Ooh I have some tomato seeds from last year, and some broad beans and runner beans, so they are definately going in again this year.

The strawberry plants did well last year (strawberry tub) so hopefully the yeild will be even better this coming year.

The spring onions didn't do too well, but may try those again.

I was thinking potatoes but in my little postage stamp of a garden I think I have delusions of grandure.....never mind the wire worm! Maybe I can invest in a potato tub or two.

I will also grow marigolds as they are a great organic way of detering certain pests.

There is the usual lettuces as well and also cherry tomatos.

Catnip for the furbaby....he gets so grumpy without his fix!

My next door neighbour bought me a butterfly seed mix for Christmas so that should be interesting to plant up. I think I will for the flowers go for annuals, as I planted quite a lot of perennials last year so it will be just the spaces to fill up around them. The comfrey takes over each year, as does the Borage.

As for herbs, I have lavender and rosemary bushes which are established, so it will be sage, lemon verbena, rocket (free seeds), parsley, mint (in tubs otherwise it will take over) and whatever else I can cram into the herb wheel.

Those catalogues are lethal

Love & Light
Rowan

Yep, the catalogsd are a dangerous thing.....I am an avid seed collector, just ask CoyoteMoon!!

Last year was my first season here in Louisiana, and hailing from Colorado, well, let's say the seasons and climate are bit different.

The tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries did very well...as for everything else...well....not so good. I need to work more compost into the clay-gumbo soil. It is a nasty soil, and to think our house is seconds form the bayou, you would thinkit would nutrient rich....nope, nada, zilch.

So this year my son and I are roto-tilling up the entire garden and incorporating compost from a neighbors farm. I think it will definelty improve the odds....

I will be planting a multitude of herbbies, both annual and perennial, along with tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, onions, garlic, shallots, and in the other garden (we have two 20 x 20 foot patches), the melons...cantaloupe, and honeydew with a few watermelons,,only 2-3 plants of each, for they will wander all over the yard...

In pots, mints and things that will spread...along with pomegrante seeds that CM gave me.

I love seed catalogs, and I have a few fav companies I work with...here are a few links:

The Cooks Garden : http://www.cooksgarden.com/

Fungi Perfect : http://www.fungi.com/

The Herb Cottage : http://www.theherbcottage.com/

Nichols Garden Nursery : http://www.gardennursery.com/

Seeds of Change : http://www.seedsofchange.com/

Seeds Online : http://www.seedsonline.com/

WhiteFlower Farm : http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/

Blessings Bright and Dark,

Im gonna be a bit stuck for planting this year as we are going to be moving during summer break, I planted alot of stuff last year and the garden was beautiful, my herb garden is expanding and the foxgloves, lupins, roses, colombines, poppies, valerian(white and red) daisies, buddliea, honeysucle, jasmine, and everything else, including the thousands of spring and summer bulbs went nuts creating a wonderfully colourful garden this past year.
We grew cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets and the strawberries run rampant through the underneath of everything.
RowanSilverwings- why dont you try using a trash can for your potatoes, usually buying one or two of those work our better/cheaper than specially designed pots/tubs. You can even grow them in thick strong plastic bags too, or if you just happen to have a load of spare tires...lol please take that the right way stack them up and grow them in the middle of them, with each tire spread out your seed potatoes then cover them up adding the next tire and so on. You can grow alot of veg in pots etc.

Hedgewitch you are so right about the spare tires for potatoes!!! I grew them in Colorado that way and we painted the tires the colors of the rainbow....it was a weird site, to be sure, but dang it really worked for taters!! And also a great way to recycle!!

Blessings Bright and Dark,

I am a bit obsessive about my gardens...

I have turned most of my yard into gardens.. Moon gardens sun gardens wild areas just for the critters..

veggie garden's deck gardens.. I work at a greeen house so that helps with the gathering, but most I have started from seed or gotten from my mom..
The herbs I use all the time, in teas or baths or food I am in New England so they have to be hardy buggers..

So if it grows well for me EponaAnu you are set..

I love my Sweet Woodruff for may wine! I have 4 differant cinds of mints.. Lemon balm for tea, bee balm for the bees and tea, Sage for smudge sticks. Yarrow gards my garden and home.. and I use it in a lot of crafts.. Thymes, Echinacea, borage,for pritty ice cupves in drinks.. Chamomile, great tea, and face wash.. Angelica a huge plant if you dont let it flower it will come back every year. Dill, fennel, Oregano, my little toad friends like to live in it.. Worm wood, Rue, Tansy.
I have a lot of interesting plants that just appear, so next time you are weeding look more carefully...
Feverfew (kind of stinky) but spreeds like crazy..
Then there are the flowers... O boy...
I wont get into that.. but

I have found that in giving my plants love and respect (we have a understanding, I take care of them they take care of me) and trying to give them as much as they give me, my gardens have flourished.. O and in harvesting if I drop any thing on the ground it stays there my payment. And if I have not dropped any I leave some....

I miss my herb garden so much in the winter. Since we are having such a strange warm winter so far I still have parsley, mint, lavender and thyme. I am curious, what type of crafts do you do with Yarrow? What type of Rosemary do you have that thrives all year? I bring mine in the house for the winter becasue it dies out during the winter never to return!

Blessings for a wonderful New Year.

Do any of you grow Wysteria? I started it 8 years ago from a 6 inch twig, never thinking it would grow in a harsh climate, and now it has taken over my screened porch. It has actually found its way into my house and has knocked out the screening many times. Does anyone know how to start other plants from this? People are always asking me for cuttings but I can't seem to get them started.This summer I am going to let it travel on an arch to the herb garden, actually it leaves me no choice.....

I do have wisteria along my front yard fence, staggered with old wild roses, and trumpet vine.. The wisteria is still young just a few years old, and since I took seeds from my mom's plants it may never flower(but I planted the climbers for privacey).. But perhaps if you got some rooting powder and some sand you could root some clippings. And wisteria really does like a harsh cutting back, so it will probably flower much more in the spring if you give it a good cutting.. Beware though if you let it get to your house it will pull siding off etc.. its a very aggressive climber..

And I dont get to grow rosemary out side eather... As a matter of fact I cant seem to get it to make it very well through the winter in the house..
I did have a bay tree that did very well for years being brought in for winter but last year when I brought in my deck plants along with my night blooming jasmine came some little buggers(even thought I give them a bath first) It took me almost all winter to get rid of them and they really liked my bay and orange tree's sadly they did not make it... My Jasmine is stronger and I cut it almost to nothing and had to use an insecticide,which I usually refuse to use but I was not going to loos that plant, it brings me to much joy on a hot summer night sitting on the deck...
As far as Yarrow, I use it for all weddings I attend making a wreath for the tip of the gift. (seven years happy) I also use it to make wands,the stems are hollow.. also make little dried nosegay's of yarrow and lavender. and I make lavender wands mis with some yarrow, my smudge sticks some I make with sage Yarrow lavender and mints (with a kick of worm wood) These I use mid winter opening all the windows nad cleaning everything out...

Hedgewitch, thank you, never thought of trash cans. Will definately consider the idea. Thank you for the suggestion of tyres I had read about the tyre thing in Amature Gardner a few years back. Bob Flowerdew (an organic gardener) used them for his tatties and the like. Not sure if i could get my hands on those though, and my neighbours will definately think I've flipped if I do......ah well something else for them to gossip about he he he he, and I do like to give them something to do

Don't think that the bin bags would work as there are a lot of cats and we also have a lot of foxes (I live backing onto a park) so not sure if this would be a problem or not.

The trash cans are inspired though.

Oh and why is my cat (and several others!) all like using my veg patch rather than the rest of the garden! Maybe the little ones are just too lazy and are happy that I'm daft enough to give them an area where the soil is all ready for them!!!!

Rowan

I use my chicken poop also, I compost it with the hay for a bit first... And I make a tea out of my rabbit droppings for watering.... (and yes does that reek!!!) And for my indoor plants when I clean my fish tank I use that water for them. they seem to love it..

RowanSilverwings- You're welcome hun, Im glad that I helped a bit, it's always a good idea just to experiment with things. Try the sacks, the critters may not take an interest in it, we never used to have problems with the foxes and badgers...ohhhhh and good ol' Bob Flowerdew, ain't he great? LOL

The cat issue...cats will do their business in an area where there is freshly disturbed ground, Putting anything that would be uncomfortable to the paws of the cats will work, my friend used to lay down strips of chicken wire in between veg rows...or if you are around when they are doing it squirt them with water, either a water pistol or a plant sprayer set on jet...I wouldnt advise a super-soaker hehehe...its just enough to give them a shock, and you may have to try it a few times.Otherwise try and make another part of your garden appealng to cats with things like catnip etc. Again it's experimentation!

Good luck hun

LOL...well it's ok, as far as I know we don't have skunks in the UK so I think Rowan will be safe in Machester, Unless you have some odd critters up there in the North??

Hi All...
I am including some sites I use for my medicinal gardening.
I too am really into my gardening, and producing medicinals from it.
Hope you enjoy.
I will add another place for naturals and supplies...


www.mountainvalleygrowers.com
www.horizonherbs.com
www.richters.com


Oils/Herbs/Tools and More..... http://www.libertynatural.com /
Liberty NaturalProducts 800 289 8427
They are from Portland Or. and have a mail order catalog they can send out to you.


I've not been posting, but I love being here everyday for all the wonderful information and postings here.
I've sent the site address to my sister and a close friend that walk this same walk.

Please everyone, Have a fun exciting day....