Witchcraft Gardening Basics
Witchcraft Gardening Basics
Or, "A Crash Course in a Witch's Garden"
A Witch knows that when considering our health, we cannot separate it
from our environment. The Earth's health influences and reflects our
own. As Pagans, we are particularly responsible for caring for our
environment because we understand this interconnectedness.
The garden is an excellent place to begin a ripple effect of healing
by tending it in a sustainable manner. Responsible gardening will
help lead to healing of the environment, and of ourselves. This
healing can be seen by the increase of vitamins in the foods we've
grown organically. Subtle healing effects will gradually become
evident as gaps in life cycles are filled. All forms of wildlife and
insects will return to the garden and renew the essential balance,
eliminating the need for pesticides, herbicides, and chemical
fertilizers.
The garden will also renew your balance and life force. Tending the
garden will tone your body, clarify your mind, and energize you
Spirit. Other side effects of your healthy garden will become
apparent in all aspects of your life. Healing formulas, spell
components, and any other creations that incorporate plants grown in
this magical manner will all have enormously magnified energy.
To understand this method, go to an undisturbed area like a woodland
plot, secluded area of a park, or under a large, healthy shrub.
Notice that when you're under a canopy of foliage the atmosphere is
different. It smells fresh, moist, and soothing. Touch the soil.
Generally, it will be soft and spongy, with layers of newly
accumulated debris, and below that, humus rich soil in many stages of
decomposition. The soil here contains microorganisms whose sacred
names include fungi, protozoa, yeast, worms, and insects. Life flows
through everything here and you may begin to feel more balanced. This
feeling is the essence of a Witch's method of gardening. (there's
more to this than the standard gardening techniques, read on)
After a year of organic treatment, earthworms, or "tiny tillers",
should flourish. Chemical fertilizers kill earthworms and other soil
life that release carbonic acid (plant roots do too). This acid
converts minerals in the soil to a form that plants can assimilate.
Soil nutrients are to plants what proteins, fats, carbohydrates,
vitamins, and minerals are to people. Air, (all gasses, including
carbon dioxide or CO2) Water, Earth and Fire (sun) are essential to
the plant world.
Salts accumulate in the upper soil surfaces and "burn" tender roots
and soil life. Potted plants will show evidence of this build up with
powdery white deposits on the soil surface or a ring on the pot. Most
plants cannot tolerate this much salt in any form. This is a good
reason to try not to use salt in outdoor rituals for circle casting
or purification. Instead, use a truly sacred replacement such as
compost or soil for the Earth element.
Synthetic fertilizers cause plant cells to grow too quickly,
developing thin cell walls. The spaces between each cell are larger
too, causing the entire plant to be more suseptable to insects and
disease. These plant predators hunt for the easiest path to lunch,
and the thin cell walls and gaps between them are an open invitation.
By invading your crops, these pesky predators are fulfilling an
essential duty, that of restoring balance and eliminating problems.
Compost can (if made properly) contain everything plants need to be
happy. In this article, I've tried to propose an integrated approach
to gardening that combines the intuition and knowledge of the Witch,
with the knowledge that science has to give. All theories are just
that, theories, but we can learn from each other.
So, you ask, how can I nourish my garden, self and planet? The
following represents a basic outline of techniques to get you started:
Compost: Composting will unlock the nutrients from the components you
put in the compost pile. Begin by making a four foot diameter place
in your garden in part sun. Next, layer 4-6 inches of carbon
materials, "browns," with 1-2 inches of nitrogen material, "greens."
Mystical formulas of carbon to nitrogen ratios can be found in many
superb garden grimmoires. Like all of Nature's magic, however, you
will find that intuition, observation, and experimentation provide
the best results. The following describes the basic compost cauldron
components and guidelines for their use:
DO USE: "Greens" are sources of nitrogen, a plant nutrient that helps
heat up a compost pile by activating the micro life in it. Sources
include: fresh green weeds, kitchen scraps, manures, cottonseed meal,
and blood meal. "Browns" are carbon materials like straw, hay, last
year's garden debris, crop residue, chopped leaves, and sticks under
a half inch in diameter.
DON'T USE: Oil, wax, meat (small, clean bones are OK), colored
newspaper, weeds that have set seed, diseased or pest infested
plants, and pet wastes or litters. (which can carry diseases, among
other problems)
Invoke the powers of the microbial soil life with a half inch layer
of garden soil sprinkled over each "green" layer. When the pile
reaches about four feet high, water it well to the consistency of a
wrung out sponge, and let it rot! It will slowly turn into fertilizer
that feeds your plants and your soil without interrupting the
symbiotic relationship between the two. When it is done, it will be
brown and crumbly. This process can take from two weeks to six
months. If you're in a hurry, you can speed things up by turning it
every week. To turn a pile, remove the top and outside layers and put
them on the ground beside the pile. Then continue with the next
layers until you've tuned it upside down while fluffing it to let it
breathe. If the pile smells bad, or if flies are taking an interest
in it, then turn the pile, incorporate more "browns," make sure it's
not soggy (cover it in the rain), and cover the top of the heap with
an inch of soil or hay to eliminate the problem and disapproving
looks from neighbors. Finished compost is used as a fertilizer and
mulch around and under plants.
The following tips will also help to create your bewitching garden.
These methods can be used in any garden, in sun or shade, and can be
started any time of the year with Spring and Summer being ideal.
Raised beds: Raised beds save water, compost and amendments that are
only used where the plants grow and not in paths. Crops can be grown
closer together which saves space. You do not need to use the "space
between rows" recommendation from seed packets, since rows are not
used. Only the "space between plants" recomendation is needed. This
provides a canopy of foliage that traps CO2 and soil moisture like a
suspended mulch. The leaves shade the soil to further reduce weeding
and watering chores. Make beds wide enough to reach across
comfortably (4 ft. is standard) in order to save work from bending
and straining. Raised beds drain well to allow plants to develop
healthy root systems, and they solve rot problems in packed clay
soil. They also warm faster in the spring for earlier planting and
remain unpacked from foot traffic that would otherwise choke oxygen
from roots and spread disease. If you use concrete blocks or railroad
ties, your bed supports can provide a convenient resting spot.
Concrete blocks may leach into the soil making it more alkaline and
most railroad ties are treated with creosote or other preservatives
that are toxic. There are saw mills (in our area anyway) that will
supply you with untreated lumber. A better choice is to try a stone
wall if possible. Make paths wide enough so that you can walk side by
side with your friend or partner without breaking off plants.
Mulch: Weeding and water requirements are kept to a minimum by
mulching. Use compost, straw, hay, woodchips, color-free newspaper,
or special mulch papers. All of these sources will slowly decompose,
conditioning the soil and slowly feeding plants. Mulch will also save
your plants when you are low on compost.
Garden Sanitation: The garden is a sacred space and rain is its
consecrated cleansing. It should have solitude during this purifying
time. Mud on shoes or wet skin and tools, can spread diseases
normally not as easily transported without moisture. If you wish to
accompany the garden in this cleansing, do so quietly and
meditatively. If you have urgent work to do, limit your areas of
activity and avoid touching plants. Many of us enjoy spending time in
the garden while it is recharging in the rain. This does not mean
that you shouldn't connect with your garden friend at this time, only
to do so in a respectful way. Being aware of the possibilities of
disease transmission will help you to prevent it from happening when
you join the rain festivities.
Your garden's first year of withdraw from chemical dependency may be
severe, because the soil life is insufficient to transform its
components into nutrients. However, after the first year, it will
flourish and the trouble is worth it. While at first resisting the
temptation to reach for a quick fix fertilizer is difficult, be
persistent while the balance is being restored. Talk to and love your
friends through it, touching them, especially the ones in the tobacco
family. Members of this family have fuzzy feelers on their stems and
leaves and touching them causes thickened cell structure and
sturdier, disease resistant plants. Avoid this practice if you smoke
tobacco. It is often poorly grown and may contain the tobacco mosaic
virus that can spread to other family members including tomatoes,
potatoes, flowering tobacco-nicotiana, and datura.
Plants grown with these methods will glow with a mystical aura and
they will release their intoxicting fragrances to greet you on your
daily visits. The garden will soothe and quiet people, perhaps
because of an elusive awareness that something powerful and sacred is
happening or because of its visual beauty.
Planting by the phases of the Moon, by Sabbat, or under specific
planetary influences will also amplify the garden's energy. This kind
of information can be found in most almanacs. Planting in special
patterns of Celtic knots, circles, pentacles, or any imaginative and
magic(k)al design that you've created will also enhance and focus
energy...
Are you still skeptical of the damaging effects of chemical
fertilizers? Organic Gardening Magazine had a blurb in the January
1996 issue about Miracle Grow ® . Apparently, it corroded a one inch
hole through someone's aluminum shelf! Now that CAN'T be right?!
Good luck and happy growing!
Or, "A Crash Course in a Witch's Garden"
A Witch knows that when considering our health, we cannot separate it
from our environment. The Earth's health influences and reflects our
own. As Pagans, we are particularly responsible for caring for our
environment because we understand this interconnectedness.
The garden is an excellent place to begin a ripple effect of healing
by tending it in a sustainable manner. Responsible gardening will
help lead to healing of the environment, and of ourselves. This
healing can be seen by the increase of vitamins in the foods we've
grown organically. Subtle healing effects will gradually become
evident as gaps in life cycles are filled. All forms of wildlife and
insects will return to the garden and renew the essential balance,
eliminating the need for pesticides, herbicides, and chemical
fertilizers.
The garden will also renew your balance and life force. Tending the
garden will tone your body, clarify your mind, and energize you
Spirit. Other side effects of your healthy garden will become
apparent in all aspects of your life. Healing formulas, spell
components, and any other creations that incorporate plants grown in
this magical manner will all have enormously magnified energy.
To understand this method, go to an undisturbed area like a woodland
plot, secluded area of a park, or under a large, healthy shrub.
Notice that when you're under a canopy of foliage the atmosphere is
different. It smells fresh, moist, and soothing. Touch the soil.
Generally, it will be soft and spongy, with layers of newly
accumulated debris, and below that, humus rich soil in many stages of
decomposition. The soil here contains microorganisms whose sacred
names include fungi, protozoa, yeast, worms, and insects. Life flows
through everything here and you may begin to feel more balanced. This
feeling is the essence of a Witch's method of gardening. (there's
more to this than the standard gardening techniques, read on)
After a year of organic treatment, earthworms, or "tiny tillers",
should flourish. Chemical fertilizers kill earthworms and other soil
life that release carbonic acid (plant roots do too). This acid
converts minerals in the soil to a form that plants can assimilate.
Soil nutrients are to plants what proteins, fats, carbohydrates,
vitamins, and minerals are to people. Air, (all gasses, including
carbon dioxide or CO2) Water, Earth and Fire (sun) are essential to
the plant world.
Salts accumulate in the upper soil surfaces and "burn" tender roots
and soil life. Potted plants will show evidence of this build up with
powdery white deposits on the soil surface or a ring on the pot. Most
plants cannot tolerate this much salt in any form. This is a good
reason to try not to use salt in outdoor rituals for circle casting
or purification. Instead, use a truly sacred replacement such as
compost or soil for the Earth element.
Synthetic fertilizers cause plant cells to grow too quickly,
developing thin cell walls. The spaces between each cell are larger
too, causing the entire plant to be more suseptable to insects and
disease. These plant predators hunt for the easiest path to lunch,
and the thin cell walls and gaps between them are an open invitation.
By invading your crops, these pesky predators are fulfilling an
essential duty, that of restoring balance and eliminating problems.
Compost can (if made properly) contain everything plants need to be
happy. In this article, I've tried to propose an integrated approach
to gardening that combines the intuition and knowledge of the Witch,
with the knowledge that science has to give. All theories are just
that, theories, but we can learn from each other.
So, you ask, how can I nourish my garden, self and planet? The
following represents a basic outline of techniques to get you started:
Compost: Composting will unlock the nutrients from the components you
put in the compost pile. Begin by making a four foot diameter place
in your garden in part sun. Next, layer 4-6 inches of carbon
materials, "browns," with 1-2 inches of nitrogen material, "greens."
Mystical formulas of carbon to nitrogen ratios can be found in many
superb garden grimmoires. Like all of Nature's magic, however, you
will find that intuition, observation, and experimentation provide
the best results. The following describes the basic compost cauldron
components and guidelines for their use:
DO USE: "Greens" are sources of nitrogen, a plant nutrient that helps
heat up a compost pile by activating the micro life in it. Sources
include: fresh green weeds, kitchen scraps, manures, cottonseed meal,
and blood meal. "Browns" are carbon materials like straw, hay, last
year's garden debris, crop residue, chopped leaves, and sticks under
a half inch in diameter.
DON'T USE: Oil, wax, meat (small, clean bones are OK), colored
newspaper, weeds that have set seed, diseased or pest infested
plants, and pet wastes or litters. (which can carry diseases, among
other problems)
Invoke the powers of the microbial soil life with a half inch layer
of garden soil sprinkled over each "green" layer. When the pile
reaches about four feet high, water it well to the consistency of a
wrung out sponge, and let it rot! It will slowly turn into fertilizer
that feeds your plants and your soil without interrupting the
symbiotic relationship between the two. When it is done, it will be
brown and crumbly. This process can take from two weeks to six
months. If you're in a hurry, you can speed things up by turning it
every week. To turn a pile, remove the top and outside layers and put
them on the ground beside the pile. Then continue with the next
layers until you've tuned it upside down while fluffing it to let it
breathe. If the pile smells bad, or if flies are taking an interest
in it, then turn the pile, incorporate more "browns," make sure it's
not soggy (cover it in the rain), and cover the top of the heap with
an inch of soil or hay to eliminate the problem and disapproving
looks from neighbors. Finished compost is used as a fertilizer and
mulch around and under plants.
The following tips will also help to create your bewitching garden.
These methods can be used in any garden, in sun or shade, and can be
started any time of the year with Spring and Summer being ideal.
Raised beds: Raised beds save water, compost and amendments that are
only used where the plants grow and not in paths. Crops can be grown
closer together which saves space. You do not need to use the "space
between rows" recommendation from seed packets, since rows are not
used. Only the "space between plants" recomendation is needed. This
provides a canopy of foliage that traps CO2 and soil moisture like a
suspended mulch. The leaves shade the soil to further reduce weeding
and watering chores. Make beds wide enough to reach across
comfortably (4 ft. is standard) in order to save work from bending
and straining. Raised beds drain well to allow plants to develop
healthy root systems, and they solve rot problems in packed clay
soil. They also warm faster in the spring for earlier planting and
remain unpacked from foot traffic that would otherwise choke oxygen
from roots and spread disease. If you use concrete blocks or railroad
ties, your bed supports can provide a convenient resting spot.
Concrete blocks may leach into the soil making it more alkaline and
most railroad ties are treated with creosote or other preservatives
that are toxic. There are saw mills (in our area anyway) that will
supply you with untreated lumber. A better choice is to try a stone
wall if possible. Make paths wide enough so that you can walk side by
side with your friend or partner without breaking off plants.
Mulch: Weeding and water requirements are kept to a minimum by
mulching. Use compost, straw, hay, woodchips, color-free newspaper,
or special mulch papers. All of these sources will slowly decompose,
conditioning the soil and slowly feeding plants. Mulch will also save
your plants when you are low on compost.
Garden Sanitation: The garden is a sacred space and rain is its
consecrated cleansing. It should have solitude during this purifying
time. Mud on shoes or wet skin and tools, can spread diseases
normally not as easily transported without moisture. If you wish to
accompany the garden in this cleansing, do so quietly and
meditatively. If you have urgent work to do, limit your areas of
activity and avoid touching plants. Many of us enjoy spending time in
the garden while it is recharging in the rain. This does not mean
that you shouldn't connect with your garden friend at this time, only
to do so in a respectful way. Being aware of the possibilities of
disease transmission will help you to prevent it from happening when
you join the rain festivities.
Your garden's first year of withdraw from chemical dependency may be
severe, because the soil life is insufficient to transform its
components into nutrients. However, after the first year, it will
flourish and the trouble is worth it. While at first resisting the
temptation to reach for a quick fix fertilizer is difficult, be
persistent while the balance is being restored. Talk to and love your
friends through it, touching them, especially the ones in the tobacco
family. Members of this family have fuzzy feelers on their stems and
leaves and touching them causes thickened cell structure and
sturdier, disease resistant plants. Avoid this practice if you smoke
tobacco. It is often poorly grown and may contain the tobacco mosaic
virus that can spread to other family members including tomatoes,
potatoes, flowering tobacco-nicotiana, and datura.
Plants grown with these methods will glow with a mystical aura and
they will release their intoxicting fragrances to greet you on your
daily visits. The garden will soothe and quiet people, perhaps
because of an elusive awareness that something powerful and sacred is
happening or because of its visual beauty.
Planting by the phases of the Moon, by Sabbat, or under specific
planetary influences will also amplify the garden's energy. This kind
of information can be found in most almanacs. Planting in special
patterns of Celtic knots, circles, pentacles, or any imaginative and
magic(k)al design that you've created will also enhance and focus
energy...
Are you still skeptical of the damaging effects of chemical
fertilizers? Organic Gardening Magazine had a blurb in the January
1996 issue about Miracle Grow ® . Apparently, it corroded a one inch
hole through someone's aluminum shelf! Now that CAN'T be right?!
Good luck and happy growing!
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