MSN Home  |  My MSN  |  Hotmail
Sign in to Windows Live ID Web Search:   
go to MSNGroups 
Free Forum Hosting
 
Important Announcement Important Announcement
The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More
Wicca Way[email protected] 
  
What's New
  
  Board Listings  
  Rules *Read First*  
  General  
  Classes  
  Post Discussion  
  Coming Sabbat  
  Spell Craft  
  SpellCrafting  
  Health  
  Home  
  Garden Magick  
  Job & Career  
  Love Spells  
  Animal Spells  
  Misc. Spells  
  Money/Prosperity  
  Protection Spell  
  Kitchen Witch  
  Kitchen Witchin'  
  Oils  
  Pregnancy Info  
  Witchy Diet  
  Simplings  
  Wortcunning  
  A Kitchen Witch  
  Witchy Crafting  
  Beading  
  Sewing  
  Scrapbooking  
  Witchy Cooking  
  Kitchen Tips  
  Brews  
  Alcoholic Brews  
  Appetizers  
  Breakfast Ideas  
  Bread Recipes  
  Fruity Delight  
  Veggie Recipes  
  Salads  
  Main Dish  
  Casseroles  
  Side Dish  
  Soups & Stews  
  Diabetic Recipes  
  Foreign Foods  
  Beef & Veal  
  Lamb & Pork  
  Poultry  
  Fish & Sea Food  
  Wild Game  
  Cabin Cookin'  
  Pie Recipes  
  Cakes & Cupcakes  
  Candies  
  Cookies & Bars  
  Special Desserts  
  Sabbat & Esbet  
  Kid Recipes  
  H Potter Recipes  
  Jams & Spreads  
  Sauses & More  
  Spice Blends  
  Nature's Cures  
  Natures Cures  
  Ask For aid...  
  Women's Health  
  Natural Pet Care  
  Green Witchery  
  Witch's Garden  
  DreamScape  
  Divination  
  Psychic Powers  
  Dowsing  
  Palmstry  
  Scrying  
  Tarot  
  Other Divination  
  Celtic  
  Native American  
  Familiars&Guides  
  Native American  
  Medicine Wheel  
  Witches' Year  
  Samhain  
  )0(Samhain)0(  
  Yule  
  )0(Yule)0(  
  Beltane  
  )0(Beltane)0(  
  Ostara  
  )0(Ostara)0(  
  Midsummer  
  )0(Midsummer)0(  
  Imbolc  
  )0(Imbloc)0(  
  Lughnasadh  
  Mabon  
  )0( Mabon )0(  
  Otherworlds  
  Astrology  
  Elements  
  Air  
  Earth  
  Fire  
  Water  
  Spirit  
  ~Book of Shadows~  
  Book of Shadows  
  Alters/Spaces  
  Goddesses  
  Gods  
  Invoking  
  Blessings  
  Rituals  
  Witches Year  
  Sacred Stones  
  Pagan Living  
  Pagan Families  
  Pagan Parenting  
  Indigo Children  
  Green Living  
  Pagan Traditions  
  Druid & Celtics  
  Paganism  
  Shamanism  
  Wicca  
  Other Traditions  
  Magick  
  Candle Magick  
  Wicca Magick  
  Color Magick  
  Dragon Magick  
  Faerie Magick  
  Moon Magick  
  Tree Magick  
  Seasonal Magick  
  Spring Magick  
  Summer Magick  
  Fall Magick  
  Winter Magick  
  Chinese Medicine  
  Feng Shui Living  
  Tai Chi  
  Yoga  
  Reiki  
  Shiatsu  
  Meditations  
  Auras  
  Labyrinths  
  Chakras  
  ~Wiccan Entertainment~  
  Witchy Movies...  
  BeWitched  
  Charmed  
  Dark Shadows  
  Harry Potter  
  News  
  News Clippings  
  Supernatural  
  Recommended Read  
  Quizzes  
  Jokes 101  
  Muses Learning Board  
  Kitten Muse's  
  Mousey Muse's  
  Sylvar Muse's  
  Amathiya Muse's  
  Pictures  
  Amathiya  
  Madame Mousey  
  Graphix Free 4 All  
  Lady Sylvar  
  Kitten  
  Wicca Way Dates  
    
  Links  
  Witch Trials  
  
  
  Tools  
 
Green Witchery : Witchcraft Gardening Basics
Choose another message board
 
     
Reply
 Message 1 of 1 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameLadySylvarMoon  (Original Message)Sent: 2/28/2007 5:18 PM

Witchcraft Gardening Basics
Or, "A Crash Course in a Witch's Garden"

Continued from sidebar

DON'T USE: Oil, wax, meat (small, clean bones are OK), colored newspaper, weeds that have set seed, diseased or pest infested plants, and pet wastes or litters. (which can carry diseases, among other problems)

Invoke the powers of the microbial soil life with a half inch layer of garden soil sprinkled over each "green" layer. When the pile reaches about four feet high, water it well to the consistency of a wrung out sponge, and let it rot! It will slowly turn into fertilizer that feeds your plants and your soil without interrupting the symbiotic relationship between the two. When it is done, it will be brown and crumbly. This process can take from two weeks to six months. If you're in a hurry, you can speed things up by turnig it every week. To turn a pile, remove the top and outside layers and put them on the ground beside the pile. Then continue with the next layers until you've tuned it upside down while fluffing it to let it breathe. If the pile smells bad, or if flies are taking an interest in it, then turn the pile, incorporate more "browns," make sure it's not soggy (cover it in the rain), and cover the top of the heap with an inch of soil or hay to eliminate the problem and disapproving looks from neighbors. Finished compost is used as a fertilizer and mulch around and under plants.

Diseased plants and weeds with seeds require hot compost, one that reaches 140-165 degrees. This technique is best left for more experienced practitioners who are more adept at its mysteries. Use these plant materials as erosion control far from the garden, burn them, or if necessary, dispose of them in the regular garbage. Meanwhile, train yourself in hot compost magic through the recommended reading, intuition, and experience.

Nearly all organic forms of nitrogen, like those used in making compost, contain varying amounts of phosphorus, potassium, and trace minerals. Composting ingredients that contain high percentages of these nutrients will improve your end fertilizer. Trace minerals can be derived from plants with literally rock breaking, carrot-like tap roots that explore 25 feet or more down into the Earth. These plants include dandelions, alfalfa, comfrey, and plantain. Harvest their leaves as a "green" and let the roots put forth new leaves for the next compost pile. The older the plant, the better the fertilizer, as the roots have probed even deeper into the Earth.

Phosphorus and potassium are present in most crop residues and manures, but you may need to supplement your soil or compost with additional sources. Your local extension service can provide information on soil tests that help determine what amendments will improve your soil's nutrient levels. These tests can be costly, but if problems arise they will guide you in restoring soil balance. Greensand, rock phosphate (not superphosphate that damages earthworms and other soil life), crushed granite and glacier rock are all good sources. You can apply them directly to the garden bed according to package directions, or to the compost pile with a handful between each layer. The amendments come in various packages and if you can't find them locally, sources are listed at the end of the article. 

Compost has nitrogen in it, but additional sources may also be desired. the same manures used in compost can be applied directly to the soil. Do this several weeks before planting to give the manure time to mellow. Cover crops are grown exclusively to feed the soil with nitrogen and other nutrients. When mature, they are tilled under, and the soil life transforms them into fertilizer. Life is provided for by death. Every cover crop has different amounts and types of nutrients. Wheat, oats, calendula, buckwheat, and legumes are all common cover crops. Legumes are most often used because they are a group of plants such as clover, beans, and peas that "fix" nitrogen. They have a symbiotic relationship with a type of soil life known as nematodes. These beneficial nematodes take nitrogen from the air and "fix" it to the legume's roots. They look like tiny white potatoes clinging to the root system. They release nitrogen to the plant, helping it thrive. When the crop of legumes is tilled into the soil, it becomes a time release fertilizer as plants and nematodes break down again.

The following tips will also help to create your bewitching garden. These methods can be used in any garden, in sun or shade, and can be started any time of the year with Spring and Summer being ideal.

Raised beds: Raised beds save water, compost and amendments that are only used where the plants grow and not in paths. Crops can be grown closer together which saves space. You do not need to use the "space between rows" recommendation from seed packets, since rows are not used. Only the "space between plants" recomendation is needed. This provides a canopy of foliage that traps CO2 and soil moisture like a suspended mulch. The leaves shade the soil to further reduce weeding and watering chores. Make beds wide enough to reach across comfortably (4 ft. is standard) in order to save work from bending and straining. Raised beds drain well to allow plants to develop healthy root systems, and they solve rot problems in packed clay soil. They also warm faster in the spring for earlier planting and remain unpacked from foot traffic that would otherwise choke oxygen from roots and spread disease. If you use concrete blocks or railroad ties, your bed supports can provide a convenient resting spot. Concrete blocks may leach into the soil making it more alkaline and most railroad ties are treated with creosote or other preservatives that are toxic. There are saw mills (in our area anyway) that will supply you with untreated lumber. A better choice is to try a stone wall if possible. Make paths wide enough so that you can walk side by side with your friend or partner without breaking off plants.

Mulch: Weeding and water requirements are kept to a minimum by mulching. Use compost, straw, hay, woodchips, color-free newspaper, or special mulch papers. All of these sources will slowly decompose, conditioning the soil and slowly feeding plants. Mulch will also save your plants when you are low on compost.

Garden Sanitation: The garden is a sacred space and rain is its consecrated cleansing. It should have solitude during this purifying time. Mud on shoes or wet skin and tools, can spread diseases normally not as easily transported without moisture. If you wish to accompany the garden in this cleansing, do so quietly and meditatively. If you have urgent work to do, limit your areas of activity and avoid touching plants. Many of us enjoy spending time in the garden while it is recharging in the rain. This does not mean that you shouldn't connect with your garden friend at this time, only to do so in a respectful way. Being aware of the possibilities of disease transmission will help you to prevent it from happening when you join the rain festivities.

Your garden's first year of withdraw from chemical dependency may be severe, because the soil life is insufficient to transform its components into nutrients. However, after the first year, it will flourish and the trouble is worth it. While at first resisting the temptation to reach for a quick fix fertilizer is difficult, be persistent while the balance is being restored. Talk to and love your friends through it, touching them, especially the ones in the tobacco family. Members of this family have fuzzy feelers on their stems and leaves and touching them causes thickened cell structure and sturdier, disease resistant plants. Avoid this practice if you smoke tobacco. It is often poorly grown and may contain the tobacco mosaic virus that can spread to other family members including tomatoes, potatoes, flowering tobacco-nicotiana, and datura.

Plants grown with these methods will glow with a mystical aura and they will release their intoxicting fragrances to greet you on your daily visits. The garden will soothe and quiet people, perhaps because of an elusive awareness that something powerful and sacred is happening or because of its visual beauty.

Planting by the phases of the Moon, by Sabbat, or under specific planetary influences will also amplify the garden's energy. This kind of information can be found in most almanacs and I've recommended some at the end of this article . Planting in special patterns of Celtic knots, circles, pentacles, or any imaginative and magic(k)al design that you've created will also enhance and focus energy...

Are you still skeptical of the damaging effects of chemical fertilizers? Organic Gardening Magazine had a blurb in the January 1996 issue about Miracle Grow ® . Apparently, it corroded a one inch hole through someone's aluminum shelf! Now that CAN'T be right?!

Good luck and happy growing!

 



First  Previous  No Replies  Next  Last