Sunday, January 01, 2006

Magical January-New Beginning's-2006.






January is a lovely month in my eyes, I love the cold and the snow. I love the trees with no leaves. I love the promise you can find if you look under the dead and dying
plants, little lives in the making just waiting to be warmed and nourished and given permission to grow.

Most of the year in middle Tennessee I see green rolling hills when I look out my windows, and thats a lovely picture always, but to see those rolling hills covered in snow and grey low-hanging sky--it sends a message to slow down and re-group for the coming months. I like that reminder!

About the herb garden in January-Where you are located has a major impact on what you can do now. Here in the middle south, we just kinda relax, read good books(mostly about growing things, enjoy the things we stored from last years harvest and wait for spring.

If you were going to plant garlic for a crop this coming summer, it should already be in the ground.

Remember also if your growing herbs inside, they need to be in a location that gives them at least a half-day of sun and or light. I'm not a real supporter of growing inside, just too many problems, requires a lot of tending in order to have good strong healthy plants. But if your willing to put in the time and the interest is strong enough to push you to gain the knowledge, it can be rewarding.

I love doing things as natural and with the least amount of resistants as possible.
So, I'll stick to the outside growing.

For those of you have ask, yes, I will be growing garlic, lavender, chamomile, bay,fennel,and more dill.

Have a request? Send it along...always room for one more thing!

Remember your feathered friends during these cold months. Keep plenty of fresh water and bird seed and suet out and you'll be blessed with beautiful birds all winter.

Sending each and all the most prosperous wishes for the coming year.

Be Well in 2006.

Bea K./SageHillFarms

1 comment:

Jill Hurst-Wahl said...

A recent article noted that this is when you curl up with the catalogues and "begin" planning for spring (as if we gardeners haven't already been planning).

Here in Upstate NY, the holidays are when we throw pine bows over our outdoor plants. I especially try to cover my herbs with the bows of tossed out (live) Christmas trees. Last Thursday I dragged a neighbor's tree home for the annual ritual. I suspect a lot of people think I'm strange, but most of my plants pull through the winter in stellar fashion!

One gift we got this year was an indoor shitake mushroom "garden". We've begun the process needed so it will produce mushrooms and should be an interesting experience!