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Many doctors are now not wanting to give antibiotics for ear infections which is mostly good news. Here are some suggestions about what I do to get rid of them.
My mom always put a few drops of peroxide in each ear, let it bubble for awhile, put in a tiny bit of cotton and then turn our head in the other directions so it could empty. Then we would do the other side if necessary. I still do that but then follow it with drops of CBG (a liquid of herbs that calms the ear and fights the infection) or Garlic oil.
If anyone else has any herbal helps for earaches or colds, let me know and I will put it on my blog. I want to get as much cold, flu, and related stuff out there before it really hits.
Thanks, Barbara http://barbarasherbbasket.word
press.com/healthy-children/
Hi all, I haven't had time to play in the garden for the last couple of days - I have been catching up on housework. I am having a proceedure done on Monday and I will be out of commission for a couple of days. It's not serious, just enough to make me miserable. Anyway, I had to go out and get groceries and went to Wal-Mart. On my list was spray for the roses, rooting powder for the lavender and slug bait. Found the spray, couldn't find rooting powder and forgot the slug bait. That was because when I was looking for the rooting powder, I found an herb starter kit. It had a nice oblong tin/copper like planter, herb seeds- basil, parsley and chives and the peat pellets were included. This kit had been $10.00 and they marked it down to $1.00. So I snatched one up. Now I can get started growing herbs!
Well that's about it for now. I probably won't be online much tomorrow, but I will try to read the blogs if I do get online. Hope you all have a blessed week to come! *hugs* -
It was a long winter up here (Winnipeg, Canada), with spring delayed by a few horrible, rainy, cold weeks. Things seem to be finally improving, though on the Prairie one day could be baking while the next is snowing. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Tomorrow I'll be buying plants, but in the meantime my parents allowed me to dig up a bunch of stray lily-of-the-valley plants, which I planted in the north-facing front yard, as there's a big gap between two azalea bushes which are just barely budding now.I hope it spreads into a beautiful, thick mass in the coming years.
We also divided a mass of garlic chives, which I planted by two rose bushes. I'm planning to dot herbs all around the flower beds as part of a companion planting experiment.
Perennial herbs will go in the flower beds, and annuals will go in the vegetable garden, as that plot is dug up every year anyway. Planning some basil and dill by the tomatoes too, so I'll see how that enhances its flavor.
Pictures coming soon! Not much to see yet, and lets hope this weather keeps up.
I'm in Alpharetta, Georgia visiting with my daughter, and last night I ran across an Encyclopedia of Herb Gardening while we were in Barnes and Noble. I snapped it up for less than $10, and I am dedicated to reading and understanding much of it. Of course, when I saw the photos of the herb gardens in the book, I had to chuckle at my little garden that seemed so impressive before. Ha ha. But it is impressive and pleasing to me, anyway.
My husband is caring for my garden in my absence (fingers crossed -- he knows how important it is, and I believe he will do it --- but let's hope it rains anyway. ha ha ha)
A couple of things I've learned already .... there are more herbs that I thought, and more things than I thought are considered herbs (if that makes sense). Secondly, according to this book, "leaf edges are a good clue to help you identify unknown herbs. By incorporating herbs with different leaf shapes into your garden, you will give it added visual interest." I really didn't think about the leaves at all when I planted my stuff, other than to admire how pretty the herbs were in their own different ways, but I will go back and pay attention to that when I get home. I have just learned that there are at least this many types of leaf shapes:
trifoliate, dissected, simple, toothed, entire, lobed, lanceolate, obovate, oblanceolate, linear, oblong, elliptical, and ovate (and combination toothed and lobed)
then there is the leaf arrangement to consider, which is "the way the leaves are placed on the stem":
odd pinnate, palmate, even pinnate, opposite, whorled, and alternate
I still can't tell from looking at the pictures which leaf shape cilantro fits into (sigh), but the book says it has "finely divided leaves." I looked this one up because it is not doing well in my garden. I planted two plants in two different areas, and neither is shaping up. The book says "full sun for seed production but some shade for best leaves." I have some shade in one area, less in the other. Maybe I should check the soil pH. I haven't done that at all yet.
Any tips on growing cilanto?
I spent the morning taking most of my tomato seedlings out of my mini greenhouse and putting them in front of a sunny window. About a dozen have been at the window for a couple of weeks now, having grown too tall to stay in the greenhouse. Soon I'll start the hardening off process - putting them outside on mild days and bringing them back in at night. We're still getting overnight temperatures of about 36 degrees Fahrenheit.
Every tomato seed I planted has now become a vigorous 'teenaged' plant - tall and gangly. I'll be glad when I can put them into my garden, but I won't be able to do that for a couple of weeks yet. When I do, I plant them horizontally: I pick back all but the top tuft of leaves then put the plant into a foot-long trench horizontally. I hold the growing tip up and cover the rootball and bare stem with soil amended with compost. Roots develop all along the buried stem and I find that my plants are stronger and require less water during dry periods. In order to protect them from the strong winds in our area and to concentrate the heat, I save and scrounge all the 1 gallon plastic containers I can find (We buy ice cream in those containers.) and cut the bottoms out of them. I tuck the bucket around the plant and shore it up with soil so it won't blow away. When the plant has grown taller than the bucket, I remove it, leaving the hollow around the plant to collect the rain, and replace it with a cage. I save my eggshells all year, break them up with a quick pulse of my blender and scatter them around my plants in order to keep slugs at bay. I've been using this method for more than ten years with unrivaled success.
I wish I could say I've been as successful at starting herbs from seed. I planted six various herbs in peat pellets, but have only been successful with parsley and basil. I doubt I'll try again. I like to try starting various plants, but it's a lot of work and, other than the tomatoes, I'll simply buy them from a nursery.
Similarly, I've tried to start caladiums indoors this year, but haven't seen any sign of growth yet. I haven't given up on them yet, because I have no idea how long it takes them to form plants.
Well, I'm going out to work in my beds here before heading to the farm to plant peas and lettuce. Happy gardening everyone.
I am so pleased with the blooms on my orchid plants this year. I have a vanda, many phalenopsis, and cattelya in bloom. they are all over my kitchen counter and back porch. It is so rewarding when I look out my kitchen window each morning with the early sunshine streaming on them.
Can I hear from someone else who grows orchids and herbs. My herb collection includes rosemary, basil, french thyme, parsley, eucalyptus and fine leaf thyme- not sure of the scientific name. What a lovely feeling when you can just pluck herbs for dinner each evening!
Just joined the community, awaiting to hear from you out there.
I brought my herbs inside just in time for the deep freeze in November, and they've been doing really well, except they lost their flavor. I already asked a question on this in the herb section of the forum.
My 2-yr-old loves having the herbs inside because she thinks it's really great to eat them whenever she wants. I love to cook, so they're really handy to have in my kitchen.
By the way, I had my baby December 20th. Her name is Lillian Grace, and she never looked like a newborn. She came out plump and happy. She has a slight case of colic, so I'm running around a little more than I was with Tatyana. Plus, the green-eyed monster has moved in, so that makes it a little harder to keep up.
So, this year won't be the year for a 'real' garden, the one that I want! But I am still trying to be this great 'gardener' -we'll see if I can container grow...
I have just the regular flowers, and tomatoes & jalepenos, and herbs to come... I just planted them in temporary container pots -until they get too big for them, then of course I will have to re-plant them...
Will post pictures as soon as possible!
-Samantha
I came home today to be surprised by my miniature irises. They are starting to bloom and I should have beautiful flowers out there tomorrow. My mom's bloomed almost three weeks ago around the 30th of March. Here is a quick peek at them and I will hopefully catch them in bloom tomorrow. These are the cutest little irises I have ever come across, they are only about 6 inches tall, they were given to me by my mom a couple of years ago. They have adjusted well.
And as promised here is a photo of the little herbs. I found these pots at Walgreens for a dollar. Can't pass up a good deal when I see one.
More images are in my photo gallery of what's in bloom now, most images are labeled and dated.
It's been a few weeks since my last post and things are starting to green up very fast. We had a late cold snap last week and it was down into the upper teens and lower 20s. I covered up the tulips. They should bloom in the next day or so.
I got the garden mostly planted on April 4-5. Put in Asparagus for the first time, potatoes, a few different kinds of sweet peas, walla walla onions, tomatoes (in the wall-o-waters), radishes, lettuces, and carrots. I left some room for beans and cucumbers. Below is my hard work all nice and tidy at the end of the day. 
Tomatoes (in the wall-o-waters)
The forsythia bushes are blooming. The neighbors hacked them down pretty far last fall, so they had a meek showing this year. They will be better next spring.
I have moved my "seedlings" as they are now considered herbs in my mind to their own permanent pots. (It has been 8 1/2 weeks since I put the seeds in the soil.) I found a great deal a Walgreens, cute pots for only a dollar. They are oriental looking white with blue glazes. It was in the 70s today so they also went outside for a short time. As for now they are happily in the garage as it is going to be quite a bit colder for the next couple of days. Then 70s and 80s again so they will travel again. I will have pictures when it is nice enough outside to get some good ones.
I took the rest of my tomato plants to work and gave them away to any willy-nilly person who looked remotely interested. They went very fast. I even got the comment, "You have any more?" Plant lovers are everywhere at work, you can see them ducking out early and coming in late on the nicest days. Everyone is tired of the cold icky winter weather. It's time for Spring!
I ordered plants for a new shade garden they should be in this week or next, Ligularia and Foam Flower. I'm also going to split some of my hostas this week and add them as well. I hope that it will look as good as my minds eye. Pictures to come in a few weeks.
Thank goodness! I've discovered I've become the 'wuss' I've teased Rick and my in-laws about being in regards to the cold. I HATE it! Don't much care for the extreme heat either, but at least the heat doesn't cause me no end of agony. Been having a hellacious time with my arthritis, spending a lot of painful days and sleepless nights. I'm looking forward to warmer weather and less pain.
Working on planning my garden for the coming season. Since my space is so limited I've decided that I'm not bothering with vegetables this year. The yield is just so not worth the hassle. I'm going to focus on flowers and herbs instead. One or two plants of any of the variety of herbs I use on a regular basis will be plenty for two of us, but 8 green beans do not a meal make. I'm thinking of doing plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. And since both are usually attracted to the same plants, it'll work well with my limited space.
My main concern with that is I know a lot of butterflies like to lay their eggs on herb plants. Last year I lost my dill and cilantro to caterpillars. I'm thinking about having Rick help me make some kind of screen tent to cover the herbs I want for cooking ... the man can rig up just about anything. I can add some dill and cilantro and other herbs to my flower plantings for the butterflies to lay eggs on, then herbs for everyone!
Last year was my first year going all out with growing herbs & I want to mention a few tips which may help someone out with their herb gardening. I have found that some herbs like dill, cilantro, chives seems to grow better in a cluster. They get very lanky or leggy and I think the added support from each other makes for a better visual effect & I am sure works more effectively with the Companion Gardening concept (growing flowers & herbs together with vegetables). Cilantro & dill are 2 herbs I have started so far this year.
I did have a lot of the herbs in containers & in the hot weather, they didn’t do very well. Seems most couldn’t take the extreme heat so along with watering daily I ended up bringing them back into the house & after getting socked with the extreme heat they didn’t seem to do as well. So find a spot for them that has some shade or move them out of the sun for part of the day. Once your herbs go to seed, they are done growing for the season but you can prolong the growing by cutting the seeds off when you first spot them. I let some go to seed so I can save the seed for the following year & have had good results so far. Basil is amazing & there are so many different varieties & all work well just tossed with a fresh salad – Large Italian, Cinnamon, Purple Ruffles, Thai, Lemon Sweet Dani to name a few.
Herbs can be dried for later use which is great – no waste & you have herbs all winter. Find a dark, dry area in your home – I used a spare bedroom and laid the herbs out in trays for about 2 weeks and then bagged them up. When cooking use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs or 3 teaspoons of fresh herbs for the same result.
I grew quite a variety of peppers last year also & two I want to make mention of – the Padron Pepper and the Alma Paprika Pepper … both are Hot! I will admit I am a total whimp when it comes to hot stuff, but I do try. I just can’t handle it. Neither pepper description mentioned the heat from these peppers. The Padron was advertised on tv as the new appetizer at one of the chain restaurants so I thought – How cool, I can grow it. The description says one in every 10 or so is Hot, so watch for the surprise…not SO, I had grown men crying after taking a bite out of these. The trick with these is – up to a certain growth size they are mellow (actually, quite small like a quarter). Once they grow past that …POW! The Alma Paprika is unique – it goes through 3 different colors during its growth. First it is a pale yellow, then orange & once red it is Sweeter with a spicy accent. The first 2 color stages it will knock your teeth out …naïve me, got all excited when I saw my “first” Alma ready to pick (or so I thought). I plucked it off the branch & took a huge bite – well, my eyes almost flew out of my head LOL Both peppers can be dried and crushed for use in recipes. I used the red sweeter Alma peppers in tomato pepper soup and froze it – it’s outstanding. The Padrons I actually just froze whole and when I need a kick in a recipe like chili or taco seasoning I cut one or two up – I do discard the seeds since I don’t want it THAT hot.
Lastly, I want to mention the Tomato Hornworm who makes his appearance every year & makes a feast out of your hard grown tomatoes. Be on the lookout for this fella since he is very hard to see with just a casual glance. He blends in very well & I have overlooked him several times UNTIL you finally realize something is going on with your plant – obvious signs are chewed up tomatoes & large hornworm castings on the ground. I spotted the castings easily since the plant was a Green Zebra Tomato in a pot on my deck, otherwise the castings would probably blend into the soil. I first blamed the chipmunks last year for the half eaten tomatoes until I brought the plant inside & did catch sight of the hornworm dining on my plant – My jaw dropped & yours will too when you spot your first one … these guys are big! I did get a good picture of wasp larvae (beneficial parasite) attached to another hornworm in the garden (another jaw dropper). If you see this leave it alone. They will eventually feed off the hornworm and kill it & then fly off to find other hornworms to lay their eggs. I believe at this point the hornworm is no danger to your tomatoes anymore, but they can sure eat a whole lot when they are active!
Most of the seedlings have their first true set of leaves! Things are moving along well. I need to get a second grow light and move them higher this week. Here are this weeks photos:
The Tomatoes are really taking off as you can see. As I thought the Chili's did not sprout, but that's ok, I really hadn't planned for space for them in the garden. The Cilantro still might sprout another couple plants but I really only needed two. Finally the Rosemary started coming up, I was beginning to wonder, but right on time there it was. So here are the photos from this week. You can also see them in my photo albums.
Things are popping up left and right, here are some photos from Saturday.
The whole tray back row: Cilantro, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Chives, Chile Pepper, Beefsteak Tomato, Yellow Pear Tomato front left: Parsley, Basil
Basil and Thyme
Tomatoes
Alpine Strawberries
I planted some seeds this weekend and am curious about how they will do as some are left over from previous years. I used some new kind of starter pots, they are made out of coconut husks. This is what I planted on Saturday February 16, 2008.
2006 Beefsteak Tomato 8-10 days germ. 80 days harvest
2006 Yellow Pear Tomato 7-14 days germ. 70-75 days harvest
2000 Long Red Cayenne Chile Pepper 10-12 days germ. 75-80 days harvest
2008 Oregano - Greek (Organic) 10-15 days germ. perennial
2008 Cilantro - Coriander (Organic) 5-10 days germ. 30 days
2006 Dark Moss Curled Parsley 18-24 days germ. ?
2008 Rosemary 14-28 days germ. perennial
2007 Common Chives 7-14 days germ. perennial
2008 Winter Thyme (Organic) 8-10 days germ. perennial
2006 Sweet Italian Basil 5-7 days germ. ?
What a beautiful day it was today. Sun was shining this morning, then stayed cloudy an a slight breeze the rest of the afternoon. I finally got one of my wooden raised beds torn apart due to it rotting away. My FIL had given me a good many cider blocks so I lined them up around the wooden bed, then ripped it apart. I couldn't believe I had the perfect amount of soil. The new block bed is 10 blocks long by 5 blocks wide. I planted the herbs that were in that bed into the holes of the cider blocks. I had thyme, parsley, chives, lemon balm, curry an some leeks. I hope they will survive in them holes, if not I'll just have to move them. I still need to add some amendments to that soil, it has so much sand in it that it seems to repel water.
Then I tore out the frame I had going around the Hamlin Orange tree that had rotten badly an put the red bricks around it an the Prosperity rose. Those came from my FIL as well. I went 3 levels high on the tree just to get them organized an not scattered all over the yard. I will change that later on. I still have one more wooden bed I want to tear down, but I would kinda like to keep that as a raised bed. The grass hasn't taken it over so I know its still usable an not a lot of work like the others were.
Then I decided while I still had some energy left to rip out the Cross Vine I had growing on a post with latice. It had gotten so the runners were wanting to go every direction under the grass, so they couldn't be seen easily. I had debated on that one for a few years now, an just couldn't make up my mind.
We got a really good rain tonight, the storms that were coming from Texas an Louisana. Lost power for about 3 hrs, still raining. But I haven't heard of any tornadoes touching down yet.
Today I was able to work outside. Outdoor temps were in the mid to upper 60s. Very nice to be outside without shivering like a chihuahua!
I picked up a few bags of composted cow manure at the Home Depot before heading home. Two of the bags of manure were mixed into the soil in one the beds that I had already cleaned up. I also mixed in some fish fertilizer.
I planted a variety of greens across the back of the bed. Right against the wire fencing I planted some early sweet pod peas. The soil is still pretty damp from the last few days of rain, so I didn't soak the pea seeds.
I also spread some of the manure around the Rosemary plant that I moved into that bed last fall. I was hoping that I didn't kill it. Its looking pretty good though. I want to plant some more herbs across the front of that bed that can just stay there.
One of the asparagus beds got some extra treatment. I spread out about 3 inches of compost/topsoil mix. I want to do that to the other two as well. They will all get some fertilizer mixed in before they start coming up too much. I can't wait!!!
I still have some leaves in the yard that fell over the last few months. I decided to make some immediate use of some of them. I raked them into the aisles between the beds. Hopefully that will keep the spring grass from springing forth in those areas.
I also noticed some very strange pinkish red, tubular...things laying in the perennial bed. I think they are some sort of fungi / mushroom. They were all laying on their side, like they were from this morning, but had fallen over. I am going to try to take some pics in the morning if they are still there.
Sunset ended my outdoor fun. The girls and I had a very nice evening outside. Gardening is most certainly good for my soul.
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