Radogast's Non-420 Garden Creation Thread

Dennise said:
Just FYI... I heard from Canna this morning and she is doing well and should be at her new job before the end of the month and hopefully back with us soon after that as the new job doesn't do random testing... She seems to be in good spirits and looking forward to getting back to her 420 home.....:circle-of-love:
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Great to hear.
That news rates a circle-of-love :circle-of-love:
 
I planted some outdoor seeds today :)

First planted a flat of Wolfsbane (they used the poisonous roots ground onto meat to kill wolves.)
AKA Monkshood (If monks hoods come in purple.) Aconitum napellus

Mixed 6 parts Sphagnum moss, 3 parts Lobster compost, 1 part potting soil, 4oz rock dust to make about 4 gallons.

2 seeds per each of 18 2" squares. Put the flat outside in front yard near Buddha and the bat house under trees. Put snow on top of the seedling tray.

Also planted two short rows of seeds directly in the ground alongside downed logs.


_ _ _ _


Planted five Paw Paw seeds in five1/2 gallon pots and placed under the trees near the Wolfsbane.

Waded into the brook up to my calves in snowmelt water, in my boxer shorts and shirtsleeves, to scoop up sand.

Soil was 4 parts Sphagnum moss, 3 parts Lobster compost, 2 parts coarse sand, 1 part putting soil, with 8 oz Basalt dust, and mycorrhizae dusted 2" planting holes.


_ _ _ _ _

Transplanted three Blessed Thistle (Cnicus benedictus) from seeking tray to 1/2 gallon pots.

I used the same soil mix as the Wolfsbane. These will grow in the basement garden room for now.
_ _ _ _ _

Planted 5 Aloe Vera seeds in a single 4" pot for indoor growing.
4" pots dry out quickly. With aloe that's a good thing.

Went down to the brook in another spot to scoop up gravel. Dressed more reasonably in long pants, a hoodie and a fedora to catch the misty rain.

Assembled the pot in layers of coarse gravel, 50/50 sand/gravel and potting soil, aloe seeds, 1/8" sand, 1/4" pea gravel and smaller.

This is my first time planting any of these seeds. The Aloe Vera is mostly for cute baby Aloe plants. It could be 5 years or more to maturity.

_ _ _ _ _



Small stones bottom layer for drainage.

20150407_134204-1.jpg



Sand and gravel to mix with the potting soil for layer to grow roots.

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Aloe Vera x vera (Aloe Barbadensis) seeds.
I imagine these fuzzy leaf shapes tumbling in the wind, catching in pebbles and buried by sand.

20150407_135315-1-1.jpg



1/8" sand layer

20150407_135441-1.jpg



Gravel layer. They say gravel in this layer protects and stabilizes baby aloe leaf.

20150407_135751-1.jpg



Aloe germination requires very similar conditions to propagating softwood cuttings (so the websites say.)

20150407_184710.jpg
 
Wading into snowmelt in boxers and shirtsleeves. Tell me Mrs. Radogast stood by laughing at what was obviously NOT your brightest moment of the day. You did get the sand though, so there's that. :laughtwo:

Just curious, how much for the aloe vera seeds?
 
SweetSue said:
Wading into snowmelt in boxers and shirtsleeves. Tell me Mrs. Radogast stood by laughing at what was obviously NOT your brightest moment of the day. You did get the sand though, so there's that. :laughtwo:

Just curious, how much for the aloe vera seeds?
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$4 for 10 seeds. Shipping starts at $3.

It's a whole lot faster taking an Aloe Vera pup or getting gifted a plant by a neighbor. :)
 
Radogast said:
$4 for 10 seeds. Shipping starts at $3.

It's a whole lot faster taking an Aloe Vera pup or getting gifted a plant by a neighbor. :)
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Yes indeed it is. I'm keeping my eye open at Lowe's. At some point soon they always get a shipment and this year I'm buying at least two. When they pup I'll repot some. Then I'll be able to use fresh instead of powder. I like the idea of scooping fresh gel and diluting it then feeding the skins to the worm bin. They'll eat aloe won't they? I never thought about it until now. I'm pretty sure worms will eat anything, given enough time.
 
Great timing Radogast, I am going to start some Cape Ferox Aloe seeds just because as soon as the warmth is a bit more stable. I'll mostly mimic you now. :)
 
Today was an outdoor seed planting day. Not most seeds, just the hardy ones that want to experience cold ground. The snow finally melted on Thursday, so this was, about as early as I could get on spring planting.

New seeds in the ground
50 Verbena officianalis, Vervain (light blue to white flowers)
20 Symphytum officianale, True Comfrey (purple flowers)
50 Asclepias syriaca, Common Milkweed
80 Atropa belladonna, official Belladonna

4 crocus showing flowers, about a dozen tulip leaves poking above ground. Many more to come.

The birds are picking at the ground. I take that as a good sign. :)

The basic ground color is brown leaves, so I'll wait to take a picture until it greens up :)
 
The Vervain likes sun to part shade, and part shade describes most of the property.
With advertised color of white to light blue, I put them in front of the fairy statue in the future Moon Garden.

Comfrey bushes have hanging bell type blooms in a medium sized shrub, which matches well with existing ornamentals on the stream side of the house, so I planted some of them near the treeline to create a corridor of bushes when walking alongside the house. Others are placed in a hedgerow line to define the front edge of the graveyard. I might regret that choice if they grow over waist high.

Milkweed can be tall, so I planted in clumps in the lower meadow and hillside above the lower meadow. This is one of the sunnier areas, but also subject to spring flooding. I also put a few milkweed beside the house and in front because there's no reason not to have butterflies near the house too. :)

Belladonna (according to research) is a high moisture, high shade, shrubby bush you don't want to touch often. I planted these among the swampy edges of the stream at the far end of the island. Mostly near a path among the shrubs, trees and skunk cabbage. The birds should like this.

Belladonna stinks. Skunk cabbage stinks. I'm the only one who walks there.
 
"Not most seeds, just the hardy ones that want to experience cold ground."

That sounds lyrical to me.

Listening to you describe it I can almost be there Rad. I'm looking forward to pictures in bloom. Things don't have to be green to be beautiful. You already knew that.
 
Ranger275 said:
Paw-paws stink too.
Good call on the Belladonna. They definitely like shade and I've heard like wet-ish feet. You say you're planting more, how much do you need? Or is there another purpose?

So this was primarily an intellectual exercise. With the recent Planting Moon in mind, I wondered if maybe you'd cast further.
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Do you have some secret Belladonna agenda Rad? :laughtwo::green_heart:
 
Ranger275 said:
Paw-paws stink too.
Good call on the Belladonna. They definitely like shade and I've heard like wet-ish feet. You say you're planting more, how much do you need? Or is there another purpose?

So this was primarily an intellectual exercise. With the recent Planting Moon in mind, I wondered if maybe you'd cast further.
Click to expand...

It's not how much Belladonna I need, it's how much the land needs plus a little abundance.
I have a shortage of understory brush. All the animals, except maybe the Goshawk, would like more.
The brush I have produces red berries the animals don't eat unless they are desperate. I'd like to have food plants and medicinal plants in abundance.

I don't know why I want to plant more Belladonna, and I haven't a direct message from the verse to do it, but I feel a compulsion, so I'll plant some more.

Re: Moon cycle planting. Some moons really get my attention, this one didn't. The timing of this planting is strictly solar and snow cover. I have a Llewelyn calendar (and a geydyllwith ap Llewellynin my ancestry) ... a Llewellyn calendar with suggested planting and harvest days that I usually ignore. I have a famous astrologer friend with a magnificent garden who has written books about herbs, and he didn't mention moon cycles as truly important. It may develop that I embrace moon cycles in the future, but I classify that more as ceremonial magic than spirit guided magic. This land is so spirit protected that I don't worry about the moon cycles. I read of a hoodoo practitioner who refuses to wait for moon cycles, but uses the clock face to represent the four phases of the moon. By clock face time, I planted well, but it wasn't planned :)
 
Noticed some green on my lawn this morning. Was a nice site. Looks like the spring weather is coming. My fingers are crossed, I've rubbed my rabbit foot, found a four leaf clover.

Do you have any other suggestions? ;)
 
Hey rad sorry to bother you I'm intrigued by this moon planting any links. I've read some stuff on it. Next year I think I'm doing 6 acres of veggies for a local food bank letting the people come work it I'd like more info on the moons importance as next year I'll be doing most of the initial planting.
 
Re Post#378: Earliest reference I've seen is Pliny the Elder. Also see:
Verey, Rosemary. History of Gardening. (Or something like that). She's one of my gardening heroes.
Farmer's Almanac
Maynard, Jim. Celestial Guide.
Emery, Carla. Country Living.
I'm sure there are websites, but I'm analog by Nature. Hope this helps.
 

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