Garden Blessings.

[Kystar]

Okay, I'm wondering if anyone has any "garden blessings" or rituals for a fertile crop that they do about the time of groundbreaking on a garden.

I'm starting a full garden this year...bigger than my last one...mainly b/c I'll be home to tend it...but also b/c of food prices.

I wanted to know if there were any blessings, offerings or rituals I can do to help it grow.

I'm trying to focus on the energy of growth and fruitfulness as I work on preparing the space, but sometimes it's hard to pull up the spiritual energy when the work is taking so much of my limited physical energy.

If anyone can even just point me towards a book, or an article, that would help too.
Thanks.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Talk with the spirits of those you are planting, but also talk with the faeries in your garden as well. When you've got a good relationship with them, the garen always grows well! A chat with "weeds" may do well, too. My chat with comfrey didn't yield the results I wanted, but then I think the comfrey knew that we were leaving the next year, anyway

Funny you should ask this, because my Feng Shui in the Garden book has been popping out at me all day. It's by Richard Webster, and it's pretty good, especially to a person like me who is very new at Feng Shui. It goes into great detail, and I know this man has a few "Feng Shui for/in the..." books.

Other than that, when tilling the ground, put your love, blessings, and energy into the soil. When you're on your knees in the soil, pulling weeds or planting, totally get absorbed in it; dirt is like ecstasy in the moment!

Make your own fertilizer and bless it/energize it. My mother used to make "Rose Tea" from my dad's horses' leavings in a garbage can, put that into one of those chemical sprayers (no chemicals previously in it), and her roses were always gorgeous.

That, and if you have a friend with horses, or a local stable, offer to take a truckload of their waste. Nothing better than horse maneur composted a few months and tilled into the soil ^_^

Those are my suggestions ^_^

[Kathyj]

I don't really do any formal rituals for my gardens, but whenever I work in them or water my houseplants repot or whatever I have a habit of talking to the plants, they seem to possess diferent personlalities and I tend to treat them as individuals. If a particular plant isn't doing well usually due to location I try to get a feel for where it really wants to be by spending time "talking' to it. I try to research all I can about gardening techniques but I rely on my intuition quite a bit too. Kat

[yellowbirch]

I heard that if you make love in the garden that it helps it to grow. I also focus on the elements and the energy of the moon and sun. I just feel the energy of nourishment bless the soil. Maybe if harsh weather comes along you can create protective energy around your garden. Just the energy of protection alone can help.
Many Green Blessings~

[Lotus]

I heard that if you make love in the garden that it helps it to grow.

Yes, I am sure the neighbors would love this.

I would second the protection being used.

Sorry, I could not resist.

I have a friend who puts a cleansed and changed quartz crystal on each four corners of her garden. She puts it just under the dirt. She grows her own food and is one heck of a cook.
Makes me wish I had a yard to grow things. An apple tree would be nice.

BB
Lotus

[yellowbirch]

Yes, I am sure the neighbors would love that as well.
But hey, if it works..... LOL

[Kystar]

Well, first off, thanks for dredging this up from wherever it was hiding.

Because of the weather, I wasn't able to get much planted at all. Where I live, we had a very cold, short spring...and a surprisingly short growing season...not counting the current warm snap!

The only things I got planted b/c the soil temp didn't hit the proper temps until mid-June was tomatoes and bell peppers. Though, I can't complain about THAT crop, because my tomato plants were so hardy they actually nearly killed the peppers. Had to relocate them so the largest tomato plant didn't strangle them.

Got probably 2-3 bushels of tomatoes over the course of the summer...with a large bag of green that are ripening in my kitchen at the end when things started threatening frost.

If we're still here next year, I'm going to see about borrowing a tiller from the uncle of my one sister-in-spirit...b/c I tell you what, West Mifflin crab grass and sod does NOT give up its position in the ground with ANY type of grace, even if you tell it that you're going to replant it elsewhere to block a hole in your shed base!

But thanks for all the advice about working the energy into the soil!

I did try to do some of that when I was trying to dig up...but since I felt like I was in the middle of an epic battle with my sod, I think I gave the plants more "Go get'em tiger!" kind of vibes...maybe that's why the one tomato plant bent its support frame to engulf the peppers? Hmmm....

[runewulf]

Ok, I missed this one the first time around, based on the date, I was trying to deal with a less than pleasant breakup, fibromyalgia flareup, worsening migraines and a major corporate merger, but I'm sipping on coffee and cleaning out a spam bot post that hit this topic, so here we go

All of the above are valid methods, if you believe in them and focus the energies to the garden when being applied. No matter what you do, you need to ensure you are putting nurturing, growing and protective energies into the garden area and making sure to bind the energies to the area and their purpose. Oui, sex can work well as long as you can keep the intention firmly in mind, we are talking fertility. Crystals work, so do planting trees or shrubs after enchanting them and carving sigils/runes/etc into the roots and working with them as guardians/garden workers. Simple positive meditation in the garden, as well as talking to the plants can help as well,

In essence, whatever you feel most comfy with, can use to raise and direct energies and generally whatever "clicks” with you as an individual. If you're not comfortable with stones and crystals, I doubt they'd be your best bet. If you're body shy or very private about intimacy, I doubt the May Day copulation method would swing well. Find the thing or things that feel right for you.

As far as short or cold planting season, use pots and potting soil to start them, then transfer them, soil and all, into the ground when the weather allows. It just means you get to do more little rituals, first on the starter plants and their soil, then when transferring thems

[Kystar]

WOW! I haven't even THOUGHT of this post in FOREVER...but you know what, I'm glad it popped back up!

That request was originally for my old rental house, now that we own our own place, we've been trying to get the garden project restarted. However, the neglect that this poor house has gone through has made MANY other things priority.

BUT, I'm planning to clear some of our "plot" this spring, even if we haven't managed to move the baby oak tree yet.

As it's going to be a terraced garden, after reading some of the ideas, I think I'll raid my Elemental Glyphs and carve them into whatever we use for edging this year.

And I have a fairly good relationship with crystals and stones, so I probably will raid my local pagan store that popped up (http://www.eyeofnuit.com) for some crystals or something.

LOL...I'll post pictures on my facebook when we get things going...

[Kitsune]

Woot! I love pictures of Gardening... Especially since I'm... well you all know about my black thumb.

[kristoff1235]

i think i might try this, ive been working with hybrids and theyve been going crazy. i planted three with a foot of distance apart and the twisted into one big mass, and were in a drought... anyone think theres something strange about that?

[Librarian]

Our tomatoes tend to go wld as well, which is why we leave about two feet between them. This year it looks like we'll have a bumper crop as well as a lot of Japanese cucumbers.

[kristoff1235]

ya, the drought caught up with them... theyre about dead and watering doesnt help, it actually harms them...

[Librarian]

Then give them a proper burial, and their spirits will nourish the next generation! Composting!

[kristoff1235]

i normally take the fruit and mow the plant into the soil.