Gardening

Putting together ones life with the modern world.
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Heith
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Gardening

Post by Heith »

Spring is coming- so this means the gardening season is soon upon us.

Has anyone else experimented with gardening as a esoteric practise? I've had this interest for really quite a while, and I notice how my opinion and mind has changed slightly over the years. I'm not trained as a gardener so everything I know I've learned by myself, with a combination of reading, experimenting, failure and the occasional success.

My interest was sparked years ago, first to create a very small herbal garden in a certain shape to a existing (sand) box on a small abandoned lot where I did guerrilla gardening. As with all things this soon got out of hand and I started to do all sorts of things there. Now knowing more of the subject of gardening (and esoteric subjects) this attempt was obviously a bit of a planning failure, as I had all the eagerness of a beginner but none of the patience required for planning a garden.

My first attraction had more to do with shapes than plants, and especially rather rigid historical English gardens fascinated me with their geometric shapes. I wanted to adapt that thought into my gardening, by creating sections dedicated to different kind of plants (of course I got toxic plant seeds first thing!) which were either arranged by colour, attribute or magical qualities.

After that I've really gotten into rock formations and arrangements. There is something very final about making a stone path, and this fascinates me. I spent a week deciding how much I wanted to tilt a rock on a formation I was making last summer.

Lately I notice that my ideal garden is actually not a garden at all, but a forest; so basically to what for example a japanese garden aspires to. There is a very interesting tension between nature and a gardener, which to me feels almost like a negotiation. There's some rules which have to be followed (where to plant, when to plant, what to plant) and then this feeling of great responsibility (to cut or not and for what reason) over the entire arrangement regardless of what kind of a project it is, which I like very much.
Sothoth
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Re: Gardening

Post by Sothoth »

As a son of a farmer, gardening has been near me in my childhood. We get our own potatoes, carrots etc from our own land. I think this kind of work can bring us closer to the element earth in a practical way. But at the same time I have always been fascinated about gardening the most when the things come out of hand, so to speak. The most beautiful gardens are the ones humans have once influenced and then abandoned. Imagine an abandoned old beautiful manor house in countryside which has an eerie aura around it. There are bats living in the attic and huge oak, linden and elm trees cast their shadows in a dusky summer night. The mystical scent of flowers is all around but those flowers grow completely wildly here and there, not in some specifically arranged places. This kind of place would be kind of "tantric" powerful geochakra for me.
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InSaNeO
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Re: Gardening

Post by InSaNeO »

I have just started cultivating in this aspect,as I too never had experience with growing my own supplies and herbs for my work, I think its another way where one can get more personal with the work that they are trying to do. For example I live here in the usa, there are many things here that I simply cannot get, the biggest thing would be the Blackthorn hedge (Prunus Spinosa) It seems to be impossible to get one of these trees shipped to me from Europe as there is a Import ban on blackthorn with the USA, however I have been able to purchase the seeds, so Im in the process of germinating the seeds myself and I'm going to plant them next spring, The reason for my explanation of the Blackthorn is that, Yes I'm sure if I kept looking I could probably find someone willing to send me one, However I feel it is incredibly more personal if i try to cultivate myself, I like this because I can harvest from this tree anytime I need, and according to the tradition that i personally follow, I will be able to harvest from that tree according to how I want to, If someone rips a piece of blackthorn off the tree and mails it to me, In my eyes the spirits connected to the blackthorn will have been dishonored by the way the tree was harvested, My point being Id rather grow my own herbal needs, therefore I can put all of MY OWN energy and focus into them, making it an overall more personal experience that I have come to enjoy
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Heith
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Re: Gardening

Post by Heith »

InSaNeO wrote:I have just started cultivating in this aspect,as I too never had experience with growing my own supplies and herbs for my work, I think its another way where one can get more personal with the work that they are trying to do.
I agree. Also, if one grows things that will be digested, it's nice to know where they come from, and that no pesticides are used.

Seeing there is a ban on Blackthorn, is this because it's a invasive species? This is another interesting question one could consider when gardening, whether or not to grow plants that are not native to the area. With invasive species one, I think, should be quite careful, and grow them in a greenhouse or indoors and make sure they can not spread into the wild where they will harm local flora & fauna.
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InSaNeO
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Re: Gardening

Post by InSaNeO »

Yes your correct on blackthorn being an invasive species, however I intend to keep it potted somehow, I don't need a ton of it, honestly I am trying to grow it in a pot behind my altar, so that it sits behind my main altar fetish, however it is nice to be able to, in a sense grow in spirit with the tree, as the tree gets bigger and is more fruitful I use it to symbolize my spiritual progress within the cultivation of the Great Work
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Heith
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Re: Gardening

Post by Heith »

If you are unfamiliar with growing trees in pots, I suggest to do some reading to try to minimise the possibility that your tree gets to a sapling and then dies, as happens very easily. The art of Bonsai (or, as Fra Teratokrios so aptly puts, the BDSM of the gardening world) can be helpful in that many Bonsai manuals address growing a tree from a seed. While you would most likely skip most of the pruning, you might need to cut some roots eventually in order to be able to continue growing the tree in a pot.

I don't know if Blackthorn seeds need to be cold treated, but I guess so as it grows in areas where there is at least a some winter. It's also possible that you have to move it for winter months in order to create a "hibernation" season for it.

Best of luck with your project!
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InSaNeO
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Re: Gardening

Post by InSaNeO »

Appreciate the advice! Yes I had to germinate the seeds with a cold period, I simply placed the seeds in the back of the fridge in a bag with sand, says to germinate for 90 days, I'll have to look into having it potted, I don't want it to die after all the work lol
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Heith
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Re: Gardening

Post by Heith »

InSaNeO wrote:Appreciate the advice! Yes I had to germinate the seeds with a cold period, I simply placed the seeds in the back of the fridge in a bag with sand, says to germinate for 90 days, I'll have to look into having it potted, I don't want it to die after all the work lol
Correct soil PH and proper drainage in the pot goes a long way! :) I usually mix a few different types of dirt, making layers of sand and then dirt with or without clay depending on how much water the plant needs.

I've only done a few experiments with potted trees. Spruce saplings that I had to move last year because they were too close to the house are doing fine, but spruce is very tough. I've tried to grow a giant sequoia from a seed some 15 years ago or so, but that one didn't go very far.
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Invitus
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Location: Helsinki / Oulu

Re: Gardening

Post by Invitus »

I would be interested in knowing what kinds of herbs people here on the forum grow in their gardens. I don't have lots of room to grow in large variety or quantity, so any tips on what YOU consider to be essential would be welcome indeed. As a true novice on this subject I'm looking for something not too challenging to begin active gardening with. So far, the only thing I've succeeded with herbs is drying them... Unintentionally more often than not.

Final usage for the plants may vary from oils and incense, to spices and raw edibles and everything between and beyond.
"And so he who looks down at his feet will not know the truth, but he who discerns by the sun which way to go." -Tolstoi
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Heith
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Re: Gardening

Post by Heith »

Invitus wrote:I would be interested in knowing what kinds of herbs people here on the forum grow in their gardens. I don't have lots of room to grow in large variety or quantity, so any tips on what YOU consider to be essential would be welcome indeed.
You don't mention whether or not this means a balcony garden, or some other kind of arrangement. Even small spaces can be surprisingly effective when one arranges them properly.

As a beginning gardener, it's important not to start with too challenging plants, or plants that simply won't thrive in the conditions of your garden. I find that the best option is usually to dig up a plant that already grows strong in someone else's garden and relocate it to mine, because this generally means that they are most likely a little more resistant to the elements. If you don't have this option, look for seeds next. As you are a Finn, hyötykasviyhdistys is a good option. The surest way to have your herb die is to buy a ready-grown version in a plastic pot from the supermarket.

There's plenty of guides and starter kits online, but I suggest to try and find a few DIY gardening tips from youtube. In this way you often save money, and can come up with nice-looking solutions that work.

As to plants, generally herbs need a lot of water in order to survive. Overwatering is just as dangerous as drying out, but you'll learn to recognise the symptoms.
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