Wednesday November 24, 2021

Wednesday November 24, 2021

– Disseminating Moon Phase – share, demonstrate, teach, learn, feed back

– Moon in  Cancer void of course 12:46 AM – 10:59 AM – Moving to Leo

– Planting Calendar (from the Farmer’s Almanac) –  November 24th – 28th – Grub out weeds, briars, and other plant pests.

– Aspect of the Aeon Sophia: (Wisdom): Kamala, Goddess Who Transcends Limitations, Goddess Who Leaves No One Behind

– Aspect of the Aeon Thelete: (Will/Desire): Elias – God of the West

– Sabian Symbol for the Solar-Lunar Month – New Moon in Libra: “an inventor performs a laboratory experiment” (& “a porter carrying heavy baggage”)

– Sabian Symbol for the Solar-Lunar Year: –“A Woman in pastel colors carrying a heavy and valuable but veiled load”

SUN – 03 SAGITTARIUS: two men playing chess

EARTH– 03 GEMINI: the garden of the tuileries in Paris

On Monday night I finally put my garden beds to rest for the season and prepared them for the winter. It was not actually planned that way. It was more because Tuesday morning was leaf collection day and the Mulberry tree in the backyard finally dropped its last load. This gave me excuse to get the mulching mower out, pull down the last of the tomato cages and much under the last of the plants in the garden. Leaving a layer of mulched leaves on top was just a bonus. In addition, it cleaned out the back yard before my irritating neighbor had a chance to report me to the Borough for not cleaning it all up in time. Score one for the home team!

It also gave me a chance to review how the garden went and what we can plan for next year.

How did the plants go?

Tomatoes went well. Sure they were store bought and no they did not say they were organic. Oh well. We had fresh tomatoes from about July 10th through October. The Cherry/Grape tomatoes were only so so. I put them in the larger garden this year – call it my version of crop rotation.

Peppers were Fantastic! I do not usually do so well with them. Possibly the rotation worked well.

Zucchini went pretty well. About 20 or so and we ate them well

Cucumbers – I put them in the Tomato patch this year. Good move I believe. Also I added a cage to pull them up out of the dirt. Only about 4 of the 10 plants took. Not enough to can pickles, but we ate a lot of cucumber salad.

Lettuce only so so. I did not get the fencing around soon enough and the rabbits got the first batch. then it got over run with weeds. Will need to work on that.

Mint gave me tea all summer. I have been working on this patch. It has not produced well over the past 3 years. This year I added a couple plants and it gave a heartier yield.

Still have not found anything that will take in the far side of the house. Its a big enough patch, but not sure if the soil is weak or I just do not give it enough TLC.

Lemon Trees. I am still working on the Lemon Tree Project. This is where I am saving lemon seeds and planting them as house plants. I have the 5 plants from 2 years ago working well in the kitchen. The plants I had on the far side windows (that receive beautiful sun) all withered and mostly died.

I am starting to believe that my “far side” plants may be suffering from a strange sort of disease – that of bad intention. The “far side” of the house, as I am calling it, is the side of the house that the neighbor that we are not fond of lives. Yes he is a mere 17 feet away from our house – wall to wall. And we tend to look over there with disgust far too often. I am afraid all of the negativity is beaming through all my far side gardens – and not doing well for them.

So our choices: Intentionally send more positive thoughts toward our neighbors on the far side. Or. Move my plants and put ivy in the beds over there. Last year about this time I had considered buying and planting about 20 spruce or Arborvitae bushes along or property line. My friends at the Borough office who are just as annoyed at his complaints as I am, thought the idea was a hoot! I am still thinking on that one. While I would love a barrier, I am not a bush person at all. We will see for next year.

I am looking at about 10 new lemon plants that I need to bring inside to see through the winter. Junt in case, I will be looking for a new spot for them to sit.

Growing for a New Future

This blog began as an excuse to talk about my garden. So far, it has yet to yield the kind of food necessary to get us through a year – or the summer. That being said, I have learned a lot through  the last 3 years. And will continue to play around to improve what I am doing.

Should the Shit hit the fan, it is experience like this that will be needed to make it through.

So what am I planning?

1. Weeds – the weeds in my garden are pretty intense. And without almost daily attention, they can get away from me. I am totally against weed killers (glyposate) and the franken seeds needed to get through the chemicals. I think there is much that can be done with mulching though.
2. Fencing – My fencing is pretty lame. And we are dealing with a lot of garden pests – rabbits, chipmunks and birds for the most part. I will be researching and investing in better solutions.
3. Trussing – I found that putting up a truss improved my cucumbers tremendously. Will be looking for new solutions here.
4. Herb Garden – More than anything I would like to cultivate an herb garden. I have had issues so far making it work. I am not sure if it is the soil, the care  or the location. It is going to take some work and research to make it happen.
5. Garden Table – I want to find a decent table for my backyard. This will have space in the sun for working on new plants and just give me more of a workspace.
6. Greenhouse – You always need a stretch goal. And a greenhouse would be just that. I want a place to work on smaller projects that is protected from the elements. The US Northeast has brutal weather at times. Hot, Humid, frost, thunderstorms, wind. I want a space that will give me protection for plants and extend my growing season.

So consider your garden plans and what you might want to do – if you are able. For me its a hobby that provides good, fresh food for our table. But I also see it as a potential saving grace should things go south. Our economy is in a shambles. And the present administration is not doing anything to make things better. It could be that next year we will all be looking for ways to make things work. And a backyard garden – like the Victory Gardens back during the depression – may be not just a hobby, but a necessity.