Hello Everyone

11 years ago

I just happened upon this forum today, though I've been a GW member for awhile. Just wanted to say "hello" and that I've been reading older posts, trying to learn more about healing herbs.

Hubs and I are retired. We're on "the down side of 60". We moved onto 1.67 acres a couple of years ago. It is pretty much a "blank slate" because it is on limestone and in order to get trees to grow you have to dig rock out of a big hole first. Our neighbors have done it with pick-axes. We bought an electric jackhammer and a loooooooong extension cord and have been using it a lot over the last two years. Getting plants established has been difficult because we've endured 2 summers of intense heat and drought here in NE Oklahoma. But we have made some progress, it spite of it all. We've planted fruit trees in the back yard, which has a fence around it, and various other kinds of trees out on the remainder of the property.

Where we lived before was on "black gumbo clay" soil and we had quite a bit of shade. I grew a lot of mints and basils, culinary herbs like oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, and so on, and vegetables in raised beds in a small back yard.

Now that we have the space to grow we're scrambling to amend the soil and/or dig out rock and/or build raised beds and/or build flower and herb beds wherever there is any shade at all. I've finally been able to get oregano re-established but I've lost a lot of plants that I brought over from the other house. The droughts have set me back considerably and have ruined two summers' worth of vegetable gardening. Very discouraging.

I have six Auracana hens for eggs and fertilizer. A cat that brings me "gifts" of baby rabbits -- ewwww. And an old dog that thinks he's a human. I learned to make soap last winter. I'm a quilter but I'm slow at it. I do most of my cooking and baking "from scratch". I'd like to have a goat for milk and some bee hives but Hubs says no on the goat and I'm afraid bee hives might be more than we can handle.

I'm not through reading the posts on this forum but I'm sure I'll find much I can learn. Thanks to everyone for sharing your knowledge. --Ilene

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Comments (4)

HerbDoctor
11 years ago
Ilene:

If you're more interested in growing herbs, that's more of a botany thing. Check out this forum: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/herbs/

This forum, "herbalism", is more about the therapeutic values of herbal nutrition.

However, your input and experiences would always be welcome on this forum, too.

Herb Doctor
fatamorgana2121
11 years ago
Rockwhisperer - love the name! I spend more of my time on the Herbs forum than here and we do have a pretty active and informative forum there. While many of the posts concern growing/using culinary herbs, growing/using medicinal, utilitarian, or any other type of herb are also welcome topics.

Herbs, as opposed to many veggies, are made of hardier stuff. Many can grow in rocky and poor soil with little moisture. Sage, thyme, and perhaps rosemary (try "Arp") will grow in your rocky soil. English lavender is another good one to try. I like "munstead." Some other herbs like chili peppers (yes, they are veggies too) don't need the extra pampering either. If you want herbs for more than just kitchen use, your choices are even broader.

FataMorgana
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Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for your responses, I had this set to send me an e-mail when I had responses but it didn't work for some reason. Then, when finding my way back here I found myself "lost" on the Herbs forum, which was a little confusing at first....

Actually, I guess you might say I'm interested in both the using and the growing, so I have reading to do on BOTH forums. I'm just beginning to learn more about the medicinal herbs, after becoming "disenchanted", you might say, over the medical profession and all those dangerous prescriptions they write without telling you about the side-effects that are worse than the original malady.

I have liberal opinions about people growing their own medicines and I have always been confused as to why our country allows us to buy and publicly consume liquor and tobacco, yet the growing of certain herbs that, while they may (or may not) be as addictive as liquor and tobacco, have value for their medicinal properties. People who are inclined to do so can always find ways to get high. Several years ago a co-worker lost her younger brother, he was found with a belt around his neck and that's the first I heard of kids getting high that way. Yet our government has done nothing to keep us from buying belts, and I think since it's impossible to outlaw everything that people can use to get high on they ought to get out of that area entirely and let folks grow what they will. Less crime on the streets if people can get high quietly in their back yards, eh? this is a common rant for me.

Well, anyway, I'll keep reading and will chime in if appropriate. Thanks much.
tressa
11 years ago
Love your "common" rant.