Let's work out in the garden some, shall we? With some homework for you

  Good Evening,

Today was a perfect, typical April day.  A day best served in the garden surrounded by the plants all bursting forth with spring excitement.  Much needs to be cleaned off and taken away, as its important to clean any old leaves and debris left by the winter storms off your garden and dispose of it in a mulch pile or by the curb if your town recycles yard waste. Leaving leaves and other debris laying in your garden , such as bark from trees stick and branches can allow mold and rot to get in your flower beds, and now is not a time for death in the garden, but life. So symbolically as well as practically a good spring cleaning is in order.

The moon is waxing towards fullness at this time, and the moon will be officially full on April 18th.  Now is a good time to plant seeds as they will be getting the increasing energy of the moon as it grows stronger and bright. The seeds will get a strong start and will grow healthy and strong.  So plant some seeds if you've already chosen them, if not start planning what you wish to grow.  I personally find indoor seed planting tedious and the results are not as good as planting directly outdoors.  But do what you will, and have fun while you're at it! Read your seed packet closely for the time to sow the seeds outdoors. Seeds are much more hearty than tender, new, indoor sprouted plants that need to be hardened off, another job that requires diligence, space and some effort to build a proper cold frame or such. One can just move the plant trays outdoors for a few hours and then back in again for a few weeks or so, but this is a daily chore. I prefer to plant my seeds directly outdoors.

I find they will sprout when ready, grow as they need to and be a strong, hearty plant from the very beginning. Some plants I purchase late in the spring from farms or nurseries that always grow a good crop of what I want.  Even though I grew up in the country, I am now a suburban witch and like so many people I find myself in plant  nurseries this time of year looking for that perfect specimen. That tomato plant, or dahlia, maybe an herb I wish to work with and I bring my finds home with me.  If I had more space and time to be a suburban farmer I might grow more from scratch, yet I appreciate the farmers and nurserymen who work and dedicate their life to growing and producing the finest crops in the optimum conditions .  .  .   ah to have a glass green house .  .  .  but that is a dream for another time.

And in truth, growing plants from seed require the right touch to avoid having spindly, weak plants and then transplantation! That's a whole 'nother animal.  Did you know that sunflowers hate!!! to be transplanted and many times will die if you try to move them.  Best to plant outdoors directly from seed or with them already in a seed pod.  Seed pods plant better with sunflowers because the roots are not disturbed. That's the key to successful transplantation, not disturbing the root system.

When working with seeds, or bulbs planted in the spring,  be careful to read everything on the seed packet or tag they come with. . This is really your classroom of information on the seeds inside.  Some seeds need sunlight to germinate, and some need a lack of light. Some need to be buried deep and some quite shallow as in Irises.

You know what? My best piece of advice for you right now is to acquire a notebook that you can dedicate to gardening and lore and magick.  Then the first thing I want you to do, is on the inside pages,  outline the footprint of your house. Maybe start in a few pages, in  case this book turns out really well, and it will!! You'll want to go back and put in a table of contents.

Start by having a page as your identification page. Your name, street address (which is important because this book will be tied to the home and someday perhaps it will stay with them home. Just a simple outline of your home, many people will have a square or rectangular shape. Now find out the compass directions and place them in the correct locations on your map.

Knowing that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west may help you, not only determine location but other aspects of your gardening plan.  A good compass is important if you don't know your directions.

We can do a lot from this map, such as determine full sun, partial sun, and little to no sun areas of your yard depending on the buildings, fences and trees in your yard.

Now get outside and clean off your flower beds, and yard. Or if you just have window boxes and potted plants, now is a good time to clean them off and prepare for planting, and for inside plants a nice dose of light weight fertilizer as is always welcome this time of year, and a light dressing of fresh potting soil. 

Clean up, get ready with your gardening journal and wait for your next warm day, or cool day without rain.  In the meantime buy seeds or get planting books from your nursery, if you haven't received them in your mail all winter, and start planning, dreaming and creating mentally and on paper your dream garden.  We'll talk more in the near future.

Homework: 

• Get a journal you can dedicate to be your garden journal

• Diagram your house and property include large trees and plantings 

• Clean off your planting beds 

• Buy seeds or plan your plantings for later this spring

Peace and Happiness



© 2010-2011 Enchantments, LLC Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website.

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