winter sewing and winter sowing

I'm craving spicy arugula greens drizzled with olive oil and freshly-squeezed lemon juice and a generous sprinkling of coarse sea salt. Doesn't that sound so good? I never think about or even use arugula that much during the spring, summer or fall, I only want it when it's not growing in my garden. Probably a winter-related nutritional deficiency. Sewing with green and yellow on the January moon helps.

My calendar designates Thursdays as when to practice the Law of Intention and Desire by making a list of desires. It says that inherent in every intention and desire are the mechanics for their fulfillment. I think of a seed or bulb containing everything it needs to germinate, grow and flourish.

Be discerning when making a list or choosing seeds to plant. These tiny seedlings are from this dandelion puff I planted. But in my case, I'm hoping for dandelion greens. In salads.

An altar table where I keep crystals, candles, feathers and other sacred objects -- since the light streams through the window above it during the winter, it becomes a green altar. This is not a place I want to be seeing too much yellow because that would mean something is off.

I have come upon a most interesting method of growing seedlings for the garden -- winter sowing. The basic premise is that seeds planted in small self-styled greenhouses and placed outside in the elements will germinate and grow in their own perfect time. I used plastic quart water jugs and a plastic liter bottle. I first drilled holes all over the bottom for drainage, drilled a few more holes around the top opening for ventilation and finally cut the jug in half leaving a section under the handle to act as a hinge. 

After I filled the bottom section with about 3" of soil, I moistened the soil and sowed the seeds, the same depth as when planting in the garden.

 

The slice around the center of the container needs to be taped back up for these cold months. I used strapping tape but plan to find some clear duct tape for the next batch. The screw top should be left off.

Labeled with a waterproof pen, these will be placed together in a plastic bin (with more drainage holes) for protection and stability. I'll put the bin on a back-yard table top out of reach of the four-leggeds. In a few months when tiny seedlings begin to emerge, they'll need a closer eye. At the point when temperatures rise or when the soil dries out, the tape can be removed and the top half flipped open for sun/baths. Winter sowing is to be done in January, February and March, depending on your zone. And lastly, I mostly followed the directions from here, here and here.

The Law of Intention and Desire ends with trusting that when things don't seem to go your way, there is a reason. 

And I would add that things have their own perfect time. xx