Tag Archives: seedlings

February 29, 2024 · 8:10 pm

Spring Greens )O(

Merry meet all,

I am so done with mundane society. I desperately want to move to Middle Earth and be an elf- and I want there to be no Sauron ruling the world there either. I’m ready to go, all packed. Oh I wish I could. Don’t we all? Instead, I am stuck in this mortal realm. But is it really that bad? My rent increased but not to an astronomical height thankfully. There is hope yet despite wars, starvation, crime, drugs, poverty, weapons blasting buildings, desperation, environmental degradation, pollution, climate change. I have to believe there is yet hope. The odds seem stacked against us but if we lose hope, then the bad guys win.

I find joy in my sweet cat, watching birds visit the bird feeder, and in knowing spring will soon grace us with her return. The Crone will eventually give way to the Maiden. The earth will turn green again and be full of fertile energy. Yes spring equinox surprises us next month. It almost seems hard to believe. I hate it that my tired feet suffer over hard packed snow too. I miss my garden so much. Feeding the birds and helping my herb seedlings I have been growing all winter comforts me.

Today I bought a bag of soil for starting seeds and a large white bucket. I plan to begin my onion seeds soon as well as other herbs. My seed starting project with the ziplock bags is going well. The mint seeds, the marshmallow seeds have taken off so far and one purple basil seed germinated. The other seeds are germinating much slower. I like to start seeds in ziplock bags that way because I can know for sure then what the germination rate is. I can’t wait for spring. I am sure I am not the only one.

The interior of my apartment looks like a smaller Middle Earth. I am sure I belong there. Alas, spring equinox begins in March on the 21st. We can move our clocks ahead one hour in March. March means spring and I can’t wait. I know March is also the cruelest month weather wise and so is April but after that, the world gets green. 

I have been thinking hard about where I will grow my onions and potatoes this summer. I can grow the potatoes in grow bags. I have to buy another grow bag because then I can get a bigger harvest. I am not sure yet where I will grow my onions. I have time yet to decide that. This is the time when most gardeners who are serious about gardening decide those sorts of things though. I wish I had the room for growing a hundred potatoes and onions. I would be stocked all winter. I have only a small space. I am growing garlic too. I decided that I want to grow purple onions in between the rows where the garlic is growing in the box. I have yet to decide where I might grow the white onions though. Then there is the matter of growing root veggies successfully. Only too often I get the greens of the root veggie but not the root I want. But now, thanks to a hurricane ironically, a large branch has fallen off the nearby tree in my garden. So now my garden gets more light which it needs. As for the soil itself, I have successfully created compost. I also plan to really dig the soil and add the right nutrients in the right amounts. I also want to grow the onions in containers as the rest of the space is claimed by herbs. So, it is probably understandable that I am really thinking about where to grow the white onions. 

I want to grow carrots in the white bucket and a turnip. It can be done, I have seen it on YouTube videos. The bucket is food safe. I’m planning on starting the carrot seeds indoors and when the temperatures are warm enough, moving the white bucket outdoors. I need to get a lot of soil though. I think I can even get it at the dollar store. I do not have any fertilizer though. I can always work in the fertilizer though when I mix up the soil and water it. I can also add the ground up eggshells to the soil. The bucket is big and deep. I will need a lot. Canadian Tire, the local hardware store, did not have the large bags of soil I wanted. I can use that for the onions and my other starts. Yeah it is easy to add a fertilizer to soil. I am sure carrots are forgiving about the quality of soil they will grow in. They need nitrogen to grow the greens then they need less nitrogen to grow the root and more phosphorus later to grow the root. I plan to also cover the topsoil with shavings (for guinea pig cages) to keep the soil moist to ensure the carrots grow their very best. I can’t wait to get started. Carrots don’t like to be disturbed. I don’t see the point of thinning. I want to arrange the seeds in a way where I have control over how many sprout. I will arrange then in a clock face pattern. Thinning seeds, to me, is wasting seeds. I don’t have the money for that- basically throwing seeds away. So yeah I am excited to grow plants again! C’mon, spring!

I want to grow catnip for Penny of course. Last year, I had nettle not catnip. This year, well I should just start the seeds in a ziplock baggie. That usually tells me which seeds will germinate and which ones won’t. Of course, the flip side of this is that I have to keep the catnip away from Penny. I will start the seeds in May then. That way I don’t have a long wait to keep her away from eating it. I bought purple top white globe seeds and sweet pea seeds. I also bought ashwagandha seeds and St.John’s wort seeds. I can’t wait to start those seeds either. 

Yup I look forward to spring’s return. It feels so long ago. Time is speeding up and where it leads us to, I do not know. I had special handouts from Herbal Academy about herbs laminated at the local print centre. I plan to have a more special handouts/notes laminated. It makes it easier to refer to them and they are protected from stains too. I want to keep them in the kitchen, not just my binder to refer to. 

I have plenty to look forward to this spring! I am eager to get started. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

 

 

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May 18, 2023 · 12:16 pm

Seedlings vs. the Frost

Merry meet all,

I never thought I would thank a hurricane for cutting off a tree branch but I have. A tulip blossomed in my garden – FINALLY! The chopped off tree branch means that my garden gets more light at last. So now I get a tulip that has never grown a flower for years. The tulip is beautiful, and I plan to plant more bulbs this fall. I get more light now so why not? 

I may see more flowers but we still have frost. I am just itching to put my plants out but that would kill them and put them in shock. It is so cold out I can’t even have the windows open. The days are sunny but the wind is icy cold. 

Nevertheless, I am excited now to see what the advantage of better and more sunlight means for my garden this summer. I will probably see an increase in flowers and vegetables growing better. The tulip is a good sign! I have yet another reason to look forward to summer, if this frost ever leaves. I can’t wait to put my long suffering plants out. My mugwort plants are so big now. One long stem is growing bent over but when I plant it in the garden, I will help the stem grow straight. My mugworts are almost three feet high. I grew them from seed and that tells you how long I have waited for the frost free days to arrive. 

I have a new issue of Willow and Sage magazine. I want to make the marshmallow root lotion bars recipe. I have some cool Celtic molds for making the lotion bars in a cool shape. I also have skulls, witch hats and other molds to use. That will look great. The witch’s flying ointment is still steeping. The oil is a dark colour. That will turn out great. My squash is flowering and growing male flowers without being pollinated by a bee. I feel so bad for my squash vine but it is not warm enough to out. This is the problem. It really needs to warm up. I have a frost cloth but I doubt that will help. I suspect the frost is truly overstaying its welcome. 

For years my garden has been a shade garden. That is changing now, and I am very happy about that. The first week of June will be safe enough to set my plants out. I have grown all my seed starts from seed, nurtured them, watered them, fertilized them and weeded out the weak plants. Soon nature will take it from there when they get in my garden. I can’t wait. I added dandelion greens and chives from the garden to my breakfast this morning! That is one of the perks of living here, going out to my garden to get herbs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Penny keeps an eye on Gilbert, the tenant’s new cat. He is an outdoor cat and usually is on a leash. He is so cute. Penny gets excited when she sees a cat in the yard, seeing as she deems it her territory. The outdoor cats don’t give a fig. They drive her crazy roaming about in the yard, because to them, it is her turf. I love seeing her act up when cats are nearby. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

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April 13, 2022 · 1:19 pm

Seeds of hope, flowers of glory )O(

Merry meet all,

Oh my goddess ! I have so many seedlings in my apartment I could fill a store up with them. I’m running out of room. I decided I would share tips on how I successfully began my seedlings in this post today. Grab a cuppa herbal tea and enjoy this post!!!

First, let’s begin with you figuring out what your intentions are. Do you want to grow lots of veggies to hold off on a possible food shortage? Do you want to grow a witch’s garden for teas and potions? Do you like a conventional garden of just flowers and herbs? Do you dare to grow some poisonous witch’s herbs? ( in which case, if so, research them first and please, PLEASE don’t plant them if kids and pets visit your garden. Or grow in pots indoors away from kids and pets- and wildlife and adults.)

Do you have the room and the budget and the time to devote to a garden? Once you have fully realized your intentions and answered the other questions, we can move to the next step. Growing the witchy herbs that you can harvest and enjoy all summer long. My intention is easy. I am studying herbalism and so I want to grow herbs that I can learn about at the Academy. I want to grow a lot of herbs to save money and not need to buy them at a local organic food store. I want to learn how to use these herbs medicinally and for my witchy path too. See how I did that?

Growing your own herbs helps you get to know the plants on a deeper level too. Herbs like mint, parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme and sage are good herbs  for healing and can be used in cooking. Yarrow, white, sage, nettles, mugwort are also witchy! Choose organic or heirloom seeds. Use good quality potting soil. Do use good soil. Don’t waste your money on low quality soil. The care you give the seeds and seedlings now pays off hugely in the future. Good quality soil encourages stronger root growth and helps you grow stronger plants and is affordable. The benefits you will receive of growing stronger plants outweights opting for cheap soil from a dollar store. Go with the strong seedlings and then you can choose which ones to thin out later.

Use a grow light or a big sunny window to grow your plants. I don’t own a grow light. I just arrange the pots at a window and sacrifice the space in my home until the frost passes. I water them frequently when the soil is dry. The trick is not to overwater the seedlings. Get a spray bottle to mist the plants. Don’t drown them or the roots will rot. 

So, now you know why you want to grow herbs, you have your grow lights and/ or a sunny window, your soil and your organic heirloom seeds. Now what? Here is the fun part and the hardest part- you have to have patience. Plant one or more seeds- just a few- in each starter pot. Label the pots to know what you planted where. That makes it easier on you unless you have an amazing memory. I can never remember. You can use popsicle sticks for labels. You can even draw sigils on them or witchy pentacles! Use your imagination!

If you have a plastic dome, cover the starter pots with the dome. This traps the moisture which seeds like to grow. You can empower the seed pots with your witchy intentions for them to grow strong. If you don’t have a dome, use saran wrap to cover the pots. Don’t layer it on to smother the plants. Leave an inch or two of space because that might kill the plants. Every so often, lift the saran wrap and let them get full sun. When they grow their true leaves, keep the dome or wrap off. Have lots of patience here. You get more life out of the green babies with tons of sweet talk and coaxing than using brute force. Trust me. Now is the time to cultivate a nurturing nature. I am not saying you would be cruel but gently guiding them and not getting angry if you don’t get the results you want is much better. Sometimes, plants just won’t grow for whatever reason.

When they outgrow the starter pots, you can gently tuck them into slightly bigger plant pots. That is the fun part! I love watching plants I began from seed grow into these beautiful herbs. I just love that, that and their scent. There are just so many amazing things about herbs.  I can’t list them all here but I know you know what I mean. 

The tips:

  • Remember, don’t over water them!
  • Keep the soil just moist.
  • Practice organic gardening methods.
  • Choose good quality soil and good starter pots. 
  • Be gentle and don’t use pesticides. You kill the beneficial insects. 
  • Trust that the herbs will grow into beautiful plants. Let go and let mama earth do what she do best. 

I can’t wait till the frost passes. I can’t wait to grow the white sage, sage, yarrow, kale, leeks, peppers, tomatoes, borage, anise, calendula, cucumbers, echinacea, dill, and lemon basil – all begun from seeds – outdoors. I cannot wait. I have saved scarlet runner beans, the seeds I have mentioned here and rue and yarrow seeds on order. I can’t wait to get growing! 

It is all predetermined in a single tiny seed. That seed can grow into a huge plant. Each seed contains the DNA of the plant. If that doesn’t amaze you, it sure amazes me. Some seeds have to be planted 1/4 inch under the soil and some need to be planted deeper into the soil. I go by the sizes of the seeds to determine that. Bigger seeds can go deeper into the starter pots. Seeds, like chamomile, are just spread over the surface of the soil. They are so tiny and fine. 

Here is the link to a company using organic methods and seeds: https://strictlymedicinalseeds.com. 

If you get dark, rainy weather like we do here in the Maritimes, then you can turn a lamp on and place it next to your plants. This helps them get maximum light. A grow light does help plants grow well. You can also use a fan to trick the plants into growing thicker stalks and stems. It mimics the wind. 

I hope the above tips and tricks inspire you to get growing your own amazing herbs! Blessings, 

Spiderwitch

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April 23, 2021 · 11:24 am

Newfoundland oddities

Merry meet all,

I’m growing a variety of seeds in starter pots. Tomato, basil, dill, chard, popcorn-you read that right, cucumber, cilantro, pumpkin, gourds, luffa, arugula, lavender, sage, green bunching onions and elecampane and cabbage. That seems like a lot but imagine the harvest! Plus, it’s all delicious! 

I have setup two lamps where I have my seedlings. That is to ensure they receive the maximum amount of light. It is very overcast here most of the time. They will get a higher amount of light from the bare light bulbs. I leave them on all day. I used white styrofoam cups to start the seeds in. That means the roots have more room to develop. I labeled each cup and poked holes in each cup in the bottom. That lets the water drain and keeps the seedling roots from rotting. Now all I need is the frost to pass so I can put the seedlings outside. It’s not time yet for that. 

Today I want to tel you about a Paranormal podcast in Newfoundland. I hope you enjoy this post!! 

Paranormal Podcast focuses on Newfoundland oddities

Sadie-Rae Werner
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Jon Mallard’s “The Odd to Newfoundland Paranormal Podcast” is published on the first of every month to share strange and paranormal stories.
Jon Mallard’s “The Odd to Newfoundland Paranormal Podcast” is published on the first of every month to share strange and paranormal stories. – Contributed
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“I don’t really believe in ghosts, but this one time …” is the line Jon Mallard, host, creator and producer of “The Odd to Newfoundland Paranormal Podcast,” a paranormal variety show, has heard time and time again.

Mallard has been a paranormal investigator for five years. He began his monthly podcast four years ago because he realized paranormal investigators were somewhat isolated in Newfoundland, and a podcast could be a way to start talking to people outside the province.

“The coolest thing about the show is the reach,” says Mallard, “It’s an amazing thing.”

The podcast has grown significantly since it began and now appears on a myriad of search engines with over 33,000 subscribers on PodBean alone, coming from as far away as Japan.

Related story:

A ghost that walks the train tracks

Each episode is composed of different sections including hot topics in paranormal news that month, and true facts that are out of the ordinary. Every podcast feature guests from Canada or around the world, including Newfoundlanders such as folklorist Dale Jarvis, Energy worker Betty Collings, and Henry Crane of Bell Island to discuss topics ranging from haunted houses to big foot and wrestling.

Mallard converted one of the closets in his home into a recording studio, and records and edits the podcasts himself. One of his favourite episodes was released one year ago on July 1, 2017 called “Canadian Odd-yssey.”

“It was awesome because I got to highlight all of the odd things that are out there in our country,” says Mallard about the episode.

Mallard hopes that the podcast will one day be picked up on local radio stations because they are yet to broadcast a paranormal show about Newfoundland.

“One thing that really ties all things together around the world is oddness that we live in,” says Mallard.

“My dream is for everyone to know what ‘The Odd to Newfoundland Paranormal Podcast’ is,” says Mallard who doesn’t aspire for the podcast variety show to necessarily become a big part of people’s lives, but instead something they can look forward to enjoying regularly.

In addition to “The Odd to Newfoundland Paranormal Podcast,” Mallard is married and the father of two children, seven and two, and works as a type of foster parent. His family has been “100 percent” supportive of the podcast and his wish for it to continue growing in the years to come.

“I would love to see more Newfoundlanders subscribing to my podcast and supporting their own,” says Mallard.

“The Odd to Newfoundland Paranormal Podcast” is published on the first of every month and can streamed or downloaded off a myriad of engines including I-tunes and can be subscribed to on PodBean (http://oddtonewfoundland.podbean.com).

sadie-rae.werner@thetelegram.com

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Port Morien Wildlife Association Members Nominated for Award for Work on Accessible Fishing Site in Cape Breton

Credit given to https://www.saltwire.com/newfoundland-labrador/lifestyles/paranormal-podcast-focuses-on-newfoundland-oddities-223500/

Blessings, Spiderwitch

Links of interest: !!

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April 29, 2020 · 9:57 pm

Changes

Merry meet all,

I have been busy recently. I worked in my garden! I am excited about that. I have started lots of seeds in the jiffy peat pots- 72 in total. I am hoping to soon grow herbs and veggies. I bought a peat pot tray that holds 72 peat pots in total. I watered the pots which expanded. That was so exciting to me. Then I filled each small damp peat pot with seeds. I then left the tray in the dark for a f ew days. But today I checked on them and I thought I saw mold. I left the tray on my counter and removed the lid. I now have two tiny seedlings!! I think it is two tiny elecampagne seedlings or of yellow mustard. I am so excited. 

I cleaned my garden and planted peas in a planter. I left the planter outside but I left leaves on the surface to shield the seeds from the cold and birds. Tomorrow I will check on the seeds. Peas like the cold temperatures but there was snow. The frost date is soon. I won’t set out any more plants until the frost passes on May 8. My perennials are growing! It is so good to see my garden again. I am cheered by my garden despite this insufferable lockdown. 

Another bit of news that has cheered me is that Teamworks has funded a copyediting course for me. This is awesome. There is no way it would have been possible for me to take the course if they hadn’t funded it. They are also buying me the book The Chicago Manual of Style. I am ordering the Associated Press Style book. I can’t expect them to pay for everything. I also ordered a dictionary that the instructor of the course will refer to. 

I can finally get a job doing copy editing for people after this. I am so happy to finally be out from under. I have also bought and downloaded Scrivener. I received the benefit from the government because of the pandemic (which to me is such a hoax). That is my opinion. I am excited to work on my novel using the renowned Scrivener. I bought a printer and an external hard drive. 

I guess I can’t call myself a luddite anymore. No more commutes to the library or to my evil mother’s place for printing jobs. No more watching disrespectful teens get arrested who never learned how to shut their mouths. I can print finally from my own home. I am in more control now. It feels very very good. 

It feels so good to have a printer, which I bought at Walmart. They sell printers at Staples but it is too expensive. So I am happier these days. I can print from home if I need to instead of riding the bus to the library. I can have a coffee here instead of paying $3 every time or nearly every time I go there. No more of the depending on others. A thing of the past. 

I am participating in a free live training to learn Scrivener tomorrow! I look forward to it. I hope you have all been healthy and well. I hope this weird as fuck lockdown is over soon. It denies us our basic human rights. 

I also have all the fabric pieces I need to finish making my cosplay pattern- the nightfell herbalist costume. I have everything I need but there are still big changes I have to make before I sew the sleeves and skirt on. I can handle it though. I have a new sewing machine. !!

Spring is good despite this infuriating lockdown.

Blessed Be, Spiderwitch 

 

 

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