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Healthy Plants don’t get disease. The same goes for the Human Body.

Healthy soil feeds the plants. Just like the body, if the plants get the right nutrients, they will be able to fight off any disease.

When you treat a disease with a chemical, you may kill the disease, but the underlying condition that created the weakness, allowing the disease, is most likely still present. It will just manifest itself as another disease or symptom.

When you create health through nutrition, the plant will become strong and its immune system, which is more capable and nuanced at fighting disease than any chemical, will eliminate the disease naturally. The plant is now using the disease-fighting mechanism that Mother Nature gave it and that science cannot recreate artificially.

Don’t forget that using chemicals comes with many health hazards for you, the microorganisms in the soil, and the wildlife.

Microorganisms in the soil, in the human body and in all of life are so very critical for health.

Why are the good bacteria important?

* Healthy bacteria are essential for any type of immune system to be strong and fight off disease and infection.

* Healthy bacteria are essential for delivering life sustaining
nutrients to all forms of life, including our horticulture.

* Healthy bacteria are the first step to absorbing essential nutrients.

* Healthy bacteria aid in the defense of pests and fungal attacks
without the use of any chemicals.

An organic, biodynamic plant food preparation, cultured or fermented to contain microorganisms, is wonderful for restoring the nutrients in the soil and feeding the earthworms that help keep the soil healthy.

Tags: garden, gardening, healthy foods, soils

Mustard plants have been used for thousands of years for their pungent flavour in condiments, spicy greens for side dishes and salads, and in traditional folk medicine and Chinese herbal medicine to treat a variety of ailments.  The name mustard comes from the Latin mustum ardens, or “burning must.”  It was so named because as the seeds were pounded with unfermented grape juice, or must, their pungent qualities developed, hence “burning.”  Mustards seeds are mentioned in ancient Sanskrit writings dating back about 5,000 years ago and the Bible calls mustard “the greatest among the herbs.”  Valued for their intense flavours and healing properties, mustard seed and the plant itself have been grown for its beautiful yellow flowers and spicy seedling leaves.  Members of the Brassicaceae family, mustard is a cruciferous vegetable related to cabbage, Brussel sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, rutabagas, turnips, radishes, horseradish, cress, and broccoli with the attendant phytochemicals properties.

Mustard is categorised as a food, medicine, spice, and condiment.  White mustard (Sinapis alba) also known as yellow mustard is a native of North Africa, central Asia, and the Mediterranean.  This is the mustard that is used extensively in the production of American prepared mustards, as it is the least pungent.   Brown mustard (Brassica juncea) is native to Asia and   is the seed used to prepare specialty mustards such as Dijon.  Canada is the world’s largest exporter of mustard seed and among the top five producers in the world.  Saskatchewan produces over 80% of the domestic total and the brown mustard seed used for Dijon mustard comes from Saskatchewan.

Tags: greens, growing, harvesting, mustard, plants, Recipes, seeds, uses in the kitchen

Actually, having a beautiful lawn isn’t much of a secret at all. Here’s how it works:

1. Plant the right type of grass for your area
2. Use the proper fertilizer as directed a couple of times a year
3. Keep well watered during the growing season
4. Never mow shorter than 1/3rd the present heigth

Select grass seeds that grow well in your area.

Being a native Southern Californian, I was very partial to a Dichondra lawn. Imagine my surprise upon moving to Oregon to learn it simply wasn’t possible to have a Dichondra lawn in Oregon due to the colder winters. Plants and seeds are available by catalog according to the zone you live in.

Proper Fertilazation

In order to have a lush, healthy lawn you are going to have to feed it with the proper nutrients. You will find the right fertilizer for your lawn at your local garden store. Follow the simple directions and you are good to go. Fertilizer is available in both liquid and dry form. I have had good luck with both. A word of caution. When it comes to fertilizer, more is NOT better. At best, over fertilizing will burn your lawn.

Watering

As to how much water your lawn needs varies somewhat depending on grass type. In general, applying one inch of water per week is the recommendation when there is insufficient rainfall during summer drought. An inch of water can be measured by marking the side of a tuna or pet food can placed in the lawn. The best time of day to water your lawn is in the early morning hours. If using a timer, try setting it for 2 hours a day, 3 days a week or every other day.

Mowing

Tags: gardening, lawn care, lawns

Under Edward I the mediaeval prosperity of the English may be said to have culminated. It declined under the weak or warlike reigns of his successors, until during the Wars of the Roses much that civilization had gained seemed to have been lost. The Tudor accession brought the Wars of the Roses to an end and inaugurated a new epoch.

The sites of new dwellings were not chosen based on inaccessibility like those of the castles. Now, instead of seeking a defensible position, people preferred situations that were pleasant and salubrious, where they might live protected from the cold winds, and where gardens and orchards might be cultivated advantageously. Thus, like the earlier monastic edifices, a gentleman’s house was more often built in a valley than on a hilltop. There was more room for expansion, and near the house the grounds under cultivation could be extended to answer the increasing demands for various kinds of plantations.

At first both house and gardens still seem to have been protected not only by walls, but with a moat. Such was the residence of Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, at
Thornbury. From a 1521 description (which is all that remains of the gardens now) it appears that the gardens were well supplied with galleries and arbors, or, as they are quaintly entitled, “roosting-places.”

Gradually, battlements, moats, and other defensive accessories ceased to
be built in connection with the house, and were retained only to secure the gardens
from intruders and for the preservation of the trees and plants from severe winds and
the depredations of marauders. Cardinal Wolsey’s palace and grounds at Hampton Court were among the last to be made secure by moats as well as walls. It was in these gardens that the cardinal was accustomed to walk at the close of day as he recited even-song. His fondness for this recreation and the beauty of the gardens (which were located near the Pond Garden, and no longer exist) were well noted by his disciple, Cavendish.

Tags: Edward I, England, fountain, fountains, garden, garden decor, gardens, wall fountains