Grow Your Own Magic

© Copyright 2024 Fran Carey, All Rights Reserved.

Spring is springing in the Northern Hemisphere, and a witch's fancy turns to green growing things. Even if you only have a postage stamp of lawn, you can create your own magical garden.

The first thing to do is decide what you want to plant, then make sure your climate is suitable for that organism. No matter how much we wish, mangroves aren't really suitable for backyards in Denver. You can find out online if the plants you want will work where you are. Keep in mind, with a little extra work, many plants can thrive in marginally suitable habitat. Blueberries need extra water here, and just the right amount of sun and shade, but they will grow. Growing areas are divided into zones, and anything suggested for your zone can work. Keep in mind the length of your growing season when pushing the limits. We had a spectacular crop of peas one year, and, a week from harvest, it snowed. Killed them deader than the proverbial doornail. It was very sad. There were tears.

Once you have chosen your crops, possess thyself in patience until time to buy and plant. Use this time to lay out your garden and do any soil amendments needed. Your county agent is a great resource for finding out what the soil in your area tends to need. A quick hint, dandelions love alkaline soil, so, if you need to bring the soil acidity up, add coffee grounds. Another reason to use a reusable filter - the grounds are easier to dump into your save can from one of those.

When designing your garden, make sure you can get to all the areas easily to weed and harvest. No RoundUp-resistant corn for you, my little nature witch. You can incorporate magical symbols in your layout - a pentagram, squares in the appropriate area for each element, with the plants in that area corresponding to the element, a spiral of life in alliums, filled in by peppers and beans and the ends tipped with tomatoes. Use your imagination. Be sure to save some room for marigolds/calendula. It's a natural bug repellent, and don't plant so close together that you can't get to the produce as it ripens.

As you are preparing the garden, you can add some quartz crystal chips to your soil. Charge these on your altar before adding them, visualising your garden flourishing and the bounty of the harvest as you hold them in your hands for at least five minutes, then put them on the altar inside a triangle of green candles dressed with Abundance oil. Give them at least 24 hours on the altar, then mix them in with the sheep peat or any other all natural soil additive your county agent recommends.

Other stones can be used, as well, both to encourage the plants and to add visual interest and beauty to the garden. Quartzes are weather resistant, so amethyst for peace, citrine for energy and creativity, clear quartz for amplifying other stones or charged as above for abundance, rose quartz for love. Other stones are not as weather resistant, but can be used as long as you are okay with their degrading. Be sure the stones don't contain harmful minerals - in other words, no galena, howlite, cinnabar.

In Cunninham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic, Scott Cunningham says that wearing a moonstone while gardening will help your plants grow. I am pretty sure I had my moonstone in my pocket when I was weeding and heard a rustling sound. I looked over and the pumpkin was growing at me. I brandished my weeding tool and said, "I have a trowel and I know how to use it!"

Cucurbits, pumpkins, watermelon, cucumbers, etc, can literally grow so fast you can hear and see them. Don't be afraid to cut back plants a little when they are doing this. Otherwise, they will run and not make. They'll put all their energy into growing vine, stem, or leaves, and not have any to make food for us.

Water late in the day or early in the morning so the water doesn't evaporate before the plants can drink it or else boil their poor little leaves in the hot, hot sun. Your county agent can tell you which is best for your area.

Weed by hand. Get out there with your hoe or your cultivator, and get on your hands and knees to get around the base of the plants. Weeds suck up water and nutrients that could be going into your food. If you want to shield the soil from evaporation, use a mulch appropriate for your area and crops. Guess who can help you with that?

When you harvest, do so with gratitude. Thank the plants, the garden, and the Earth for what they have given you. Consume the bounty mindfully, too. Don't rush through that home grown tomato. Enjoy every bite. If you have more than you can use, can, freeze, or donate it to a local food bank or your neighbors. (Don't plant more than one zucchini plant unless you are feeding more than 5 people!)

For questions about laying by - canning, drying, freezing your excess produce - contact your county extension home economist. There are also many books and websites ready to teach you about this, too. Check out some of our magical herb books which contain recipes for chutneys, salsas, and other tasty treats.

When you put your blood, sweat, toil, and tears into a garden, the foods you get back taste much better than even what they have at the local organic grocery store. Learn to grow your own herbs, vegetables, and fruits, and you won't be dependent on commercial produce except for the things you can't grow where you are. It aids in self-confidence, healthy nutrition and eating habits, increases your connection to Mother Earth, and it counts as exercise. You can incorporate spellwork into your garden by planting notes with your intentions you want to grow as you plant everything else. And it can be an educational family activity. Little kids love to play in the mud. Just make sure they know what's a weed and what's not!

One final note - all varieties of peppers can cross-pollinate. Make sure the hot peppers are nowhere near the sweet peppers or you'll wind up with Hell's Bells and Bikini Atoll Banana Peppers!

Recommended Products
Wild and Weedy Apothecary	Secrets From A Herbalist's Garden
Herbal Magick	Green Witch's Guide to Herbal Magick