Remember to "season" your seedlings!

It is still cool here in southern PA. and the perfect time to plant those cold weather veggies such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, beets, radishes, onions and potatoes.  Instead of starting my broccoli and cabbage from seed I purchased seedlings to get a jump start on the season.  Not only am I  particularly fond of these, there is a little garden pest that LOVES these tender little seedlings too...the CUTWORM.  Cutworms can be in the soil (typically where there has been a lawn or grass because the feed on the roots.  Out of sight and right beneath the soil line, they wrap themselves around you nice little plants and chew around the base.  You, the happy gardener, go to check on your newly planted plot only to find them wilted or laying dead on the ground, leaving you disappointed and wondering what you did wrong.  Well, this cutworm is easy to stop and only takes one item and one extra step during planting, and, will save you from all that disappointment of loosing you crop!  The secret is cutworms hate black pepper!  And the good part about using black pepper is that it is completely natural and will not harm the beneficial earthworms...win, win : )

So here's how:
Raid your spice cabinet and get the can of ground black pepper ( even though you will have to replace it...a good investment!)
Remove your seedlings from the pack and place in the prepared hole.  Before covering with soil, sprinkle the black pepper around the plant set.....I use about a half teaspoon per plant but no measurement is necessary. 
Cover the plant roots with soil and for good measure, I sprinkle a little more pepper on top of the soil around the plant.....just to make sure!  You will be so pleased to see all of your seedlings remain standing and growing happily : ) 
One more tip.....  There is another pest that loves cabbage and the other plants in cabbage family.....the cabbage looper.  During the maturing season when the weather is warmer,  you may see these pretty little white butterflies in your garden.  Don't be fooled.....these most likely are the cabbage looper laying its eggs on your plants.  But again, there are a few all natural remedies to prevent them from devouring your crop.  If you have a fireplace you should have some wood ash...or if you do not have wood ash, you can purchase from your health food store or gardening center some diatomatious earth. (it will cost you more from the gardening center). Diatomatious earth is the skeletal remains of microscopic water animals.  The skeletons are very sharp edged and just like the wood ash will scratch the skins of any crawling "plant munchers" and they will die from dehydration.  All you need to do is sprinkle your plants with either of these and again, both are completely natural. 
One word of caution using diatomatious earth....apply this on a day with little wind as you will not want to inhale it.  Also try to limit the amount you get on the ground as it will do the same to earthworms as it will to cabbage worms!  Happy gardening.

PS....I am trying to get this on the "Gardening" page, but it may not work!  Still learning about this blog thing ; )

Try, try again!

It seems that seedlings do not like blue!  This is the conclusion I have come to due to the fact that out of 6 seeds and 2 trays, none of the seeds sprouted in the blue Styrofoam tray.  I sprouted seeds successfully in a yellow tray so I know it  is not the process that is incorrect.  I have decided to try a different method using a heat mat. I am clipping the seeds and will pot directly in a peat pot covered with plastic wrap to preserve moisture.
Who would think that a seed could be affected by color?!   Strange the things we do not know that affect natural processes......... unlike nature's inborn knowledge inside that seed!   Try as we might in our infinite quest to outsmart nature, we must come to the realization that nature is already perfect. 
 It has been proven that plants are affected by sound....they love classical music and are not too fond of rock.  Music is sound and sound is vibration.....makes sense.  If you think about that and extrapolate that to the human body, wouldn't our bodies be affected by these things too?  Maybe we should be more aware of what vibrations we are feeding our bodies individually, if we are to raise humanity's vibration.  So, consciously feed your body good vibrations and be your own composer!  Lastly,  I could not help but be reminded of this song...enjoy!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVKCRpOewco

Ever heard gourd music?

If you have never heard gourd music before then here is your chance!  This music is performed using all gourd instruments.  I usually listen to one of the CDs when I am inspired to work on my gourd art!  Very organic music to be sure : )  Check it out....hope you enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JYqJ3FBplgc

Looking forward....

Spring has sprung and it is time for new beginnings, new life and new growth.  Just as mother earth encourages all this activity, I myself, have begun this new endeavor "blogging".  I am not close to being a techy-type person............ heck, I gave up my cell phone over 3 years ago!  But it is time for me to grow and learn new things, so here I am.  I am definately suffering through a learning curve with this blogging thing, and I suppose I could have asked my son or granddaughter and recieved a quick lesson.  However, learning through trial and error always provides me a much richer experience as I navigate and learn via those "I'll never do that again" moments!  This is only the beginning to my new adventure and I hope it gets easier and faster as I know I spent hours trying to get my pics posted on my gourd page last night!  Ha!
Looking forward I will be sharing good food recipes (both healthy and not so healthy ; ).  Also, I will be sharing gardening tips and methods that I have been playing with.  My dad taught me and my sisters gardening at an early age; all that dirt gets in your blood and it is something you are not willing to give up.  Additionally I plan to teach some gourding techniques and hopefully there is someone out there in blog world that would be interested in learning this. 
In closing, think about getting out there yourselves and learn something new...... grow, evolve and enjoy the spice of life!

Make a toy for your best friends!

Dog toys are so expensive right now and the money can be better spent in another budget area.  Here is a quick and easy dog toy you can make from a remnant of fabric and an empty plastic bottle.  My pups LOVE anything that makes noise and the bottle crinkle is a lot less irritating to your ears than those squeakers!  Toy can be re-filled/re-used and the bottle can be recycled after your dog has his fun!
 It cost me a little over $1 for the fabric....cheap, easy and quick! 



Will look something like this....


Items needed:  empty plastic water or soda bottle
                        Fleece remnant (other fabrics work but fleece is    stretchy and forgiving)

1:  Lay out fabric on table and measure width around bottle adding 1" extra for 1/2 inch seam

2:  Measure length of bottle and add an additional 6" (additional 3" for both top and bottom tassels)

3:  Cut fabric and sew side seam

4:  Turn right side out and sew bottom seam 3" from bottom edge of fabric
5:  Slide bottle into tube created and tie shut with additional length of fabric or string
6:  Cut tassels on bottom and top 3" every 1/2"
7: Done!

She LOVES it as you can see...........  : )

Beginning insight.....

Do you know that we are all, at this very moment, perfect!?  Yes, in this moment we all are as perfect as we know how to be.  So know when you learn something new, you just become more perfect : )  Humanity is so wonderfully diverse and willing to share their story if you care to listen.  Listening is an art in that you have to really focus on what is being said and not on what you are about to say.  Take time to listen to others...they may just have the "jewel" of knowing that you may be searching for!
That being said, these are two of my best friends and I am trying very hard to listen to them.  I have not perfected the language yet but I am working on it!  ; )  As you can see they have taken over the sofa and are waiting patiently for me to finish! Until next time....have a wonderful day!