Category Archives: gardening

January 31, 2021 · 1:16 pm

Merry Imbolc

Merry meet all,

Imbolc is almost here! I can’t wait for spring. When I step outdoors, I am hit with a bone chilling blast of cold air. I do have to leave the house sometimes. I don’t have to like the cold. Spring is a long way off but we can now anticipate its ‘return. 

I recently introduced even more order into my apartment. I went to an office supplies store, Staples, and bought two black plastic stackable crates. From the way they were placed on the shelf and that there were just two crates waiting for me, I knew they were meant for me. I grabbed them and carried them through the store. I bought purple hanging file folders- black and purple, of course! I now have my files all organized and I gave the two dozen now empty binders to my Mom. She appreciated the binders very much and I am glad because now the binders have a new good purpose. 

The best thing to come out of this lockdown and Covid was the reorganizing of my home. It is in way more order than it ever was before. I do believe the last section here is the broom closet. I have more space down there but it is far from perfect. I plan to donate a lot of stuff to Value Village where I work. I also bought a cool black wire box decorated with flowers to store my manuscript in. I have to get busy editing my ghost story now that I am under contract. But with my home in way more order, I am sure that won’t be a problem. 

Clutter is a sign of excess. It is good to round up all the ‘clutter’ and then donate it. Donating items to a thrift shop prevents the items from ending up in landfill. That is one great thing about Value Village;- all that stuff would be in landfill otherwise. 

I bought a white candle in a beautiful white marble candle holder. The flame glows nicely and is burning steadily.  I may be speaking for myself here but I will miss the dark half of the year. Now we turn to the lighter half of the year. But I revel, I thrive in the darker half of the year. I do miss my garden. With Imbolc creeping up on us, we can now turn our attention to starting seeds indoors and such. 

Once I see sprouts in my garden poke through the soil, I will be missing my garden. It’s all I will care about. I wish you all a merry magickal Imbolc. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

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July 29, 2020 · 4:13 pm

Lammas Feasts

Merry meet all,

Oh the heat. If  only it would rain. I know I would love it. I want to dance in the rain, my arms outstretched, dancing to a weather spell. The heat right now is inescapable, and so tiring. 

I just watered my parched garden. I am sure my garden appreciates the water quenching the roots and leaves. If I were a plant, I would. If gardens aren’t watered each day, then the roots are forced to reach down deeper for water. As a result, they suffer. It is better to water a garden regularly. That way, the roots are moist, and the plants like those conditions. Then plants are less stressed. 

Speaking of plants, Lughnasadh is almost here! This is my favorite time of year. It reminds me that time changes. I mean it is cruelly baking hot right now here but eventually autumn will arrive. (It could hurry up and bring the cooler temperatures with it, I would not object.)

CELEBRATING LAMMAS

A few ways to celebrate Lammas/ Lughnasadh are:

bake bread, enjoy wine, harvest from your garden or indoor garden or container garden, enjoy a special dinner or do a ritual at your altar. The ritual can be either solitary or with a coven. 

Now’s the time to gather berries, an extra bag of flour, fresh herbs and cheese. They add flavor and spice to any meal. Focus on abundance and what you reaped during this time. 

Enjoy Lughnusadh

Spiderwitch

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May 5, 2020 · 6:19 pm

My Indoor Spring Garden

Merry meet all,

Merry Beltane!1

I am happily planning and preparing for my garden. I started seeds indoors. Like…a  lot of seeds. Also, my garden perennials are sprouting and budding. I am so excited. I feel a lot happier even though we are in pandemic lock down. Somehow it is more bearable since spring has wondrously arrived. 

The photo above shows how serious I am about my garden.

Today was a productive day. I was out in my garden all day. I found the spot where I planted potato slips-or some of them. They were wrong side up. I turned my compost pile- it stinks!! Must be making the bugs happy. Wasps and bees buzzed for food. Birds flew from tree to tree and feeder to feeder. Penny of course observed all. I planted green peas today. I bleached out a planter (where I always grow peas and beans.) It is harder for slugs. I heard from a neighbor that it would rain. So after putting the peas in the soil and tamping them down, and arranging them haphazardly (lol), I scattered dead leaves over the top soil to protect the seeds from the rain-and birds! I set the planter of pea seeds out in full sun. Mm I also bought fertilizer, more seeds- beets, peas (2 packages), nasturtiums, sunflowers. I bought a jiffy pro greenhouse pack of 72 peat pots. The pots expand when you add water! I then planted a few seeds in each pot once expanded. It was so cool. I dumped the peat pot water out in my garden. then returned inside to painstakingly plant sunflower, cucumber, lettuce, pumpkin, basil, catnip, dill, strawberry popcorn, elecampagne, and tomatoes. I wrote down what I planted and where in the tray. Good idea right? Yeah and yes you can grow popcorn. 

So now the peat pot tray is out of direct sunlight until germination. Fuck off corvid 19 I am a busy woman. My hands were brown today!

 I cut up a sweet potato and stuck 4-5 toothpicks in each slice of a sweet potato and suspended 2 sweet potato slices over jars and bowls of water. Once slips are full grown and the frost is past, I shall plant them!! The sprouts are up in the carrot tops. I don’t get a new carrot but I do get the leafy green tops which I can use in soups or salads. 

I also have  a celery bottom in a bowl of water. Sprouts are emerging now though they are tiny. I hope the sweet potato slips grow. I put thick books beneath the starter pots to let them get more sunlight. Every day more buds sprout and they get bigger every day. 

I do believe that the May long weekend is the end of the frost. I can’t wait to get planting. I bought a big beautiful bleeding heart today. The plant had a long stem and had already bloomed. I planted the bleeding heart a little while ago. I love spring! 

I saved most of my eggshells over the fall and winter. I shall add the crumbled shells to my plants this summer. I bought new fertilizers on top of my older ones. I now have a new bottle of Miracle Gro and a new package of organic bone meal. I saved my fertilizers from last year. That should keep my plants healthy and productive. I bet you can all tell I am eager to garden. 

You can still garden during the pandemic lockdown. It just takes more foresight and thought. I bought a coir planter that I hope to grow lettuce in. It has a hook. I will hang it up to keep the slugs out! 

The birds are busy at the bird feeder. Once it is full, the competition is on. Well I know that if I offer food, they will come. A mouse dug himself a hole near the bird feeder and is likely enjoying  the free supply of seed! I hope he survives the cats that patrol the neighborhood. He survived the winter, probably because I kept the feeder full. Maybe he hibernated. 

Well many spring blessings to you alL!

I am off to enjoy dinner!!

Blessed Be, Spiderwitch

 

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March 13, 2020 · 1:41 pm

Spring bling

Merry meet all,

Hellbound Book is publishing my short story, How the Crow Flies!! I am so excited. They are aiming for an anthology release at the end of the month in April. Oh I can’t wait. I already sent the proofs back to the editor. 

I also applied for an arts grant. I want to complete a book of dark verse and the grant sure would help make that a reality. I hope I get it. I sure worked hard enough in publishing my writing. I worked hard on the arts grant application. Cross your paws for me, dear readers! 

Ostara is almost here! I am so happy about spring. My seedlings didn’t work out. I blame the seedling pots I used. From now on, I am using the plastic black pots to start seeds. I  haven’t posted much because I sprained my hand. I had to heal my hand and get better. So sorry readers but that had to come first! I feel beter now. 

I began an account on Instagram for my cat Penny. She can be found purrfectly content and purring at #pennygingercat! I am determined to make her famous! There has been a good response so far. 

I wish you all a wonderful spring equinox!!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

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February 27, 2020 · 11:36 pm

Spring Blessings

Merry meet all,

I am huddled up at home with my kitty cat Penny. A storm rages outside. The winds howl like an unholy symphony, the trees batter my windows, and rain splashes on the windows. The ground is a huge ice rink all over Haligonia. Wild horses couldn’t drag me out there. I guess I am stuck sipping tea all night instead of Kahlua. Fortunately I still have power. 

The next turn in the Wheel of the year is Ostara! ( It looks like anything but spring out there today). Remember to turn your clocks back! I have been busy polishing an arts grant proposal so cross your paws for me! I hope I get it! 

I love the dark half of the year. I really do. But there is just something about spring. It holds promise and newness. It brings out the gardener in me. I bought a bag of soil and small black planters. I am just deciding where I shall put my seedling planters. I have a cat that is insatiably curious (like me) and wants to get into them. So I have limited space. I’ll think of something. 

I love spring. I am a gardener. As much as fall to winter brings out the darkness fan in me, spring is the season of the Maiden. The Crone dies so the Maiden can be reborn. The sign of spring buds or my snowdrops in the garden or buds on tree branches fills me with excitement. Even seeing my seedlings growing in their little pots excites me like nothing else. So far they are doing good. I water them. I set a lamp where the seedlings are growing. I leave the lamp on all day. They get extra light and warmth. This will hopefully encourage them to grow better. 

I believe that dark magic or necromancy, communicating with spirits can be done no matter the season. The dead are all around us, especially our guardians and ancestors. They never go away. So before you panic because you think the light half of the year means no more of that magic, pause. Our ancestors and guides are always with us. If you onor them, they will do the same for you. It is all about your will and intent. 

Let me know what you planted in the comments!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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October 6, 2019 · 3:02 pm

My Favorite Color is October

Merry meet all,

I went shopping this weekend. I conjured cool Halloween items. The first on the list of cool Halloween items is a very large black (of course) rubber spider web doormat. I love the huge rubber rug. My cat likes it too. The next on the list is a set of 4 skull black and white dinner plates. The plates have a trim and a large skull in the center. I bought a cool black thing you rest your cooking utensil on. I bought some black and orange candles, an orange pillar candle that smells of lovely pumpkin spice, a black wand that makes mystical sounds, a beautiful black wire elven crown, fairy wings that I shall cover with black fabric later and lastly, a black spiderweb placemat and black spider web doilies. 

Yes I am ready for Samhain. I am planning and preparing for a Samhain Séance party. I bought a large jug of cider for my legendary cider mix. I am offering pomegranate seeds, barmbrack bread and pumpkin bread, and of course roasted seeds. Carved pumpkins will glow eerily among the candles and incense shall fragrance the room. I hope it all bewitches my guests. 

One note about the barmbrack bread: I may not leave the traditional items in the bread, to avoid anyone choking. I am trained in CPR but it would be nice to avoid disasters. I haven’t begun decorating yet. I will do that later. 

I bought a cool Halloween magazine, which is packed with a million suggestions. I am inspired by the issue. Are you all excited about Samhain? I am. Well that’s obvious. The movie It is in theaters if you can’t get enough of the October spirit and horror movies. I may catch Maleficent next week. I enjoy watching Ghost Adventures too. I wonder if they have a special Halloween show. 

My story is published in Paranormal Chronicles about how the Five Fishermen Restaurant came to be haunted! Be sure to read the issue! My other story is published in The Handbook for the Dead and released on Amazon! Add these to your reading list! I am excited about it and I hope you are too. 

I can’t wait to sit and read the October newsletter from the Horror Writers Association! The issue is huge. It is not October without the Horror Writers Association. 

I implore you to enjoy the month of October as much as you can. It’s only once a year but I live like it’s every day of my life. If you all saw the inside of my home, you’d agree. Watch horror movies, make your pet wear a crown, pile leaves and collapse on them, roast seeds, and hang ghosts from the ceiling. Let me know in the comments what you did to celebrate the most magical of months. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

 

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September 26, 2019 · 2:06 am

Fall in the Air

Merry meet all,

Tonight I made applesauce. I wish I added a tad more sweetener. The applesauce tasted tart and could have used a smidgen more sugar. That is how I learn. It is beginning to look and feel like fall. 

My garden is dying down. John Barleycorn has died. The metaphorical and literal scythe has fallen. My plants once verdant and green now wither and yellow. It breaks my heart and relieves me at the same time. I know my garden worked hard all summer. My garden has earned its rest over the cold season till spring’s return. 

Pumpkins adorn front porches. The thrift and craft stores are now all well stocked with Halloween products. I went to Value Village last night. I tried on a couple costumes- one of a raven dress and the other was a Witch dress. Neither held my interest. But what did catch my attention were the wings, striped socks- and buckled shoes?, lacy gloves, wands and tutu tulle skirts. I have a costume. This year I want to be a dark faerie instead of the usual Witch. Well one year I was an undead bride. I usually go as myself and this year I want to be different when I attend the annual Samhain Ritual. I happily lost track of time as I explored all the Halloween products. I mean each and every costume, boots, socks, skirts and cloaks. I checked it all out- then went home and enjoyed a hot meal. Yup it was fun. I wished I had some money but that is coming soon. 

This morning, I brought my lemongrass and ginger indoors. Lemongrass won’t survive a winter here in Atlantic Canada. I love the lemony aroma anyway. The ginger had some sprouts so I hope that grows well indoors. I plan to bring in more plants once I obtain terracotta plants. They are better than plastic. I hope the two dill seedlings I brought in fare well too. Time will tell. 

I want to save seeds from my garden too. My tomato plants are ripening on a windowsill. I saved some pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin I pureed and the seeds I roasted!! They are for next year. 

Once New moon arrives, I want to finish my Fire Cider project. The New moon begins in 3 more days. I made Fire Cider, put it all in a jar, and have stored in the fridge. I shook the bottle daily for a complete month almost. I kept an eye on it. I hope the ingredients have blended well. Now I shall strain the mixture and decant the cider into a new clean sterile jar. I will test it and then add sweetener. I plan to have Fire Cider around to combat colds and flu. 

Have any of you begun any fall projects? I would love to learn more. Please comment below. Enjoy Mabon!!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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August 26, 2019 · 3:07 pm

Cemetery sentiments

Merry meet all,

Recently I visited an arts store because they carried Halloween stuff. I strolled through the aisles, and made mental notes on what to buy once I finally had some money. Seeing the Halloween stuff ( statues, skeletal arms, witch dolls, upside down bats, brooms) cheered me a little. Samhain is my favorite time of year.

The air is cooler today. It is still August but the leaves were falling already in the cemetery. I was also recently in a cemetery trying to write poetry. I did get one poem done though it is far from word perfect. I like the cemetery I visited. I saw a moth flitting over the ground, birds pecking for seeds, crows screeching from the treetops.

The engravings on the tombstones were too faint to read. I sat on the stone step, my notebook and a pen in hand, and just sat for a while soaking in the atmosphere. Inspiration seized me. I now want to write a small chapbook of poetry. It will be effort but everything is effort. There were tombstones of varying sizes and shapes. Everyone probably considered me weird seated and doing what I was doing, but I don’t care.

There is no safer place to be. The quiet of a cemetery lets me think. They are not such dangerous places but people should still use common sense. I just like dark verse.

One problem or side effect of being clairsentient and writing poetry in cemeteries is taking spirits home with you. Parasitic astral larvae live in cemeteries and often want to come home with me. While they get my empathy, I am just not sure I want to suddenly see dishes fly off shelves or my bed rattle late at night. I leave the energies there when I exit a cemetery. I do feel for them- I am sure being dead is no fun, but I have to establish and maintain boundaries.

Ah fall.. time for cardigans, cider, root vegetable meals, and pumpkins. Onions, parsnips, turnips, potatoes are all excellent healthy veggies. The skins are often the most nutrient rich part of the root vegetable. So go ahead, as you peruse some dark gothic poetry, enjoy soups and stews. If you grew the veggies yourself and cook them yourself, you enjoy twice the amount of nutrients because you know where they came from. I advocate for organic food. I know I will be. I grew my own garlic, dill, basil, mint, lavender, chives, and even shallots this year. I can’t wait to harvest more. I did harvest my garlic and dill and froze the dill, The garlic is braided and hanging up in my kitchen. I am waiting till the perfect harvest time to gather in the rest. The health and quality of growing your own veggies and herbs is unsurpassed- and not tainted by those horrid chemicals from the supermarket.

Enjoy fall!

Blessings Spiderwitch

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August 9, 2019 · 4:14 pm

Pumpkins Vine Time

Merry meet all,

The Halloween stuff is in the stores!! Oh my I’ll grab my broomstick and fly over and won’t be back till I’m broke!!! October is three months away. I’m still waiting for my veggies to grow though. I am anticipating a big harvest though. This is the time of year when I get excited. I live for Samhain. It’s time to dust off our brooms and our cauldrons, don our striped socks and head over to the stores selling the Halloween stuff.

My pumpkin vine has flowers!! My zucchini plant has a new flower too. I can’t wait for them to get big already. My cucumber plant has lots of flowers but tiny cucumbers. Oh my goddess it’s not like they have all year to grow. Can you tell I’m frustrated?

A real gardener is patient. I still can’t find that gardener. Since we are in harvest season, I hope you enjoy reading this post and learn how to grow your own!

Here are some tips on how to grow our favorite Halloween fruit-pumpkins. Pumpkins need up to 120 days to mature. Pumpkins can be grown from seed. However this year I had luck with the transplants I bought from the local plant store. Wait until all chances of frost have passed. They will grow in warm weather. They can take over a garden too and need up to 30 feet of room to grow.

Before planting your transplants, add plenty of compost material to the soil. You can grow the plants in hills. You mound up the soil and then (If you want to start from seed), put one seed per hill and plant up to four seeds in each hill Make sure there is plenty of room between the vines.

Pumpkins need tons of water. Be sure to only water the plants enough and to avoid root rot. If they look wilted, then the plant has died. Feed the plants a healthy mix of phosphorus and nitrogen, and add more phosphorus than nitrogen, which helps them grow their very best.

If you want to prune the vines, then be sure the vines have pumpkins on them first. When you carefully prune the plants, then you force the plant to stop concentrating on the vine growth and it focuses on maturing the fruit vine. This produces better fruit growth in the long run. Also, consider sprinkling diatomaceous earth under your plants. I did all summer and I have a healthy big zucchini plant in my garden that is pest bug free!

If insects are a problem on your vines, then plant nasturtiums. You have to attract pollinators to pollinate your plants. Aphids, cucumber beetles and stink bugs are a pest to your plants. By planting flowers such as nasturtiums, you will attract pollinators and the insects that might like some aphids for a tasty meal. Plant lots of flowers to increase your chances of healthy plants overall.

Harvesting pumpkins is fun and saves you money!! When the stem looks dry and the fruit is an orange color, it is time to harvest them! Knock hard on the rind of the pumpkin. It should sound hollow. Scrape your fingernail on the rind. It should not scratch easily. Harvest before the frost!

Use your favorite witch tool or boline to cut the pumpkin from the vine. Leave a few inches of stem to avoid disease. Let the pumpkins to cure for a couple of weeks first and store them properly. When they are fully cured, you will know. Allow for air ventilation and don’t dry them out near other fruit. Fruit give off ethylene gas. You can coat a pumpkin in oil which seals it for storage.

Enjoy your glowing orange pumpkins after all this hard work. !!

Blessings Spiderwitch

 

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May 12, 2018 · 7:33 pm

The Good Faeries of the Garden

Merry meet all,

I know it’s a few months till Samhain. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be looking for the spooky happening around you now. In case you don’t believe me, I had a freaky incident recently. I found my copper skull spoon in my garden. I have no idea how it got there. I retrieved it, washed it all the while wondering how’d that happen? So it might be more common than you think. I blame the faeries and brownies.

The movie Mary Shelley opens in theaters soon. I am counting the days and hours till then. I am eager to get to work on my garden. If you are seriously into spirits and faeries, well, working in your garden is a great way to interact with them. Trust me, they are around. And not to mention the spirits in the plants themselves. So that is a lot of spirit work.

I recommend waiting till May Full Moon to do any garden work and planting. There is still a risk of frost. The May Full moon could be a powerful time for inviting the faeries and other helpful nature spirits to your garden. Leave a libation of honey and milk or mead and bury crystals in the soil. Clean the garden, use no pesticides and actually care for your garden. Decorate your garden with artificial lights, wooden pentacles or hang crystals from trees. Add some fairy statues and they will not be able to resist. Faeries care for the earth more than us mortals ever will. So showing you care is a great way to get their help. Then be consistent. If you find certain plants growing unusually well and your garden seeming like it’s more protected than others, it is a good sign the Good Folk are there. I have left my apartment door unlocked (unknowingly to me and unintentionally) and I have never been robbed. I don’t know how I did that. I usually do lock my door. But I am sure something is guarding my place.

One good idea if you like the darker side, is growing dark colored plants. You could grow black hollyhock or black roses. Use your imagination.

If you see pretty bright lights and the birds and insects flock to your plants or bird feeders, they are there. You will know by the auspicious signs you see. But you have to actually be outside to witness the signs. So every time you have some extra organic scraps, offer it to your garden. Keep the feeders full and remember to leave crystals in the soil. They will charge the soil and plants. Leaving offerings to your garden keeps a balance between you and the spirits. Be good to the earth. Try composting and recycling. Honor the spirits. Keep your garden clean and free of debris.

When it is harvest season, you can again leave a libation and thank the spirits for their aid. Decorate your garden with pumpkins, gourds and flowers of the season. The Full Harvest Moon has been allowing farmers to harvest their crops for centuries. There are lots of spirits and perhaps ancestral spirits everywhere. I love the harvest time. I can sense energies so easily. I see them in my house too.

I hope this helps you and keeps you busy during the growing season.

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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