air to the mix during the day, and eventually take it away all together.
4) Transplant the Seedlings- About two to three weeks after they sprout, fertilize them, and once the plants have grown two leaves that are distinctive to the plant it is time to transfer them to their own pots (three or four leaves total). You can leave them in their individual pots a little longer if you are going to plant them into the garden, sometimes it takes up to 2 months or more. Don't forget to fertilize with fish or seaweed fertilize the plants at least once a month if they are in small pots.
5) Give them Light- To get them to grow stocky and not leggy while you wait for the warm weather and natural light you can put them under shop lights that are hovering about 2" above the plants and as they grow, raise the lights. You can grow them in a big pot and leave them under the lights for 8-10 hrs a day or by a sunny window until it gets warmer outside. The shop lights I am talking about are a tube of 2 florescent lights that are sold in most hardware stores. If your space is cold, put a towel, piece of foam, or cardboard box under the containers to insulate a little, and don't forget, where there is watering, there is usually water on the ground... good lesson to know before the fish fertilizer spills all over.
5) Follow a Feeding & Watering Schedule- Deeply soak your plants when they dry out to make sure the plants' roots get all the moisture they can, and make sure the pots are draining properly before you water again. Mist small seedlings and leafy plants several times during the day if they are under lights until they can handle the heavy watering from a can.
6) Start a Garden Journal- Starting a garden journal is easy- either take waste paper and bind it together, or buy a cool blank book and make it your own. Anything you think of you should write down.You can learn all kinds of stuff from reading your notes later. The more info you add, the more there is to evaluate. You can divide it into sections for weather, planting schedule, counting your eggs in the basket... make a spreadsheet to keep track of tasks and time involved, or track birds that you see. I often write down names of books I hear about in the columns during the summer, then in the winter I compile my lists and borrow them from the library. Weather conditions, and water usage are usually noted, and I make notes on the growth and habits of the plants, too. You can sit and reflect on the things that you remember, and write down goals for the future anytime. It is hard to write down everything, but remember to keep at it.
1) Choose Wisely- Choose plants like Chamomile, French Sorrel, Dill, Calendula, Yarrow, and Cilantro that can grow in the moist, cool weather so you have better success. If you see them growing in a neighbors yard, ask if you can gather the seeds - take any flower that has been pollinated and dry it out, it will form & produce seeds! You can start all of these now, and in September again.
2) Plant the Seeds- Get some seed starting mix &/or potting soil, water it well, and put it into 4" pots or seed starting trays. I usually make small craters with my fingers in the pots in four places, and put one or two seeds in each one, add more soil or push the soil over the seeds to cover them. You want to make sure not to plant the seeds too far down, so if they are small like basil or chamomile, I just scrape the soil a bit, and put the seeds where I want them, then press the soil gently- moisten the soil well and mist to water at first. Other seeds should be planted about 2x the size of the seed itself.
3) Care for the Seedlings- Cover the pots with a sheet of glass, plexiglas or plastic sheeting so they will sprout much quicker. Once the seeds have sprouted, you want to remove the plastic some to add air to the mix during the day, and eventually take it away all together.
4) Transplant the Seedlings- About two to three weeks after they sprout, fertilize them, and once the plants have grown two leaves that are distinctive to the plant it is time to transfer them to their own pots (three or four leaves total). You can leave them in their individual pots a little longer if you are going to plant them into the garden, sometimes it takes up to 2 months or more. Don't forget to fertilize with fish or seaweed fertilize the plants at least once a month if they are in small pots.
5) Give them Light- To get them to grow stocky and not leggy while you wait for the warm weather and natural light you can put them under shop lights that are hovering about 2" above the plants and as they grow, raise the lights. You can grow them in a big pot and leave them under the lights for 8-10 hrs a day or by a sunny window until it gets warmer outside. The shop lights I am talking about are a tube of 2 florescent lights that are sold in most hardware stores. If your space is cold, put a towel, piece of foam, or cardboard box under the containers to insulate a little, and don't forget, where there is watering, there is usually water on the ground... good lesson to know before the fish fertilizer spills all over.
5) Follow a Feeding & Watering Schedule- Deeply soak your plants when they dry out to make sure the plants' roots get all the moisture they can, and make sure the pots are draining properly before you water again. Mist small seedlings and leafy plants several times during the day if they are under lights until they can handle the heavy watering from a can.
6) Start a Garden Journal- Starting a garden journal is easy- either take waste paper and bind it together, or buy a cool blank book and make it your own. Anything you think of you should write down.You can learn all kinds of stuff from reading your notes later. The more info you add, the more there is to evaluate. You can divide it into sections for weather, planting schedule, counting your eggs in the basket... make a spreadsheet to keep track of tasks and time involved, or track birds that you see. I often write down names of books I hear about in the columns during the summer, then in the winter I compile my lists and borrow them from the library. Weather conditions, and water usage are usually noted, and I make notes on the growth and habits of the plants, too. You can sit and reflect on the things that you remember, and write down goals for the future anytime. It is hard to write down everything, but remember to keep at it.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Weeds you can use!
That is right- the weeds- eat them in salads, in tea, in soups & breads... anyway you like them, those wild greens that are sprouting are edible. Not just for chickens, either. Ease into feeding them to your friends, don't try to make them eat a whole salad of dandelions the first time they have ever heard of eating them. Maybe start by adding a few leaves in a regular salad, or making the herb vinaigrette with some of these herbs added for great digestion. These plants also have forms of minerals & vitamins that we can absorb easily, making them very nutritious.
Chickweed Vinaigrette:
1 C Olive oil
1/4 C white wine vinegar
1/2 C or handful of chickweed, dandelion greens, and "shotweed"
1-2 fresh mustard leaves (or 1 T stone ground)
3-5 cloves of garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste
Put everything into the blender and whirl it around; or chop all the herbs and garlic, then whisk everything together. Use immediately or store for about 1 week in the fridge.
Since you are mixing fresh herbs with the oil, there is a chance of this dressing going bad unless it is kept in the fridge, so use it up! Spring is the time we can use these herbs to help us transition into spring and summer.
Chickweed is the greenest thing in your garden bed, I bet. It tastes very "green" to me,Yum. It is the color of A St Patrick's Day Parade, and if you didn't want it to spread, what were you doing last month when it started growing? Snowboarding....Now it is lush and is going into flowering stage to maybe seed in warm places,and is quite tasty right now.
Dandelion roots, leaves, and flowers are edible, and I just saw a very clever one who had already gone to seed! I am going back to dig up it's friends and make tinctures from the roots, salads from the leaves, and I may make mead from the flowers one of these seasons.
Shotweed is also called wild cress, and it is the plant commonly referred to as a weed that is "blooming" now. It has tiny white flowers, and grows in a little rosette, about 4 inches tall and upright. In a few weeks when you go to weed it will have already gone to seed and shoot across the yard to plant itself in a snug place for next fall or spring. Shotweed tastes alot like arugula to me, with a slightly black peppery taste.
I almost forgot the cleavers, but they won't forget to hold on for a ride across the garden soon on your winter sweater that you will need to take off because it is going to warm up next week! Drink the cleavers in a tea the night or two after you pick them, apparently they don't keep well. I have kept some fast dried cleavers for about 4 months and they tasted good, but I don't know if they lost potency.
Any of the above plants can be made into a tincture or tea or vinegar-
Lots of volunteers mustards, lettuces, chards, beets, and kales are coming up all around the garden, I try not to weed too early in the season so these plants have a chance to grow up. I also figure, the more weeds I make and compost, the better the soil will be.
Don't eat the purple flowering plant that reminds you of a geranium... I don't remember the name, and it is such a "weed" that the people at the Garden Store didn't have a name for it- If you can get rid of it off site, that would be good, but if not, look for it early and get it before it even flowers.
peace-
Chickweed Vinaigrette:
1 C Olive oil
1/4 C white wine vinegar
1/2 C or handful of chickweed, dandelion greens, and "shotweed"
1-2 fresh mustard leaves (or 1 T stone ground)
3-5 cloves of garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste
Put everything into the blender and whirl it around; or chop all the herbs and garlic, then whisk everything together. Use immediately or store for about 1 week in the fridge.
Since you are mixing fresh herbs with the oil, there is a chance of this dressing going bad unless it is kept in the fridge, so use it up! Spring is the time we can use these herbs to help us transition into spring and summer.
Chickweed is the greenest thing in your garden bed, I bet. It tastes very "green" to me,Yum. It is the color of A St Patrick's Day Parade, and if you didn't want it to spread, what were you doing last month when it started growing? Snowboarding....Now it is lush and is going into flowering stage to maybe seed in warm places,and is quite tasty right now.
Dandelion roots, leaves, and flowers are edible, and I just saw a very clever one who had already gone to seed! I am going back to dig up it's friends and make tinctures from the roots, salads from the leaves, and I may make mead from the flowers one of these seasons.
Shotweed is also called wild cress, and it is the plant commonly referred to as a weed that is "blooming" now. It has tiny white flowers, and grows in a little rosette, about 4 inches tall and upright. In a few weeks when you go to weed it will have already gone to seed and shoot across the yard to plant itself in a snug place for next fall or spring. Shotweed tastes alot like arugula to me, with a slightly black peppery taste.
I almost forgot the cleavers, but they won't forget to hold on for a ride across the garden soon on your winter sweater that you will need to take off because it is going to warm up next week! Drink the cleavers in a tea the night or two after you pick them, apparently they don't keep well. I have kept some fast dried cleavers for about 4 months and they tasted good, but I don't know if they lost potency.
Any of the above plants can be made into a tincture or tea or vinegar-
Lots of volunteers mustards, lettuces, chards, beets, and kales are coming up all around the garden, I try not to weed too early in the season so these plants have a chance to grow up. I also figure, the more weeds I make and compost, the better the soil will be.
Don't eat the purple flowering plant that reminds you of a geranium... I don't remember the name, and it is such a "weed" that the people at the Garden Store didn't have a name for it- If you can get rid of it off site, that would be good, but if not, look for it early and get it before it even flowers.
peace-
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