Finding (building a compost bin) Healing in Your Garden
No commentsBy Jeffry Bullock
The word for ‘paradise’ comes from the Persian word for a garden and has always meant the same thing in every culture. It is representative of ‘paradise on earth’ and is our opportunity to own a little bit of heaven - here and now. It has a restorative significance as a healer when we understand that gardens provide us with a place of sanctuary and well-being.
The garden has the potential to provide a place of refuge from stress, “the health epidemic of the 21st century” according to The World Health Organization. Medical doctors suggest that stress resulting in illness is the causative factor underlying 70% of all visits to the family doctor. The ability of the garden to provide this place of healing and peace becomes crucial as more and more people succumb to this dis-ease of ‘modern day life.’
It matters little whether an indoor garden is a few pots on a windowsill or a lush garden room, what does matter is that plants add a dimension to the home/and or workplace that literally changes the energy and adds life. There is something about caring for plants and tending to them whether watering, re-potting, or touching the leaves that re-connects us on a deep level with an overwhelming sense of awe about this miracle of life of which we are an integral part. As we plant the seed or see the cyclical nature of the gardens we nurture, time stands still, and we bask in the knowledge of our relationship to the earth, and to the spiritual aspect of ourselves.
Reasons for creating an indoor garden include: corners in rooms and on furniture are softened when plants are introduced and placed in these areas; living plants create feelings of calm and well-being; starting seeds indoors provides a jump-start on spring for those of us who get twitchy fingers in January and allows us to grow different types of plants not usually available from greenhouses; growing herbs indoors facilitates our ability to cook with fresh herbs all year round; teaching children to garden provides an opportunity for the healing aspects of gardening to become a life-long aspect of their lives; indoor gardening is a stress-management tool taught in various classes related to providing a higher quality of life for people dealing with loss through death, divorce, or trauma in their lives.
Steps to Creating your Indoor Garden
1. Purpose - what do you want to achieve - healing, meditation, growing herbs for cooking, or a project with the children?
2. Space - how much space is available - a closet, basement room, living room, corner of the bedroom, windowsill?
3. Seating - is there room in your space for a seating area?
4. Characteristics - create a specific type of garden such as a collection of Ficus, orchids, herbs, or ferns.
5. Features - include water features such as fountains, art, sentimental objects, wind chimes, aroma and/or colour therapy, candles, and /or music.
6. Location - is the location conducive to gardening indoors?
7. Light - is the light adequate or will you need artificial lights?
8. Plants - what plants will you grow?
Indoor gardens can include anything from a tabletop garden, herb garden, healing garden, meditation garden, container garden, water garden, or wildlife garden. Thomas Moore wrote, “We may have to learn again the mystery of the garden: how its external characteristics model the heart itself, and how the soul is a garden enclosed, our own perpetual paradise where we can be refreshed and restored.” In other words, the indoor garden can provide a place of sanctuary where we can take a moment and re-connect with our own sacredness.
Visit the Celosia Flower website to learn about celosia cristata and celosia caracas.
Growing Organic Vegetables - Beginner’s Guide
By Adam Granger
You might have just begun to start growing organic vegetables and herbs or you might be an experienced grower already. There exists one question that seems to appear time and time again.
What do I do with all those herbs.
In the next few paragraphs I will cover some helpful tips for your organically grown herbs.
A lot of individuals will begin using their herbs in a dry form.. Always try to harvest your herbs as early as possible in the day. You only need to use a sharp knife or a pair of garden scissors to harvest your herbs and make sure that the stems are quite long.
1: Cleaning Your Herbs
Be gentle when you are washing your herbs, they can be fragile and will not take kindly to being handled roughly. So be gentle with them and once washed put them on a piece of kitchen towel or perhaps a clean cloth. The herbs will need to dry out once washed so the towel needs to be absorbent so that all the water can drain from your herbs.
2: Drying Your Herbs
You can then tie your herbs into bundles with string once all the excess water has been removed. Then hang the small bundles up in an area out of the way but if possible moisture free. If you can find somewhere warm and dry this is best, something like an airing cupboard is ideal. In case you are hanging them near a window which has direct sunlight this will also be a very good place. Just remember however, that the sunlight will take some of the natural colour from your herbs.
3: Making Your Herbs Ready For Use
Once your herbs have dried out completely you can crush them and put them in small glass or stone jars. I prefer to not use plastic as I always feel this effects the flavor of the herbs. Your herbs once dried will last for no less than nine to twelve months.
4: Freezing Your Herbs
Freezing your herbs is an alternative method you may use. To do this simply harvest and wash as above but when drying you want to make 100 percent certain there is no excess moisture. So keep turning them on the paper towel until completely dry. This is essential for the freezing process.
Keep the leaves and flowers on the stems of your herbs for the absolute best flavour. Once they are dry it is easy to put them into freezer bags and place them into the freezer. One point to note here is to put a label or mark the freezer bag with the date. To get the best flavor from your frozen herbs I like to recommend you ought to use them within 6 months.
When you need to use your frozen herbs simply take them from the freezer, crush a small amount of that you need for use and then return the remainder to the freezer.
Get more information about Growing Organic Vegetables and organic herbs you will get plenty more information and advice at http://growingorganicvegetables.net
Why not give it a go; you actually will love the taste of your own naturally grown vegetables and herbs.
Your Source For Composting Instructions And Information
Thursday, May 27th, 2010 at 7:20 pm and is filed under gardening. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
