Healing Gardens

Healing Gardens

A very appropriate topic considering my foray with the thorn in the foot. I am writing an article on modern day healing gardens and am looking for great resources.

If you have done any work in this area, I would love to interview you for my article. I am also interested in great websites, books or article on the subject. All sources will be created and I will gladly send you a copy of the article when done!

Thanks for your help!

Happy Digging,

The Garden Goddess

Down 2 Earth Gardens, LLC.

Trouble Lurks in the Garden

Trouble Lurks in the Garden

No picture today with this post because I don't want to gross you out - my swollen, red left foot is the reason for this note.

First - I have already been chastised by my fellow gardener friends. Seems like the guys had less sympathy and did more scolding than the woman.

Second - I feel a little foolish even sharing this with you. I mean, come-on, I am a PROFESSIONAL (aren't I?). But if I don't share this with you, there is a good chance this could happen to you!

So here goes - I stepped on a thorn! Well not your average thorn, but a one inch long Palo Verde Tree thorn that went through my Crocs and into my foot a quarter inch! OUCH! Yes, I screamed a really bad word very loud in the back yard! Then I stopped, took off the crock and saw how long the thorn was inside the shoe coming through the sole. The ball of my foot had a drop of blood on it and I thought "that's a good sign, bleeding helps to flush the germs out."

Well, I may have been OK if I would have stopped what I was doing, cleaned and disinfected the puncture site and put on a band aid and a sock. But NOOOOOOO I had to keep on gardening. I thought it was just a small pin prick and it didn't hurt tooo much.

Well, DON'T DO WHAT I DO, DO WHAT I SAY!

The next time you get cut, scratched or get stuck with a thorn, go into the house to clean and disinfect it. Put on a bandage and take a break.

Here's why.

Monday morning I couldn't put any pressure on that foot when I rolled out of bed! It was red and swollen. One of my toes was twice the size it was the night before. I thought that perhaps I was allergic to the Palo Verde Tree! But as the day wore on and the foot felt worse I knew something was up.

A trip to the doctor's office confirmed my fears - it was infected - with a staph infection! A pretty serious condition. I spent the last week going to the doctor every other day and getting shots (tetanus and antibiotics) and am also taking them orally. I am now taking two different antibiotics, soaking the foot several times a day and elevating it when I can.

It has definitely slowed me down. The weather is PERFECT for gardening after the hottest summer on record and I can't do it!! I hobble around on the outside of my foot just to get through the day.

So take it from me - follow the doctors advice - clean and disinfect any cuts or scratches and cover it. The garden is a dirty place!

Safe Gardening,
The Garden Goddess
Down 2 Earth Gardens, LLC.

Update on Who Stole the Compost

Update on Who Stole the Compost

Thanks to my friend Vinnie the Gardener for solving the mystery of the missing compost. Here's what he has to say:
"Means you have 'high' bugs as I call them; all the visible critters (pill bugs, roaches, beetles). Had the same issue myself when we began renovating our garden. Started my pitchfork plugging (stab, wiggle), and kept piling on the nature. It took about three years when I noticed the 'dirt' became 'soil' in the top 4-6"inches or so. That's when I noticed more of the 'low' bugs; worms, grubs, micro-critters, mostly below the ground. Since then, all my debris clean-up goes directly onto the garden - not into the compost pile. The major green stuff (kitchen & mowing & pruning) goes into compost. All of the general plant litter gets layered in the garden (along with coffee grounds). "


WOW - I love his idea of making it easy to build the soil. Now that some of my trees are loosing their leaves (the mulberry especially) - and right by this garden, I will just layer them on the soil, almost like a mulch and let the critters in the soil munch on them. I just hope it doesn't take 3 years for me!!

Look there's one now just waiting to be eaten!! Sort of blends in with the dirt. I hope the bugs see it.


So folks - this fall do not back up your leaves and throw them away - put them on your garden! Or at the very least put them in your compost bin or even better yet - leave them where they fall and let them provide nourishment to soil below the tree!

Now that's MY kind of gardening!!

Who stole the compost?

Who stole the compost?

As I was preparing the front yard garden bed, I realized the soil was lacking organic matter. It's been almost a year since I removed the bermuda and created the new garden. I added a truck load of compost to the existing soil back then and I have been adding more compost throughout the summer.

Yet when I started to dig in the garden the soil looked pretty bad, still lots of clay soil, almost as bad as when I started. So I broke one of my own rules - I dug up the garden beds.

Thank goodness for my own compost pile and Soil Secrets. I was able to amend about half of the garden with my own compost. It was kind of creepy carrying the bucket of compost and BUGS! But I know that bugs are part of the process so I just walked really fast!

Since I didn't have enough of my own compost, I added some great amendments called Soil Secrets. I recently ordered a pallet of this great stuff for my friends and clients. I am excited to see how this great product works on my gardens.

I didn't plant anything yet, just watered in the amendments and moved on to the next garden bed.

Where do you think all the compost went?

Happy Digging,
The Garden Goddess
Down 2 Earth Gardens, LLC