A counsel to practical and magickal gardening as we grow together

by Abby Miranda

Welcome fellow gardeners and Green Blessings!

February is the start of the growing season and we have a lot of work to do. Even though it is still cold, the land beneath us begins to stir. The Full Moon on the 6th is the "Quickening Moon", the first stirrings of life. As the Wheel of the Year turns, we also come to the Pagan holiday Imbolc, a time of preparation and consideration before we put our plans into motion. So we plan our garden now, whether it is a small space in the backyard, a couple of containers on our porch or a simply designed window box.

By now, you should start getting some seed and plant catalogs in the mail and decide what to plant in your garden. One rule of planning your garden - keep it simple! Less is more, especially if this is your first time. Another rule is - SPACE. How much space do you have to dedicate to your plants? Seeds are very deceptive since they are so small. Just as the tiny acorn eventually turns into a giant oak tree, your seeds will need room to grow when they are mature. After you have decided on the type of seeds you want to grow, you need supplies. I have tried all kinds and they have all worked for me. You can get seed starting kits at Home Depot or Kmart. These are the ones that are little plastic greenhouses. Some come with dried peat pellets that you saturate with water; others come with sterile seed soil medium. Either type is good.

Please, please read the directions on the packages of seeds. Some seeds have a hard shell and need to soak over night before planting. Others might need a cold spell and may need to be put in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Remember to take them out though. I still have some seeds in the refrigerator from last spring that I had forgotten about!

Now that you have all your materials, gather your seeds for a seed blessing. I like to start my seeds on the new moon in February since that is a great time to manifest new endeavors. February's new moon is the 20th this year. It is almost a little late to start your seeds, so try not to go later than that. Light a green candle for fertility, and your favorite incense. Mint is a good scent for a blessing or you can try some dried chamomile flowers on a charcoal block. Please light the charcoal in a fire safe place! Spread the seed packets in front of you so you can see the pictures of what your seeds will be when they are grown. Ground and center yourself and place your hands over your seeds or hold them in your hands. Visualize the seeds growing and thriving into beautiful plants. When you are ready, you may want to say:

I bless these seeds and as I do
New life will expand inside of you
Your roots move deep in dampened earth
Your flora will rise towards a green birth
Thus into strong plants you become
By Earth, Wind, Rain and shining Sun.
As I will, so it be done.

You can imagine each line happening to each plant as you say them or you can change this around if you like or make up your own. Look at the pictures on the packets of each seed and see them already grown in your garden. You may want to repeat the blessing for each packet. When you are done, let the candle burn down in a safe place. Now you are ready to plant your seeds.

Fill the seed tray with seed compost (soil mix) to about ¼" from the top. Gently firm and level the surface by pressing down on the compost using a tray of the same size or the palm of your hand. When sowing large seeds, such as sunflowers or moonflowers, use your pinkie finger or a pencil to make holes for each seed a depth equal their width. Cover with compost pressing down gently. For tiny seeds, such as poppies, sprinkle the seeds on the surface and press them into the surface of the mix. Water your seeds with a fine spray or stand the tray in water until the surface of the mix is moist. You don't want to drown your babies!

If you have the peat pellets, soak the pellets in warm water in a large bowl until they have expanded to full size. Keep checking on them because they absorb more water than you think. When they are to size, press your seeds gently into the middle of the pod. They have a fine mesh to help keep their shape, which is biodegradable when you are ready to plant them outside.

Enclose the seed tray with the plastic cover provided by the seed kit or use plastic wrap or a large ziplock bag. Keep your seeds in a dark, warm place (68 to 72°F) until they sprout. You can use a black plastic bag for this, if you don't have a dark place. Seeds germinate best in these conditions and they don't need water during this period. Check your seeds daily and visualize them everyday growing strong. When they germinate, bring them to a sunny windowsill or a grow light (6" above the top). They need to be under the lights for 12 to 14 hours a day. As soon as I get up in the morning, I switch the lights on and right before I slip into bed at night, switch them off. I like to tell them "Good Morning" and "Good Night", too. We are continuing to be mindful of our growing plants.

One of the most important things I have found to keep your seedlings developing strong is air circulation. It keeps a fungal disease from growing on them, which they are prone to at this stage. This condition is called "damping off." You can use a small oscillating fan. Don't place the airflow on your seedlings, but just above them. Once your babies have sprouted, water as soon as the medium starts to dry out. Always water them from the bottom so your seedlings won't dislodge from the soil. Believe it or not, watering your seedlings with cooled chamomile tea is excellent to prevent dampening off. Of course, you may want to say a little prayer for the tea. Good ol' chamomile!

Once they have developed two sets of true leaves, thin the seedlings so they are an inch apart. Thinning is when you pull out some of your seedlings that are sharing the same cell leaving only two or three in the cell. I know this sounds cruel, but this gives the other plants more room to grow plus you can use the pulled seedlings in your compost. Recycle! Mix an organic fertilizer in the water and water your seedlings from the bottom. If you have regular fertilizer, dilute it one-quarter strength the night before. I recommend a product called SUPERthrive (they are on the Web). Feed them once a week and bless the water when you do.

When the weather gets warmer, about 50°, you need to start "hardening off" your plants before you move them into the garden. This a process by which you gradually acclimate your baby plants to their new environment. Let the plants know verbally that they are to eventually go outside to live. Also, visualize where they will go in your garden or larger containers and send them this image in your mind. I find that this reduces their stress level. On the first day of 50° weather, move the tray to a shaded spot outside and bring it back in before the sun goes down. Moving them to a shady spot first prevents shock since they are used to being indoors. Remember being out on the first warm sunny day with short sleeves after a long winter and getting sunburned? Do this for several days, then move them to a sunny spot. When the nights are consistently 50° for 2 weeks, you can plant them outside.

Be patient when starting seeds. It is a tricky venture and an act of faith. I have killed many seedlings and saved many others to grow up to be the plants I have envisioned. I still haven't given up! It's a learning process and I am always pleasantly surprised at the results. Henry Thoreau said, "Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed planted there, and I am prepared to expect wonders." When a tiny seed you have nurtured grows to be a mature plant, it feels like a miracle happened.

Happy gardening and merry part and merry meet again!

Abigail Miranda is an artist, a gardener and a teacher who wants to help people explore and discover their creative fire. Abby's experience and passion for growing things comes from trial and error, her "abuela" (grandmother), voraciously reading, and working at various garden shops, centers and societies in New York City. Call for information and dates for her current classes.