So I started some Blackberry Lilly seeds just because the seeds were one of the numerous gifts from our wedding shower (which was a garden party wedding shower btw!) They sprouted and that was great:

Baby Lillies are pretty cute! The seedling pictured above is now 3.5" tall and three others have sprouted since then. I was excited to see the new sprouts but became especially excited when I discovered that Blackberry Lillies are medicinal!

According to my Peterson Guide:

"Roots used in Traditional Chinese Medicine in prescriptions for sore throats, cough, asthma, wheezing and bronchitis....Science confims blood pressure-lowering, antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral activity."

I can't wait until they are grown up and in bloom. The flowers are alot more interesting than the traditional Day Lilly. Although according to another book I have, Blackberry Lillies started from seed "may not bloom until the second year."

And if you are wondering where the "Blackberry" part comes in..."inflated seed capsules split in the fall to expose the berry-like clusters of black seeds."

I actually snapped a shot of the seeds and packaging prior to planting.

 

 

In an effort to gain control over my Ginormous Seedling collection, I double dug a garden bed Monday. I didn't have my camera crew handy ;) ...so more detailed pictures will be available after I dig the next bed.

To get started I gathered some containers to hold the first row of dirt:

Ideally you would want to use something like a tarp where you can  just kind of move the soil over without turning it over and disturbing it too much.  As you continue to move the top dirt left you will want to just move it over, not turn it over. I've actually been doing this step wrong for years. heh. But have still had decent results.

After you've removed the top layer on the first row, you then take a sturdy fork like tool to loosen the bottom layer. You then continue by shifting the top 6" of dirt onto the bottom 6" of dirt you just loosened. Loosen the next bottom row and repeat. Here's a shot of about halfway through. In the picture below you can see the fork like tool I used to turn the soil. John Jeavons recommends using a square shovel for moving the top layer; although I've been making do with my regular spade shovel.

Thinking that turning the top soil over was the correct method, I put a layer of mushroom on top so that it would get worked into the soil.

Once you have loosened the last bottom row. You take the dirt in the bucket and put it on top of the last bottom row.

Aaron is particularly good at smoothing out beds so I let him turn this pile of dirt into something more manageable:

I then added some more mushroom compost on top:

I really don't care to buy mushroom compost bagged, but we haven't ordered our truckload for the season. Also if you don't live in an area that delivers mushroom compost in bulk, you can get this kind bagged at lowes.

After putting some compost on top I planted my squash:

I actually started these from seed indoors, and it did not take long to harden them off. The big outer leaves got floppy easily but the inner leaves stayed perky. So I took the droopiness of the outer leaves with a grain of salt, hardened them off for two days and then put them in the ground. They seem to be doing just fine!

So this is just a glimpse of the double digging process. John Jeavon's "How to Grow More Vegetables" book has some great pictures and instructional text that explain the process in great detail.

 

 

 

So I planted my feverfew today:

My Garden Herbs book said it prefers well drained soil and full sun to partial shade. I happen to have an empty spot in Original Herb Garden that fits this description, so thats where it got planted.

Like the other herbs in the back row of this garden, Feverfew is a tall (3 to 4ft) flowering perennial. Although I won't see any blooms until summer.

This herb is commonly know for its ability to prevent headaches and migraines. Parthenolide is the is the active agent that inhibits inflammation in the head. In order for prevention to be successful feverfew must be taken over a period of time and not just at the onset of a migraine. (disclaimer: if you are unsure about anything you are consuming consult a professional. I just like to garden and am not a health care professional :)

Feverfew can easily be consumed fresh as an addition to a salad. It also works well dried and taken as a tea.  Since feverfew is more medicinal than culinary, there may not be too many recipes for it floating around.

You might also just enjoy growing it for the flowers. Feverfew gets the cutest button like daisy flowers!

 

As always, I had a really great time at the herb festival this year. I of course came home with lots of new plants:

Some of which are herbs I'm familiar with but have never owned (mashmallow, stevia, feverfew) as well as some that are new to me (culver's root, yellow bedstraw, soapwort).

I even came home with a (non-herb) blight resistant tomato plant.

I was so into looking at all the plants, trying to decide what I wanted and talking to people that I didn't even take the time to take pictures. Fortunately some other herb festival attendees took the time to take and share pictures. :)

I'll be writing more about these plants individually, as I'm eager to explore where they should go and what they'll be good for.

Well, many sources say that today is Garden Bloggers Bloom day. For me its feeling more like save the blooms day! (we're suppose to get a freeze tonight). So I thought this picture might be more fititng:

Its like our plants are having a sleepover. heh.

As for indoor plants and seedlings, I think I may have been an eager beaver when starting my Zinnia seeds. I'm running out of window space and sunlight. If it were warmer out I could be setting my seedlings out during the day and that would remedy the problem. But this hasn't really been the case the past couple of days.

Instead my Zinnia seedlings are stretching for light:

..and getting a touch leggy. The few Zinnia seedlings I still have under the light are doing great:

They are a great color green and are growing really dense leaves. I'm also assuming this dense leaf thing is a good thing and not a "my roots have reached the bottom so I'm going to stop growing up" thing.

Either way, I could really use a some more lights, a cold frame or a greenhouse! If I had room to start more of my own plants I'd be super excited. I'll have to plan for this for next year but would love to hear about anyone else's approaches.

 

I just wanted to note that I now have little dill and wormwood seedlings popping up in my herb tray flat.

I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with all the wormwood. Its a good border plant for gardens because it deters animals. Although the border of our veggie garden isn't ready for plants.

I'm real excited about the dill doing well. I love dill and will make room for that anywhere. :)

A garden starts anew.