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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