Wholeness is accepted, says the Wise Woman Tradition, not created. We are precious gifts to each other: for together we are part of the whole universe. Let us love ourselves gloriously and heal each other. Let us fall in love again and again. Let our hearts beat and our breath flow at one with the universal pules: love/grief, love/grief, love/grief.

Having no goals, resonant with truth, beauty, joy, and wholeness, the wise woman does nothing. She is still, sensitive, alert. Like a dolphin she sends out sonar waves to test the frequencies of wholeness. She opens herself to the hologram of this unique being, at this time, in this place.

Having no rules to teach, no morals to preach, the wise woman is silent. She is full in her silence; she is empty in her silence. Her expression is quite clear: she is love. Her strength is quite visible. She does not reach out. The best helping hand is often the one that touches not.

~Susan Weed

     It turns out that even the best gardeners can have problems with diseases ruining plants. As a completely new gardener who wants to grow everything organically I deffinately have had some worries. I thought that all I could do is keep my fingers crossed but it turns out that there are somethings I can do to prevent them. The two most important things to remember are that if you learn about your enemies you can better defeat them, and that a good defense is a healthy plant and environment.

     When it comes to the development of a disease there needs to be a susceptable plant, certain environmental factors, and a pathogen. If atleast one of these factors are eliminated so is the chance of disease. Sadly, however, this elimination must happen before disease strikes, because unlike a human body, plants usually can not recover. Keeping your plants healthy involves giving them the right kind of soil, sunlight, and water.

Having good compost in your soil is very beneficial as healthy microorganisms defeat those which can harm your plants. If you make your own compost make sure to never put diseased plant material into your mixture. Also, keep your gardens clean, as parts of plants die, move these parts out of there. Deffinately make sure that there is not too much nitrogen in your soil. Nitrogen is found in high doses in fertilizers that advertize “super” or fast growth. Though the plants will grow fast they will also be softer, weaker, and more penetrable by fungi.

Fungi is the most common pathogen to cause plant disease. It is possible, but much less common for a plant to have a virus or bacterial problem. To prevent fungi growth make sure that you water your plants in the morning, not at night. Also, make sure your plants are getting the right amount of sun. If you have a plant in shade for most of the day, and they need full sun, they will probably get some sort of fungal, bacterial, or rotting problem. There are also some organic antifungal sprays you can buy at garden centers, or to rid your plants of unwanted insects use a mixture of baking soda, dishsoap, and water. The pests will slip right off.

Lastly make sure to learn about anything that looks suspicious on your plants. Some common diseases are powdery mildew, early blight, and apple scab. The University of New Hampshire’s Cooperative Extension is a great resource. One call and they can tell you what you are looking at. 

A tincture is an extraction of plant constitutents using a solvent. Many of us have used them without being aware of it. If you have ever used vanilla extract during baking, for example, you have used a vanilla tincture! Tinctures are a very popular in herbal medicine for people who do not have time for or do not enjoy drinking tea. Also, as most tinctures are made with alcohol as the solvent or menstruum, medicine goes into the bloodstream fast. This makes them very effective for short-term healing, such as ridding a cold or flu.

To make Your Own Tincture:

You will need a glass jar, enough plant material to fill the glass jar, water, and alcohol that is atleast 80 proof. Make sure the alcohol is for human consumption.

1. Fill your glass jar almost to the top with the parts of a plant that you are extracting medicine from.

2. Fill the jar with enough alcohol that it is covering all of your plant material.

3. Fill the rest of the jar with water so that the is close to no air space in the jar.

4. Tightly seal your jar, and make sure to date and label it.

5. Let the tincture sit for 4-6 weeks so that the medicine is fully extracted out of the plant and into the menstruum. It is interesting to watch the color of the plant material dissapear over time, sometimes changing the color of your menstruum.

6. When the tincture is done sitting strain out the plant material and the tincture is ready for use.

*Make sure that you research proper dosages for use of your specific tincture, and be absolutely positive that you have used the correct plant as some easy mistakes could make someone severely sick or even be fatal.

Plants need a number of chemical elements for them to grow healthy and strong.

Free nutrients are those which are present in every garden, and do not need to be added to the soil. These are: Carbon, which is absorbed through stomata (holes on the undersides of leaves) and combined with water in the process of phothynsesis to create sugars and carbohydrates that are needed to feul all life processes. Oxygen is the other free nutrient that plants need. Plants absorb oxygen through thier roots, but this is stopped if soil is waterlogged and if the plants are deprived this way they will drown.

Macronutrients are those most important to a plant’s life. Carbon and oxygen are two of them, but a gardner must add some more into thier soil for healthy plants. All fertilizers include the three basic needed elements: Nitrogen is absorbed by the plants as ammonium or nitrate ions, facilitates green big and fast growth. However, too much nitrogen can stop a plant from flowering, burn, or even kill it. Phosphorus is made in some factories in different forms, or found naturally in rocks. It is a key factor in developing a root system, and aiding plants in blooming, seed production, and bearing fruit. Potassium develops strong cell walls (that protect plants from extreme environmental factors), and is involved in carbohydrate metabolism and cell division.

All fertilizers, even chemical fertilizers, have the basic three macronutrients needed for plant growth. There are many other macronutrients and micronutrients, though, that are needed for a plant’s metabolism, and chemical fertilizers do not include them. Petroleum products are used in thier make up and they create harmful chemical reactions, as well as stunt the growth of microorganisms that plants need. Chemical fertilizers will also do nothing to change a soil’s PH. It is best to use compost in a garden soil because it not only promotes good soil texture, PH, and tilth. It also feeds the microorganisms needed to convert raw materials’ nutrients into forms usuable by plants.

What To Test Soil For

A step that I missed for my garden this year was testing my soil. There are places that will test your soil for you and ways to do it yourself. I could begin this process now that it is spring, but I have learned that it would have been more beneficial for my plants this season, had I done it in the fall. However, learning new tips should not make us regret what we have done, but inspire us to do better. Soils are tested for their texture, PH, tilth, and drainage. The texture refers to the blend of soil types that there are, and how the different particles are arranged in the mixture. All soil types have a different PH (measure of acidity/alkalinity). Alot of hydrogen ions are what give soil a high PH. Plants emit these hydrogen ions from thier roots to trade for minerals. If soil has a lack of needed nutrients the plants will quickly use them up, and continue to emit hydrogen ions. The chemical compounds that the roots trade hydrogen for must also be broken down into ions. This is only possible with the help of different microorganisms found in organic matter. A soil that has good tilth is a soil that has a balanced hold on the water and air that pass through it. It should be light and fluffy. This also depends on your soil type. Adding compost to soil, improves the stucture, tilth, and feeds the microorganisms needed for plant life. Drainage, like you may have geussed, refers to how well soil drains it’s water. You may be asking “Isnt that the same thing as tilth?”, but drainage does not only consider how well the soil holds onto water. The subsoil and the hilliness of an area also factor into how quickly water is able to pass through it, whether it has good tilth and texture or not. There are organic fertilizers and amendments that can help the chemistry of a soil. However, for many of them, such as limestone, it takes atleast a season to dissolve and desperse into the soil.

How To Test Your Soil

The UNH Cooperative Extension tests soil samples for the public.

They will tell you all that you need to know about your soil except for drainage. These professionals even tell you what amendments to add and how much if you ask for the “Organic Test”. (More information about this at http://extension.unh.edu/Agric/AGPDTS/SoilTest.htm ) If you do not live in the area look up your local cooperative extension as most are willing to help.

To test your drainage,

Dig a hole two feet wide and deep.

Fill the hole up completely with water.

Time how long it takes to drain.

Soils that are made up mostly of sand will drain almost instantly. Clay takes a day or longer, but you will want your soil to drain within an hour or two.

This test’s precision depends on how much and how recently it has rained.

Here is one simple way to test the compisition of your soil:

Fill a clear, widemoth, quart jar halfway with a sample of your soil.

Fill the rest up with water.

Close the container.

Shake it!

Wait a few days until the water at the top is clear.

Sandy will be at the bottom, silt and organic matter will make up the middle layer, and clay the next.

This should give you an approximate percentage of each in your soil.

If all of the soil is the same color, and you can not distinguish them by eye; drain the water, then spoon out and feel the layers.

Types of Soil

The three basic types of soil are sandy, silt, and clay. Before you test your own soil you should learn about the five types.

Sandy soil is made up of mostly minerals that cannot be absorbed by plants until they are broken down. This is not possible until it is mixed with other soil types. Water also passes through it quickly so plants are left thirsty and hungry.

Silty soil has particles sized well for holding onto water, but not becomming waterlogged.

Clay is made up of tiny particles that can all be surrounded by water. Clays are usually rich in nutrients but plants do not tend to do well as it stays wet for too long and can turn rock hard when dry.

Humus is a broken down organic material needed for plant life. It varies in compisition, but is usually dark, and it’s minerals are released as they are needed.

Loam is a balanced mix of all of the above, but mostly of silt. Loam is the kind of soil best for New Hampshire Gardens.