Witchy Garden

I think every witch should grow a garden. It puts you in touch with energies and cycles that people who don’t garden just don’t know about. If you grow food or magical or medicinal herbs, they are just that much more potent from the energy you put into them. And, if you are learning about magical herbs, there is no better way to get to know them than to simply spend time with them. Raise them from a seed and watch their lifecycle. 

A lot of people I have talked to say they can’t keep a plant alive, they have a black thumb. But the truth is, gardening, like anything, is a skill. You just have to keep at it. I have lost plants to disease and fungus, too much watering, not enough watering, woodchucks, weed whacker accidents. And sometimes they just die and I have no clue. That’s why they put out hundreds or thousands of seeds. We try, we mess it up, we do research, we try again, we experiment. 

Step 1- Evaluate your space and resources

The first thing to do is take an inventory the space that you have to plant your garden. You want to evaluate for light, moisture, and soil.

If you don’t have outdoor space, look at your windows. South-facing windows will give the most amount of sunlight, assuming they are not shaded by trees, East and west are okay and north-facing windows aren’t going to be great for most plants, though some can tolerate low light conditions and will thrive there. If you have a patio or a deck you can grow plants on, evaluate it for the amount of light it will get in the same vein. If you just don’t have any suitable windows or outdoor space, consider getting yourself some grow lights. 

Now you want to look at moisture. If you’re growing in pots indoors, moisture is going to be pretty much under your control. I find plants do dry out more quickly indoors and yet, somehow they are more prone to being overwatered, so you will have to monitor this. Outdoors, if you have a soggy boggy yard, like the bottom of my property, you may be very limited in what you can grow. Likewise, if you live in a very dry area though it’s always easier to add water than to take it away. The quickest and easiest way to fix a soggy boggy problem is to use raised beds instead of planting directly in the ground. Or you can choose plants that like their feet wet. There are other methods, swales, and drains, but these are a bit more complicated and we’re going to keep it simple today.

Finally, your soil. If you’re doing a raised bed or pot, you can source good garden soil at your local nursery or landscaping supply center.
If you’re planting outside, you first need to find your soil. Chances are, it’s covered by lawn. This is easily handled by covering it with cardboard and compost. Give it a good soaking and let it sit a few days and then you can plant right into the compost. The cardboard will break down and the grass will die and you will have some great soil. Or you can grab a small shovel and spend a few hours removing the sod. It will come back quickly, but you should get a few months out of it.

If your soil is very gravelly, you may want to consider a raised bed instead of planting directly into the ground, but if it’s just hard and compacted, or sandy, sheet mulching (the cardboard, compost layering mentioned above) can help sort that out. Don’t break your shovel on it. 😉

You can test your soil. Soil test kits are available and you can send your soil out to your local garden store but unless you have reason to believe your soil is either depleted or contaminated, I don’t think you need to worry about that just now. I want you to get started as quickly as possible and you can get fancy later. If you are planting the same area year after year, you will want to get it tested periodically to balance out the nutrient profile. If you are planting near an old road, a polluted body of water, an agricultural, or an industrial area, you may wish to get it tested for safety or just do a raised bed.

When I think about contamination though, I feel like most of the food is grown in contaminated soil these days, at least to a certain degree, and not all toxins are going to be taken up by the plants. I don’t think it is worth worrying about unless I am in a place that is really suspect.

Once you’ve taken a look at the growing space you have available, you can start to think about how many plants can fit in there and choose which plants to grow. I suggest starting with no more than five different plants so you don’t get overwhelmed.

Step 2- Think about what you use most often

Take some time to think about the plants that you use most often for cooking, magic, and medicine.

My list looks like this:

1. Rosemary – The magickal benefits are endless, and the medicinal ones are plentiful, too. Rosemary has a history of being considered a magical plant. According to legend, The Virgin Mary cast her blue cloak over a rosemary bush as she fled into Egypt, causing the white flowers of the rosemary bush to turn blue, making it holy and able to ward off black magic and evil spirits.
   Magickal properties: Love, fertility, faithfulness, purification, cleansing, protection.
   Medicinal properties: Antimicrobial, pain relief, indigestion, cognitive function
2. Basil – Basil is commonly associated with prosperity and money.  It’s also a popular herb for banishing. This herb can be used to call for success, peace, protection, happiness, purification, tranquility, and love. Basil is used for acne, diarrhea, constipation, mental alertness, migraine, and many other conditions
3. Garlic – Can be used in a number of spells including protection, endurance, prosperity, healing, wards, and money spells. arlic is among the most versatile herbs in the natural world, being universally recognized for its medicinal properties and uses.
   Garlic is antimicrobial, acting on bacteria, viruses, and parasites alike. The volatile oil is effective against chest congestion, helping to break up and remove mucus in the lungs. It can be used to treat bronchitis, coughs, sore throat, colds, and influenza. Garlic has also been found to help support natural gut flora, killing pathogenic organisms and promoting overall gut health. It also lowers blood pressure and cholesterol. Externally it has been used to treat ringworm and threadworm.
4. Sage – Used to promote wisdom and bring in good luck. It builds emotional strength and may help to heal grief. It is associated with protection and the granting of wishes. Sage is promoted for sore mouth or throat, memory loss, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and other conditions 
5. Oregano – Offers protection from evil, and placing it near your head while sleeping promotes visions and psychic dreams. Also used for protection, love, dream magic, and healing spells. Oregano has health benefits due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. Potential medical uses range from diabetes to cramps. It may also help reduce the risk of cancer.
6. Thyme –  Is a versatile tool, employed in rituals for cleansing, invoking courage, fostering dream work, banishing negativity, and attracting happiness, healing, and love. Thyme contains chemicals that might help bacterial and fungal infections. It also might help relieve coughing and have antioxidant effects. People commonly use thyme for cough, patchy hair loss (alopecia areata), dementia, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
7. Bay laurel – I put bay leaves in everything. In magickal practices, bay leaf is considered a powerful tool. It is often used in rituals and spells for protection, purification, and divination. Bay leaves are commonly burned as incense to enhance psychic abilities, promote prophetic dreams, and attract positive energy. Traditionally, it has been used as herbal medicine against a number of diseases such as rheumatism, sprains, indigestion, earaches, and to enhance perspiration
8. Tomatoes – The presence of a tomato helps protect from negative influences. Putting one on the window sill will prevent evil from entering the house. Can be used in love, protection, abundance, and healing spells. Tomatoes are especially high in lycopene, a plant compound linked to improved heart health, cancer prevention, and protection against sunburns. 
9. Lettuce – They can be used in spells for chastity, and protection. While Egyptians found lettuce to be a sexual stimulant, others believed it would have exactly the opposite effect. Intention is everything, I suppose. You could also call on lettuce’s metaphysical properties as well as its medicinal properties to help with sleep. It may also be helpful in dream spells, particularly as some types of lettuce have hypnotic properties. Lettuce has calming, relaxing, and pain-relieving effects. Contrary to the popular belief that lettuce has no nutritional value, it actually has quite a lot of vitamins, though some types are more nutritious than others. Vitamin K promotes bone health, while vitamin A helps keep your eyes healthy. Extracts from lettuce can also help promote sleep. And with its high water content, eating a leafy green salad can actually add to your overall hydration.
10. Lavender – Can be used for clarity, vision, love, protection, romance, calming, beauty, and joy, and boosts mood and memory, attraction, happiness, longevity, sleep, and healing. Lavender offers far more than just a delightful scent—it’s a multipurpose herb with potential benefits like aiding sleep, calming stress, and relieving skin issues. You can use lavender in various forms such as essential oils, teas, and even dried buds in recipes.

Step 3- Source your plants

The best plants are going to be purchased at your local garden center and most garden centers have plenty of useful plants available. These plants have been growing in your local climate and you taking them home in your car or even public transportation is going to be less stressful for them than shipping would be. You can also get a good look at them before you buy them to make sure they are bushy and healthy and you aren’t bringing home any weird spots of bugs.

Step 4- Plant your plants!

Your dirt is ready, your plants have come and the weather is right. Wait. Before planting make sure to check the growing season and all the requirements. Usually, you can find them in the seed sachet or you can just google it! 🙂

Second, make sure your plants are comfy in their pots for a few days and then set them outside for a few hours each day to get used to the local environment. Do this for two or three days before planting outside. I like to do my transplanting on an overcast day so the plant isn’t hit with full sun just after moving day.
Remove any soil from the roots and rinse them off. There are lots of invasive species that come in on soil and this simple step can help keep them in check. Then, I just tuck in my trowel wedge the soil apart (drop in some fertilizer for a treat) and slide the plant in, pat it down around it, and water it well.

Voila. Planted. Now all that’s left is to wait.

Photos by Markus Spiske & Markus Spiske on Unsplash