Gardening experiments on the windowsill

With the proper amount of sunlight, basil (pictured here), and other culinary herbs can be grown year round on a windowsill.

The ability to pinch fresh foliage from herbs grown in my kitchen for flavouring recipes during winter months has become less of an experiment and more of a necessity in our house!

Beyond that, there are many simple gardening experiments people of all ages might enjoy. Many of us may recall planting bean seeds in cup with wet paper towel during grade school in an effort to see how they’d grow.

When the mood strikes, I plant seeds from fruits and veggies purchased from the grocery store, especially during winter, just to see if anything will happen!

That’s where the potato in the photo comes in. I simply cut it in half and placed it on the dish in a bit of water. Since it’s actually sprouting, I’ll go a step further this spring and plant it outside in a container to see if it will produce an actual crop!

The other picture here is a container by our kitchen sink where I’m growing Amaryllis seedlings.

A few weeks ago I was enjoying some of the sweetest of Clementine oranges from Spain. Those delicious fruit had many seeds in them so I (somewhat mindlessly), stuck a few seeds into the soil. In all honesty, I completely forgot about them until I went to water my plants the other day. I saw the sprouts emerging and was absolutely tickled. Next thing you know I began to envision a lush tree full of those lovely fruit growing in my dining room, and me plucking them at will off the branches. Talk about an active imagination!

However, with a positive outlook and an open mind, I’ll likely continue experimenting with these kinds of benign windowsill gardening trials, and encourage my fellow gardeners to give them a try, too!

Spring is in the air…!

A big welcome back, spring… you’re my favourite season of them all. You’re full of potential and a new start to another year in the garden. I can hardly wait!

Yes I know.. we’re supposed to enjoy each season as it arrives and at first I really do try. But as the weeks drag on and while the snow piles up, admittedly the only thing that gets me through winter is looking at beautiful landscaping pictures on Pinterest. That, and planning what changes and additions I can make in my own garden.

The photos I’m sharing here are actually crocus pictures from last April. We still have much snow on the ground in my neck of the woods, but with the equinox on our doorstep there is light at the end of the tunnel!

So, like many other like-minded itchy green-fingered people living in a northern climate, I shall celebrate the official beginning of spring by sowing and starting some seeds indoors.

Happy Spring!

Find the Lucky Four-leaf Clover

May you live as long as you want, And never want as long as you live.

~ Irish blessing

Wikipedia offers a host of ‘lucky symbols’ from various cultures here, if you’re so inclined!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Borage – Borago officinalis – A true blue addition to any garden

Borage flowers offer a lovely shade of true blue in the garden.

This herb and its star-shaped flowers are not only beautiful, but extremely useful! I’ve always felt this plant was underrated in our gardens, unlike the past where its qualities were highly valued.

Admiring them as one would any species with a historical pedigree, as an heirloom, cultivated since at least the 1440s, the folklore they encompass states just how much borage was valued. It was said to bring courage to one’s heart. “Borage for courage” as the saying goes. Ancient Celtic people believed borage offered courage in the face of enemies on the battle field. How extraordinary!

Back to our modern times, it’s a courageous companion plant, known for repelling hornworms on tomatoes, offering this plant a serious, if not fashionable comeback.

Borage may be considered an annual herb where I live, but it self seeds easily and appreciates any extra warmth offered by the raised beds in our yard. They’ve settled in quite happily!

The dainty flowers are edible, offering a slight cucumber-like flavour. Use them in soups, salads, sandwiches, or as a substitute for spinach (stuffed into traditional pasta), or as a pretty garnish on the plate. A friend of mine uses them to flavour her pickles, while another makes teas and assorted iced drinks with them.

Thankfully Borage is not a fussy plant and grows well in most soils. I’m happy to report that deer avoid Borage like the plague, likely due to its fuzzy leaves. A real plus in many a gardener’s mind!

If you like to save and share, Borage seeds are easily harvested. Ore, leave them to self sow and every year you can look forward to them gracing the garden once again.

Those showy little blue star-shaped flowers attract bees, butterflies, and all sorts of good pollinators. They’re a wonderful addition to anyone’s garden!

Note:

When planting Borage seeds, the best time to do this is in spring, after any remaining chance of frost. Soak the seeds first in wet paper towel overnight, and then sow them directly into the garden, but not too deep, as half an inch will suffice. Borage will grow to a height of 2- 3 feet.
The oil from Borage seeds is highly valued and plants are now commercially cultivated for skin care products and other items. It’s one of my favourite go-to ingredients for use in my own products.
If you see some of your flowers are pink, then there is likely a deficiency in your soil. Below is a photo from a couple of years ago. I’ve since discovered this is a common site if Borage is growing in dry, gravelly soil. To fix this, simply add some triple-mix or compost. The pink is actually quite pretty, and Borage may even offer white flowers from time to time.

Happy Gardening!

DIY Infused Calendula Oil – An at home apothecary skin care treatment to create for yourself!

Making your own Calendula infused oil is very easy to do!

Winter especially saps the moisture out of our skin. Creating an oil from the petals of Calendula officinalis, otherwise known as pot marigold, is the perfect strategy when you want to combat the drying effects of this harsh season. By following the steps below, you can have your very own batch of skin care in no time at all!

Here is what you’ll need:

Dried, organic calendula flower petals
A carrier oil (I prefer Safflower oil, but Olive oil or Sunflower oil work well, too.)
A glass jar with lid. Make sure to clean it first!

Here is how to do it:

Fill the jar about 2/3 full with the dried petals.
Next, slowly poured the oil over the petals, making sure they’re all submerged
Wait 4-6 weeks so all the goodness of the calendula is infused into the oil.
Store the jar in a warm dry spot for the infusion to occur. Before you know it, you’ll have your very own homemade infused Calendula oil, too.
Once the 4 weeks are up, strain the flowers out and there you have it… Your very own homemade Calendula oil.
Use the soaked flower petals as a foot scrub before discarding. Mix a handful of the petals with a cup of sea salt and scrub away.

Calendula oil is great to use after a bath or shower. It seeps in without feeling overly oily, making skin feel very soft and supple.