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August 25, 2018 M@D Newsletter
This Week’s Newsletter:
Homeopathy In The Garden
Announcement
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes
PART 2
In homeopathy remedies come in dilutions. The smaller the number, the less the dilution. However, the higher numbers are actually STRONGER potencies even though they have been diluted further. Some remedies use C and some use X but they are the same thing. I will try to give sources for the remedies I mention. Homeopathy in the garden is now being referred to as agrohomeopathy. Alas, I could find no remedies for squash bugs/leaf footed beetles :( Unfortunately some of these are not readily available in the US but must be shipped from the UK or Australia.
1: Snails and Slugs: Helix tosta is a remedy made from the toasted shells of snails. Add 1 pill (6C) to 200mL of water and shake vigorously. It is best to use purified or distilled water. Then spray or water your plants. This remedy is effective for up to 4 months with just one application. The bottle contains 100 pills so you can get 20 liters (about 5 gallons) of slug/snail repellent from 1 bottle. I have a personal friend who used this because slugs were ravaging her dahlias and it worked. A company the provides this remedy recently did a survey on effectiveness and here are the results:
Source: The first is the only US source I can find. I think the 8C should be fine but I am not positive. I do have a friend who used, I think, 200C with great results.
2. Aphids: Coccinella septempunctata is actually made from the ladybug which is a natural predator of aphids. Directions for preparation are the same as above for the Helix tosta.
3: Caterpillars: Bombyx processiona is a remedy prepared from the procession caterpillar. When sprayed on the plant or watered into the roots, it repels the moths and caterpillars that normally cause infestation. Although no residual barrier remains after application, the remedy triggers a healthy response in the the plant making it more resistant and less appealing to its attackers.
Again preparation of the remedy is as above.
Source: https://homeopathyplus.com/product/bombyx-processionea/ Select 6C
4: General “King” of the garden remedies: Silicea terra. This is the remedy I used on my pepper plants with such amazing results. All I had was 200C although the remedy calls for 6C and I still had good results. Some of the benefits of Silicea (silica) include:
1. Improves germination of seeds
2. Reduces transplant shock
3. Strengthens weak and spindly plants.
4. Increases resistance of plants to pests, mold and mildew
5. Improves fruit setting when applied after flowering.
This is probably the #1 remedy you should have on hand and this one is readily available in the US. More in depth info about this remedy can be found here:
Source: https://www.amazon.com/Boiron-Silicea-6C-80-Pellet/dp/B0006NYI2M/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1534963327&sr=8-3&keywords=silicea+6c
5. Blight: Carbo vegetabilis: Carbo veg is derived from charcoal and is knowns as the “corpse reviver”. Charcoal is carbon and carbon is the base of all organic life. It is a remedy for desperate conditions. Plants needing this remedy will look wilted, dying, losing leaves, wasted. To treat blight and other wasting diseases dissolve 5 pellets of 30C in 1L (1 quart) of purified or distilled water and water affected plant. Repeat 3 more times.
Source: https://amazon.com/Boiron-Vegetabilis-Homeopathic-Medicine-Bloating/dp/B00028NZ0M/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1534964523&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=carbo+vegetabilis+30c+homeopathic&psc=1
I am sure you can find both the silicea and the carbo veg on eBay and multiple other sites like IHerb, Puritan’s Pride, Swanson’s etc.
Of course there is no way I can cover every remedy etc but if you are interested in pursuing this further there are some good books and resources:
Sources: https://homeopathyplus.com/the-top-four-remedies-for-gardens-and-farms/
http://www.centerforhomeopathy.com/blog/treating-plants-with-homeopathy
http://www.interhomeopathy.org/tomato-blight-carbo-vegetabilis-to-the-rescue
SPECIAL GUEST NEXT WEEK!
Those of you who picked up on Friday got to meet Amory Harris of Coastal Sharps. Amory is a specialist who is giving our customers a great deal next Friday when she sets up her blade sharpening equipment at the Market Shed. Normal cost for her services are $1 per inch, but she’s cutting us a break with a $5 max charge for your big blades.
If you’re like your Market Manager and have a drawer full of dull blades you’d rather not use, dig those things out and bring them next Friday! You don’t even have to place an order! Armory’s professional edges will make it easier for you to maintain your knives at home. Word on the street is that her hunting knife jobs are so good you could field dress and elk with no problem!
MARKET CHITCHAT
New & Relisted Products
- Organic Eggplants from Hawkins Homestead
- Purple and Bronze Muscadine Grapes from Avalon Farms
THIS WEEK’S GROWER NOTES
We have the best Growers in the Wiregrass! Please learn more about them on our Grower Page.
HAWKINS HOMESTEAD: Hello Market Friends! Fall is in the air and we couldn’t be happier about it. Plus it didn’t rain for a few days this week which meant we were finally able to move some of our garden boxes closer to the house. I have some special plans for these boxes and having them closer will allow me to keep an eye on them. We have been trying to fully get this done all month. So it’s a big deal that they’re moved. We still have to fill up a few with compost, but for the most part they’re all ready for planting!
Of course we have sown lots of seeds already, but we still have organic tomatoes, late peppers, okra, and even heirloom eggplants. We’ve been using some of these veggies in our prepared foods like our Salsa Fresh! We even found some lettuce hiding between some bean plants! They needed the shade and we’re more than happy to have surprise Summer lettuce for our family to eat.
Back to the eggplants….I was hoping to bring them yesterday for table sales, but since I wasn’t able to, I have listed them this week on the Market. As stewards of our word, we support other local growers so these plants were originally purchased as seedlings from a local sustainable farm. They have been organically grown and suddenly started producing more than we can keep up with, so we offer them to you.
Thank you and we want to say welcome to a few new names we have seen lately and thank you to the ones who continue to come back. We appreciate you all.
AVALON FARMS . . . Rides Again!:
Here is our completed mobile egg prairie schooner. The girls have moved in and seem to approve. They’ve even started laying their first eggs in the nests! I love it when something actually works! Although why they insist on roosting on the roof is beyond me.
Also, we’ve added Freedom Rangers to our menagerie. These are very hardy meat birds bred to excel on pasture. They grow a little slower than the industry standard Cornish Cross, but do not have the associated health problems of that breed. Freedom Rangers are also well known for being very tasty and tender big birds. We anticipate the first harvest to be around the first of November.
In the picture above they are 2.5 weeks old. Look at the legs on those guys!
The first set of transplants had to move out onto the front porch to make room for more inside. Last year grasshoppers and army worms ate a lot of the transplants before they were even big enough to set out. That’s why I’m starting them inside and also why I got creative with some netting and made a “safe zone” for these guys on the porch.
BAIN HOME GARDENS: Marketeers, Our journey towards self sufficiency has been very rewarding. I personally have learned so much. I am very appreciative for all the resources out there but as I’ve said before, listening & learning from others is by far my favorite way to grow in knowledge and experience. As I’ve sat at the feet of such sagacious gardeners, there has been an unexpected benefit. Suddenly I have developed an interest in growing flowers. I’ve always admired those who could identify virtually every flower or houseplant. I never personally had an interest until now.
Recently our daughter and I were gifted with a Begonia of which our friend calls a Friendship Begonia because it propagates so easily making it very easy to share. This is a part of one that has been shared countless times already! I must say, it adds a hint of character to our living space. Other flowers (Marigolds, Sunflowers, etc) as you know are great for distracting pests from your fledgling vegetable plants. Beautiful and useful – cannot go wrong with that!
Sending well wishes and joy – from our family to yours!
FOOTNOTES
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