garden care | The Paranormal Quill

Merry meet all,

I see the signs of my garden transitioning to fall. The flower seed heads are turning brown and losing their petals. The seed heads are beautiful. Well my mugwort which I cut back, is still growing. Leaves are yellowing and some plants are dying back. The peas are past their time. Good thing I started a second pot. I have a while to go yet before I harvest my shallots, peas, carrots, tomatoes and radishes. Some of the veggies are cool season veggies. I am not worried.

Once the harvest is over, I plan to delight earthworms by spilling the organic nutrient rich soil onto the garden. I am growing the peas, shallots, carrots and radishes in pots. The soil will go to the garden. The soil will be recycled and enrich the garden soil. This will help the soil. I choose to do this because it is one way to create good composted soil. The soil will have lots of nutrients because I grew veggies in that soil.

I always let the leaves blanket the soil all winter. This is always a great way to take care of the plants in the garden and add nutrients to the soil. It is even better if the leaves are torn up and mulched. The plants nestle beneath the layer of leaves to be blanketed by the snow and ice. Come spring, I rake away the leaves and toss them into the green compost bin. Then I add fresh soil and await the cheerful arrival of the early plants of spring.

This method has never hurt my garden. I will never understand why people rake up leaves to toss into a landfill site. They are losing out on a great way to help the soil in their gardens, if they have a garden. Leaf mold is the best enriching kind of compost out there. It’s free, too. So do this!

I also always green my pumpkin. I leave my used up carved pumpkin in my garden to decompose and add more nutrients to the garden. A pumpkin takes a long time to decompose so put it somewhere maybe slightly away from the garden.

If you are growing comfrey, consider making comfrey tea. Comfrey tea is a liquid compost for your garden made from water and comfrey leaves. At the end of the season, cut up the comfrey leaves and add them to a jug or pitcher outside. Let it steep a long time then pour the rich earthy compost tea on your garden. Your garden will thank you. Trust me.

Other tips I can share are to fill a large jug with clear clean water, and add a dime, a bit of camphor and let it sit. Then after a while, remove the dime and on a Full Moon night, empty the jug onto the garden. Or every time that you boil veggies in water, save the water and add that to your garden.

Try these tips for your own gardens this autumn season. Your garden will be prepared for spring with these helpful ideas.

Blessed Be,
Lady Spiderwitch )O(