Soaking My Chervil, Sowing More Seeds & Woulda Look AT THEM SUNFLOWERS!
Now Look Ya' Made Me Do...
Two weeks ago my oldest stepson had to send us money to cover some Superbowl squares and I said "Just send them through Paypal..."
BIG Mistake...
I rarely use my Paypal account and had actually forgotten the password. After he sent the money to the account, he asked me to make sure it was there. So I did. And low and behold... guess what I discovered?
We had another $30 in there above and beyond what he had sent to us. The extra money was from early 2017, and obviously I had forgotten about it. SIGH
So I left the $25 he owed us in the account and decided to order... more... seeds... with the other money in the account. Luckily both places I get the majority of my seeds for the year accept Paypal. Some of these seeds are replacing ones I had used up last year (tomato, arugula), while others are new to me that I wanted to have on hand as last year I had difficulty finding them to order.
Yeah it didn't take me long to buy $25 worth of seeds from Michigan Gardener at all! What I like the most about MIGardener is these three things...
- They are local in my state
- Their shipping is SUPER fast for me
- ALL their seed packets are only 99/cents
I ordered the seeds late Thursday evening and they were in my mailbox Saturday afternoon- talk about FREAKY FAST delivery- forget Jimmy Johns; I have MIGardener!
What Did I Sow This Weekend?
So yesterday morning I set to getting a few herbs and things out of the way for sowing and planting. Some of these will be staying indoors so I feel safe planting them now; without any concern of frost damage come the spring planting season.
Seeds I sowed are:
- Angelica- has a similar taste to celery; and since we don't like the stringy feel of celery in our food (soups and stews), I can add some angelica instead. The only problem is angelica is a biennial plant so I won't have a harvest this year; plus I'll have to remember to plant another crop next year so I can have a harvest alternating years.
USES for Angelica
- Heartburn and intestinal gas
- Loss of appetite
- Arthritis/anti-inflammatory
- Respiratory
- Anxiety and nervousness
- Insomnia
- Chervil- a perfect substitution for parsley when cooking and for culinary use. Chervil is included in many French seasoning blends
USES For Chervil
- Cough
- Digestion problems
- High blood pressure issues
- Gout (juice)
- Infection/abscesses (juice)
- Eczema (juice)
- Sage- This is just an herb I like to have around whether dehydrated or fresh. It really adds such a delicious flavor to meat during the marinade process.
- Tarragon- According to the Spruce website tarragon is an extremely versatile herb to use. One thing I learned... it's part of the sunflower family! I never would have guessed that. This is my first attempt at growing tarragon and I thought it would be a good addition to my herb garden as I just had a recipe that called for it and I had to buy some! OH no!
- Lemon Balm- I use this and dehydrate to add to my herbal teas. Some I trim fresh and will just add a leaf or two to my iced tea or lemonade; it really adds that fresh zing!
USES For Lemon Balm
- Upset stomach, bloating, intestinal gas and vomiting
- Pain relief for menstrual cramps, headache or a toothache
- Bee Balm (Wild Bergamot)- is a good plant (part of the mint family) to have to attract butterflies and bees. Since I am expanding my garden, herbs and flowers so much this year I figured it would be a good thing to add something to bring the bees around to help pollinate the extra items I am having.
Why Do You Have To Soak Some Seeds Before Planting Or Sowing?
One plant I had to soak for 24-hours before I could actually start sowing was the chervil. I read on the packet it said to soak in water for 24 hours to help speed up the germination process. I researched a little more overnight and discovered the reason for this is because before planting the soaking helps to break down the seed’s natural defenses against what it expects from being outdoors in sometimes, harsh elements; hence allowing faster germination.
Look At Them SUNFLOWERS!
I just sowed these on Saturday and look at this li'l babies!
On the left are four Dwarf Sunflowers and the four on the right are Evening Sun (which will be a brilliant red when bloomed)
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Oh the JOY!!!! Look at those sweet little sprouts 🌻
Can't get enough of seeds and sprouts. Thank-you for taking time to share your endeavours with us!! Sounds like some fun and interesting selections there. I love sunflowers but have not had any luck getting them going, though I have not ever tried starting them early inside..... maybe this year!! For the past two years, i have had good success starting squash, tomatoes, eggplant (1st year) inside.
#growingislife
Last year, i was gifted some friends overgrowth of bee balm and terragon (among a few others) which I trasplanted and they did great. I hope they survive over the winter. And, now since I have moved, will have to go back once spring settles in to move them again.
Time to plan what I will do with my tiny urban east patio area.... will see 🌺
🤞💜💖💙💚
I love the tag #growingislife!!!! I may have think of a way to use that here on steemit!
I really appreciate the upvote @goldendawne! Thank-you!!
Isn't the tag awesome?!! I use it all the time. It just feels so right 🌱
💜💛💚💙💖
I searched the tag yesterday but didn't see any newer posts using it... I was actually thinking of starting to use it. I like the way it sounds... healthy, gardening-like, perfect for what I do on steemit. Mind if I start borrowing it?
I dont mind if you use at all @goldendawne i would be honoured. It would be nice if you could reference me when you put it into use. I have used the tag lots but not in the steem tags perse. Still getting comfortable blogging here atm. I am recovering from tbi so have needed to take things real slow. I just did my introduceyourself post last night actually. I hope the link works.
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@yogajill/prayer-blessing
Garden on sister #growingislife
How exciting to discover some $ and get a chance to order more seeds! I've never tasted/grown Angelica... it sounds interesting and I'd like to try it one day. Thanks for putting this on my radar! I did have a chance to try chervil last year and it is an interesting flavor. It also seems to reseed quite abundantly!
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THANK YOU so much!!!!
This is a great use of a plant for health. Some in our family suffer from skin problems and this may help. I will try to get hold of some chervil to make us cheerful. I just wonder how I can get a hold of this in South Korea. I will look.
We live 10 mins from the Quebec border so we g a lot of French people who share their cuisine and recipes and Chevril is a staple.
I had heard of it when I would go through the pages of seed catalogs but never paid it much attention and this year I was determined to try it.
I live 10 min from the Quebec border too @gardengirlcanada :)
$0.99 is a good price for seeds. I'll have to see if they ship out west. I think you'll be doing a fair amount more gardening than I will. I only have 2 beds. Still, I'm getting excited for planting.
Those sunflowers are motivated! You might have seeds before it's even planting time. heh
I have limited gardening space too but I am resorting to having a larger container and bucket garden this year.
Yeah... I guess the sunflowers want to be seen early!
I'm thinking about trying to get planter boxes in the window sills or something. Maybe I'll get a little planter I can put inside and grow basil there. It struggles outside sometimes.
Every year I mean to start bee balm, but I never think of it while I'm ordering seed! Thanks for the reminder. I've grown tarragon for a couple of years, but I didn't know it was part of the sunflower family. I know sunchokes are and I'm starting those this year... I wonder if they can cross pollinate.
Sunchokes? Oh I'll have to watch for a post about those from you.
The bee balm flowers are so pretty... and I know with the expansion of my herbs and garden, I'll be needing a few more bees hanging out.
There will be a post on them soon. :)
Every time I come to your post I learn so very much. I didn't know that about angelica. Hahaha I would've done same thing if I put any money in my paypal. Those sunflowers look great already. I just love sunflowers they are so cheery.
I heard about angelica last year from one of the homesteaders in our group/community. I can't recall who had mentioned it I think it was @kiaraantonoviche.
We're not huge celery lovers but I like to have lots of flavor in our meals so I thought this was a perfect addition.
Great Post! I haven't started any of mine yet! I figure I still have a few weeks. We usually can't get stuff in until mid-may at the earliest.
I usually son't start mine until the first to second week of March myself but with the grow tent inside, I feel comfortable enough doing them a few weeks early.
That's cool. I always fight them getting leggy. I've never used a grow tent or had "real" grow lights though. Just florescent s on chains.
I have a garden table in the kitchen too where I hung a light over it for overflow of plants, etc. But the grow tent is nice because I can help keep the humidity leveled out. I have a small oscillating fan in it for circulation too.
Pics?
Thanks so much. This blog post is so timely. I have been having heartburn and intestinal gas all week long. Would you suggest Angelica?
I plan seeing the doctor soon though. What do you think?