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 Witches Kitchen Garden December 11, 2004 6:33 AM

I have some valarian I planted in my garden.....because the root is used, I hesitate to pull it up and use it. I'd like to hear how others grow their herbs, and where you live, by zone, maybe. Because that really matters. I live in Northern New Mexico at an altitude of 7000 feet. I'm in Zone 5. I am really interested in a useful kitchen garden. Any one else? ts  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
Zone 5 too! December 11, 2004 6:37 PM

I have had pretty good luck using my valerian root in the fall.  No much luck in the summer.  Once the leaves die in the Fall and you get close to freezing, go after your root plants.  Horseradish, comfrey, etc. 

I also have great luck with the mints, of course, wormwood, tarragon, sage, mugwort, pennyroyal, arnica, and bergamot in the yard.  In containers, I have put the lemon balm, rosemary, peppers, patchouli, and basil. 

I got the first catalog for seeds this week in the mail!  woo woo! 

Hope this helps! 

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 December 12, 2004 3:45 PM

Do you replant part of your valarian root, or do you start over? How old do you want it before digging it? woo hoo seed catalogs...I luv em. Have a pile of catalogues and garden magazines in the bathroom. Brighten a winter that hasn't even started yet! ts  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
Oops! I forgot to ask. December 12, 2004 3:46 PM

And how do you prepare your valarian for using? ts  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
 January 12, 2005 7:41 AM

I was in another group and just realized I had a birdbath in my garden once, and I had a crystal cluster in the center of the birdbath....I really liked that. I have learned to use bottled water with it, tho, because it collected calcium all over it. Anyone have a way to remove the calcium? I've tried several commercial products, but they don't really get right down to the crystal. It's still covered with a fine coating of it. I even tried a wire brush with some of them. ts  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
 January 12, 2005 12:07 PM

I live in Michigan and am currently at college using their puters, so dont have too mcuh time to check out what zone I am in...but I have had alot of sucess with basils, lemon grass and other lemon balms and herbs, I have had alot of sucess with sage, rosemary, chamomile, lavender, comfrey.....etc.

Pretty much any herb I have tried to put into a container to have in my kitchen window has worked well so long as I made sure the soil was adequate and that the sunlight was taken into consideration. I have even had my tomato plant in the window in the cooler months.

I dont know if this helps you but I know you can do a search of herbs by zone on google...to help you determine waht plants are best for your environment.

I too just got my Richters herb catalog this last week in the mail....I am already busy planning my herbs for spring and summer!!!!

Blessed be

Laura

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 January 12, 2005 3:54 PM

Tsandi, have you tried vinegar, or salt water?  [ send green star]
 
 January 13, 2005 9:36 PM

Hi, Altariel, no I have't. I did see the vet again today and discussed the kind of sandboxes I'm using. I just tried unscented sand...I use scoopable because it's so cheaper. It has helped....I have two boxes in the house that I clean out twice a day during winter. She said I might put in a third...5 cats. I just realized I put unscented in with the scented....unscented is hard to get here for some crazy rationalization. But I'm going to get some more unscented while it's available and just empty the boxes and put in all unscented to see how much that improves. They just all got feline leukemia shots today, so for the next three days I have 5 sick, cabin fever children on my hands. Some just want to be held, one is really cranky, eeeeek!! My kids are grown...now I'm babysitting 5 cats that belong to my x because he doesn't take care of them! I just know this is going to come back to me in some twisted way....... I'll try vinegar next...thanks for the suggestion, and listening to my rant! ts  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
 January 25, 2005 11:23 AM

I found a recipe for cleaning cat spots in the Jeanne Rose's Herbal.... Castile soap, oil of rosemary and alcohol....you clean the spot with it. The cat won't go there, but it may go next to it....by the time you're through, everything is clean and the cat won't spot. Now, my idea is to clean everything with oxiclean, you have to use a fan to blow away the smell that's released by the oxiclean, and then I'm gonna spray everything with rosemary tea. I hesitate to spray everything with anything oily because the walls need paint sometimes. I hope this helps. Even the vet said unscented sand. ts  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
A root plant should behave like a root plant.... February 10, 2005 7:41 AM

I don't grow Valerian myself. My friend that does tells me that it is harvested when the upper growth begins to die back in the fall. It seems to me that it won't serve you just to leave it in the ground. It will probably rot.

Most root plants work the same way. Pull it up, dry it out by hanging, divide the larger portions. Then part can be used for your purposes and another part can be reintroduced into the ground for the next harvest where it will grow to a larger plant again.

I hope this helps. Let me know how it goes.  --Linda
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 February 12, 2005 6:43 AM

If left in the ground, it grows some more...it's a perennial. I'm wondering if it gets made into a tea, or the like.....I've looked into Jeanne Rose's Herbal and gotten some idea there. But knowing to harvest just when the plant dies in fall, and to divide it & plant part of it.....that's great. Not having dug it up at all, I didn't think about it being dividable..... Thanks, Linda ts  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
 February 23, 2005 9:48 AM

Is anyone planting asparagus this year? ts  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
I am February 23, 2005 10:29 AM

well, I plan to. But I heard it takes years to harvest. So I better start soon.  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
 February 23, 2005 1:28 PM

Plant a lot. You harvest maybe 2 or 3 buds per plant in the beginning years, but as they get older, the more they put up, the more you can harvest. You have to let some mature in order to feed the plant...sunlight. I just nursed some dying and neglected plants that were hiding for dear life in the back of some property I bought 7 years ago. Last year I got about 12 sprigs from one plant....I've been nursing it for about 3 years....I would have gotten more sooner, but the slugs had theirs first. ts  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
Ok, Common names anyone? November 05, 2006 11:18 AM

We have recently moved into our own house, (finally), and I would like to grow some other herbs besides the ones I had at our rented house. Specifically wormwood and valerian. What are these herbs called by common name? It is time for planing my herb garden and while I had great luck growing lavender, sage, margoram, oragano, tarragon, thyme (all varieties) and echinacea. I want to add some other varieties to my new garden but I need to know the common names for them.

Thanks

Xanth

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"SOME KITCHEN INFO" December 28, 2006 5:55 PM

Magical Kitchen Workplace
By: Gerina Dunwich

It does not take a lot of work, time, or money to transform an
ordinary kitchen into a magical workplace. To begin with, there are
many simple, yet effective, charms (such as a rope of garlic, a sun-
catcher, or pentagram symbols) that can be placed in the kitchen for
protection.

A sunny kitchen windowsill filled with pots of magical plants not
only looks good, but releases magical energies into the room. Even
common culinary herbs that are found in the cabinets or nearly every
kitchen possess strong magical properties. For instance, basil is
traditionally used for exorcism, love, protection, and purification.

Parsley is used for fertility, passion, and protection. Sage is used
for healing, protection, and prosperity; and thyme is used for
clairvoyance, courage, and love.
Hang a "kitchen Witch" doll for good luck, and add magic to your
cooking by drawing an invisible pentagram inside your pots and pans
with a wand or athame. (A wooden spoon, fork, or knife can also be
used.)

A well-stocked Witch's kitchen should contain herbs, essential oils,
a mortar and pestle (for grinding dried herbs and other magical
things), candles, incense, an up-to-date lunar calendar, and cauldron
for brewing potions.

Smudge your kitchen with a sage bundle if you sense negativity.
Anoint utensils and appliances with essential oils to bless and
charge them with powerful vibrations. Editor's Note: never ingest
essential oils. If you choose to anoint kitchen tools, either anoint
the parts of the tool that do not come into direct contact with food,
or make sure that there is no way that the oil will transfer from the
tool to your food. Always stir food in a clockwise direction, and be
sure to invite the Goddess and God into your new magical workplace.

THE FOUR ELEMENTS

In addition to the Pagan gods and goddesses of the kitchen, the
spirits of the four ancient elements are strongly connected to, and
make their presence well known in, the Witch's kitchen.

The refrigerator is an appliance dedicated to air. Air is also linked
to the steam given off by hot foods and boiling liquids.

Fire (the source of heat and symbol of transformation) dwells within
stove and hearth.

Water rules over the kitchen sink as well as the liquids used in the
preparation and cooking of foods and potions.

Vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs and spices, and even meats and
poultry are all gifts from our blessed planetary Mother.

These foods that nourish and sustain us are, of course, ruled by the
earth element.

The elemental spirits of air, fire, water, and earth can be invoked
at any time in the kitchen for protection, empowerment, magical aid,
and so forth.

It is through the use of these four basic elements that kitchen magic
is created.  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
Herb Garden June 07, 2007 6:03 AM

I have a nice kitchen herb garden this year.My basil,thyme,oregano,parsley,sage, rosemary,coriander and dill all are doing fine.I planted some chamomile seed this year and it came up,or at least something did,but if it is the chamomile it only grew a few inches tall and now appears to be dying back.It never did flower.I don't know.It is the first year I've ever even had it come up by seed,maybe I'm just not meant to grow chamomile.  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
Tips for unwanted pests in your garden May 22, 2009 10:43 AM

Here are a few tips to help you get rid of those endless pests that always seem to want to destroy your hard work. These methods are generally cheap and environmentally friendly!

General-purpose Bug Spray
· 1 quart water
· 1 garlic bulb
· 1 small onion
· 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
· 1 Tbsp liquid soap (hand soap only)

Chop or grind garlic and onion, add cayenne and mix with water. Let steep 1 hour, then add liquid soap. Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator up to one week. Use as a spray wherever insects are causing a problem

Animal Repellent Sprays
Cats
· 2 parts cayenne powder
· 3 parts dry mustard powder
· 5 parts flour
· Add sufficient water

Dogs
· 1 garlic
· 1 medium onion
· 1 liter of water
· 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Squirrels
· 1/2 ounce Tabasco sauce
· 1 teaspoon chili powder
· 1 pint water
· Dash of dish soap

Use as a spray on the plants and yard areas where these animals are causing a problem.

Aphids, Thrips | Stinging Nettle Spray | Cover 1 quart nettles with water, cover and steep for 3 weeks, dilute with 7 parts of water.

Aphids, June Beetles, Black Spot, Fungus Diseases | Rhubarb Spray | Steep 6 rhubarb leaves in 2 to 3 quarts of boiling water.

Chewing/Sucking Insects, Mildew, Leaf Spot, Rust, Spore Disease | Garlic Spray | Steep 3 cloves of garlic, 1 medium onion and 1 teaspoon of very hot pepper in 1 quart of water for 10 minutes, then strain. Can be diluted with water 1:4.

Chewing/Sucking Insects | Pyrethrum Spray | Steep 1 Tbsp of dry flower heads in 2 quarts of hot water. Pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium) is an attractive perennial with marguerite daisy-like flowers.

White Flies | Mullein Spray | Steep 1 part mashed mullein leaves with 5 parts of water.

Aphids, Asparagus Larvae, Black Spot, Scale Insects | Tomato Leaves | Steep 10 chopped tomato leaves and 1 chopped onion in 1/2 cup of alcohol for a few minutes; apply with a swab.

Spider Mites, Cabbage Worms | Salt Solution | 1 oz. table salt in 1 gallon of water.

Mosaic Disease On Tomatoes And Peppers | Skim Milk Spray | Sour milk has been used against cabbage worms.

Potato Blight, Black Spot, Yellowing Tomato Leaves | Manure Tea (liquid) | 1/2 commercial bag of manure or 1 mesh onion bag full of old manure and straw steeped in 1/2 of a large plastic garbage can of water.

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