Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice

by | Jun 20, 2024 | Seasons

Happy Summer Solstice!

 

At Summer Solstice, the Sun reaches the zenith of its annual journey. We celebrate the longest day and shortest night. It is a magical time: nature is blossoming. The veil between the worlds is thin: sprites and spirits easily cross between them, and we may even glimpse the little folk.
The young Sun-God Bel and the earth goddess are reaching their peak in ecstatic embrace, and all nature takes part in their rapturous exuberance.
At Summer Solstice, we honour the Gods and celebrate the life force in all its abundance. Corresponding to the Winter Solstice and the 12 days of Christmas, the Summer Solstice is also celebrated for 12 days. This is a twilight zone where magic happens. At this time of the year, the gods walk among us and hear our prayers. We ask for protection, health, and sustenance and pray that they may protect our crops from summer storms and fires. We bless the corn and the crops, the barn and the animals.

The herbs are now at their most potent, and we gather our annual supplies of St. John’s Wort, Mugwort, Verbena, Chamomile, Mullein, Grund-Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) and more.
Spiritually, it is a time to seek guidance by divination or retreat on a vision quest to hold counsel with the gods. At this halfway point of the year, we reflect on how things have been going for the first 6 months. Did we follow our visions and achieve the goals we set at the beginning of the year? Are we on track, or did we get lost in the tall grass along the way?
Are those goals still relevant? If you have veered off the path, now is a time to realign with your highest goals and adjust course so you can sail successfully through the second half of the year .
If you are unsure of your direction, this is a perfect time to seek divine guidance by vision quest, pilgrimage or retreat – whichever way allows you to commune with the gods and silence the noise enough so you can hear the whispers of intuition.
Above all, Midsummer is a time of gatherings and celebrations – revelling around bonfires, dancing, feasting, and merry-making. These 12 days offer a break from usual activities and encourage us to soak up that pure life force in all its glory.

Happy Summer Solstice, everyone!

Gardening Jobs in May

Gardening Jobs in May

by | May 1, 2024 | Gardening

Gardening Jobs in May

What gardening jobs are there to do in May? Where I live, April has been unusually cool and wet. I didn’t get all my April jobs done, and my ‘gardening jobs agenda’ for May is rather full. The wheel of the year is turning, and the garden does not wait.

Potatoes

If you planted all your potatoes in April, they are probably developing their first leaves by now. It’s time to earth them up now. Cover the leaves with soil, and only let the tops peek out. Repeat this process regularly as the plants grow and develop.

Sweet Corn

If you are planting sweet corn, you can now sow them in deep pots indoors. That will give them a head-start. Transplant them to a sunny spot in June.

Beans

Once there is no more risk of late frosts, you can sow all kinds of beans outside (runner, broad, dwarf). They like a sunny spot, but not too hot. Protect them from the slugs and snails—young bean shoots are their favourite snack. If slugs are a big problem, start the plants in seed trays and transplant them only once they are strong enough to withstand a slug attack.

 

Warmth-loving plants: Tomatoes, Peppers, Courgettes, Aubergines

Your tomato, aubergine and pepper plants are probably growing fast now. There comes a point when they seem to yell, ‘Get me out of here and plant me into the garden!’ Resist the temptation unless there is no more danger of late frosts in your growing zone. But, to appease them, you can harden them off. Take them outside during the day, but bring them back in at night until night temperatures are reliably around 10 °C.

You can also still sow cucumbers and melons—but keep them warm and protected for now.

Salad Veg and Greens

Sow batches of salad vegetables like radishes, lettuce, Swiss chard and Arugula/Rocket, to ensure a continuous supply.

Root crops

You can still sow root crops such as carrots, beetroots, leeks and turnips.

Winter Veg

Sow Leeks and brassicas for overwintering. It is best to start them off indoors to protect them from slug- and insect attacks.

Kitchen Herbs

It is also the perfect time to sow warmth-loving herbs such as basil and coriander. Protect them against attacks from ravenous slugs.

Weeds

May is lush! Everything sprouts and grows – including the weeds. But no need to curse them – if you can’t beat them, eat them! Check your garden weeds to see if they are edible and could go into a ‘foraged’ dinner. Bishop’s Weed, Stinging Nettles, Ground Ivy, Wild Garlic and Dandelion are all excellent in the ‘wild food cuisines’.

Flowers

Sow annuals like Californian Poppies, or nasturtiums in any gaps in your borders for extra colour in the summer. The bees and insects will thank you.

Maintenance Jobs

There are always maintenance jobs that need to be taken care of:

  • If you have a pond, check for pondweed and algae and clean it out if necessary.
  • Build supports for climbing plants.

Keep bird feeders and birdbaths clean.

Happy Gardening!

 

 

 

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Happy Beltane!

Happy Beltane!

by | May 1, 2024 | Seasons

Happy Beltane!

On May 1, we celebrate Beltane, the festival of spring.

Mother Earth is donning her lushest gown of flowers and blossoms, and birds are singing from the trees. The heart rejoices, and the spirit soars!

Beltane is the season of blossoming fertility, joy, abundance and creativity. We celebrate the sheer miracle of life in all its beauty.

The God and the Goddess embody the undying force of life, and they are in love. Nature mirrors their bliss. Their dance turns the land green and lush with every step. Every fragrant flower is a kiss and a blessing, a sign of their adoration.

We are invited to join them and share in their passion. Let’s celebrate life! Beauty, love, and merry-making are our rituals, and the energy is tangible.

Gardeners witness and partake in this magic as they nurture young seedlings. But even if you don’t have a garden, you can still participate – just tend to your inner garden! Pour energy into your budding projects, and you will experience a similar phenomenon – the magic of creativity.

The secret ingredient of manifestation is the love and nurture with which we tend to our seed ideas.

Take the time to reflect on Mother Nature’s generosity, and practice gratitude and mindfulness to attune to every nuance of this blessed season.

Photo credit: Image by Ronny Overhate from Pixabay

Gardening Jobs for March

Gardening Jobs for March

by | Mar 21, 2024 | Gardening

Gardening Jobs in March

March is ‘busy season’. As soon as the sun comes out, and it’s warm (and dry) enough to be outside, every gardener itches to get their hands into the dirt again. But where to start?

 

Preparing the vegetable beds

Once the ground has thawed and dried off a bit, it’s time to get going with the preparations:

1) It is a good idea to get rid of the weeds early on (especially the perennial or biennial ones). They will be half the trouble later on.

2) If you haven’t done it yet, start tidying up the garden: dead-heading old flower heads and clearing everything that has died off. But, remember that butterfly larvae overwinter on old nettles and such. Nettles support some 40 species of insects and butterflies!

If fresh, you already have young nettles coming up, make the most of this wonderful early wild vegetable. Consider leaving some standing year-round for the wildlife, if you have a spot where they are not in the way.

3) Work in plenty of good, home-grown compost into the vegetable plots and prepare the soil to get a fine crumb. This will make it a lot easier for your seedlings to break through the crust.

What to sow in March?

Your sowing schedule largely depends on your growing zone and whether you have a suitable space to start seedlings indoors. If you live in a mild climate, you can sow some hardier, early varieties out in the open, as early as March. But frost-sensitive plants, like tomatoes, should be started indoors. Lettuce and radishes do well in a cold frame. The shorter your growing season, the earlier you need to start your seeds indoors on the windowsill. That way, they will get a head start, which prolongs the growing season. By the time there is no more danger of late ground frosts, they will have developed into little plants that are more resilient by the time you plant them out. 

 

Indoors or under glass

You can sow fennel, broccoli, kohlrabi, cabbage (early varieties), Savoy cabbage, Malabar spinach (late March), New Zealand spinach, carrots, autumn leeks, and celery either in the cold frame or indoors. Warmth-loving plants, like tomatoes, zucchini, aubergines and chillies, fennel, and bell pepper, do best when started indoors in an environment of about 20°C.

On sunny days, don’t forget to open the cold frame to give your seedlings some air – otherwise, they will get baked under the glass.

Most importantly, make sure your seedlings never dry, after sowing them. Water is life – they cannot grow without it.

Outdoors

Onion sets can be planted out in March. Beetroots, Swiss chard, lettuce, (also Asian lettuce, peas, rocket, radishes, and nasturtiums are all hardy enough to be sown directly into your well-prepared veggie plots. 

 

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Spring Equinox

Spring Equinox

by | Mar 20, 2024 | Seasons

Spring Equinox is here, and it is time to ponder the miraculous power of regeneration. Persephone has returned to the upper world and life has re-awakened. Buds are swelling, birds are singing, and flowers are bursting forth. There is joy and exuberance – despite the suffering and sorrow we must witness daily.

At the Spring Equinox, light and dark are hanging in the balance. But from now on, with every passing day, the sun gathers strength. Mother Earth, violated and scarred by war, yet again, still dons her spring garment and slowly turns the land lush and green.

 

Spring Equinox – Focus on what matters most

The garden is calling, and the soil is eager to receive the seeds. Are you tending a garden? What will you be growing this season?

The garden can be a physical space or a metaphorical one. The inner world is also a garden that needs attentive care, weeding, pruning and nurturing.

In the home, it is time to clear out the winter dust. Spring cleaning, painting, and decorating are on the agenda.

It is also time for inner cleansing. Nurture the spirit and the body by boosting your energy and vital spirit with fresh vitamins and nutrients of early spring herbs. When the body is strong, so is the mind!

 

Spring Equinox – Celebrate life

Get ready for the season, invite the sunshine in and make the most of these fleeting joys! Life becomes infinitely rich when we walk mindfully and celebrate each flower or butterfly.

Focus on what matters to you and make your intentions clear. Life is precious and short. The power to make your garden flourish lies in your hands. Use it.

The Spring Equinox is a time of new beginnings. Let’s celebrate the mysteries of rejuvenation and eternal return.

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