Benifits of herbs

[goldenbear]

i dont know if this topic has been addressed before but i think it is an important thing to remember that most plants are herbs.

they have been used for centuries and if used in the correct way by a trained herbalist then are prooved to be benificial for health of various ailments. and those who want to stop supporting the corporate would benifit themselves.

the reason i got interested in this is that i have been experimenting with growing my own for a while now to see what my garden would take and not.
self sufficiency is very important and now with recession and the corporate takeover,and the codex which is going to affect all us growers at some stages,i feel would help if we could address this topic and keep it going. self help is a must.

ive noticed that penny royal mint which is a ancient herb and has been used for many a year by herbalist has come under attack again by the ptb. its been consude as being a toxic herb. which in fact it is not. although it can cause miscarriage in pregnant women and should not be used by them, it is being bad mouthed by the so called science cronys again.

this is a old page from the botanical garden people.

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/p/pennyr23.html

and now look at some of the stuff the new age scientist have to say about common old fashion penny royal mint.

http://askville.amazon.com/identify-mint-pennyroyal/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=41960308

my feeling is that tptb are trying their utmost to discourage us all from using our herbs and making sure we use their products. i think they tried this one a few hundred years ago with the witch hunts. you know the thing im on about - everyone who grew their own herbs and had a pet was called a witch.burned at the stake,drowned,hung hung drawn and quartered.

AGAIN THE RECYCLE AGENDA.

anyway if we could all get together and make this topic a sticky,give our ideas on grow your own, herbs and veg im sure we could stop this stuff in its tracks before the new generations get brainwashed into tptb codex.

well here is one resorce for you all to get started on and if we can actually type out/ cut and paste some of the information because with cencorship of the internet we might not be able to access this info before much longer.

http://www.botanical.com/

here are some good reading too.

"A Modern Herbal" - By Mrs. Maud Grieve Mrs. Grieves "A Modern Herbal" continues to be one of the most popular resources for herbal information. Written in the early part of the last century, the advise is both timely and historical. A great read.


Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses (Hardcover)
~ Deni Bown
Deni Bown (Author)


and another good link before it disapears is

http://www.herbbee.com/herbal-resources/

http://www.gardenersclick.com/allotment?gclid=CLHss9CB9J4CFQdl4wodowcEJg

Growing Vegetables (Royal Horticultural Society's Encyclopaedia of Practical Gardening): Amazon.co.uk: Tony Biggs, Royal Horticultural Society: 9781840001525: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51tzryq5NZL.@@AMEPARAM@@51tzryq5NZL

and i also suggest you pass any information you gather on to your kids so they know how to grow their own.

[goldenbear]

Test the soil to see what its makeup is. Testing the soil can tell you how much of the three vital nutrients--nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium--your soil contains as well as the pH of the soil. You can test the soil with a home soil test kit purchased at a garden center. Your local county extension service can also test your soil for you

Amend the soil's pH based on the results of the test. Increase the pH of your soil by adding lime to the soil. Decrease the pH by adding sulfur or peat moss. Research what pH the plants you're planting requires and adjust accordingly.

Adjust the soil to give it balanced nutrients. If your soil's lacking in nitrogen, apply blood meal to the soil. If it's lacking in phosphorus, amend it with an application of bone meal. Prepare your soil with some greensand or kelp meal if it's deficient in potassium

Add fresh organic material to the soil. Every year soil needs new organic material to break down. Add compost from the compost pile or purchased from a garden center. In addition, you can add grass clippings, leaves or straw. These things add nutrients to the soil as they break down

Loosen the soil. Loosening it allows you to work with it and gives it the proper aeration. Till the soil down 16 inches to properly loosen it. If your garden is too large to till with garden tools, motorized tillers are available for rent

Kill any weeds and diseases in the soil. Prepare the soil for planting by starting it off fresh without any weeds or diseases. To do this, spread some black weed paper or an old bed sheet over the area for a week prior to planting

of course many people do things their own way but preparation is the main thing before the practical. so if you have your own compost heap then this is a great way of preparation. so dont forget to put all your peeling, old veg and grass and especially eggs shells in your compost heap. thats your basics for preparation.and if you want to start now as its just after christmas you just have time to get some preparation in before most of the first veg goes in. hard work but it will be a very valuable lesson.

you can also recycle your yogurt pots,egg boxes,sturdy small boxes and pop bottles for the starting off of many of your seedlings. the bottom of the pop bottle for the pots and the top as little greenhouses for lettuce and small plants which need the slugs keeping off them. so trick is not to throw much away and see if you can reuse it.lolly pop sticks for marking what you have growing. just use your imagination. of course storage is a must so if you only have a loft then thats the obvious place. for those of us with gardens a shed is a must. but once the initial pay out the rewards speak for themselves.

i remember my grandad saving all his bits and bobs for his gardening, its cheaper that using the corporate and cuts down on rubbish which we already get a tax for.the only investment is decent tools for the job. the better they are the longer they last. wooden handled ones are ok as if they break its easyer to fix,then you have to find the right bit of wood but metal ones should last a lifetime. a decent watering can as we get a bollocking for using water these days.water butts,for those with smaller gardens a waterbut and a plastic compost heap you can get away with. and using childrens toy tubs is a great way of getting round thing.

if you think about it by the time you have spent some money on a decent pair of trainers and that new i phone you could have bought your shed and tools. or think second hand. a couple of months without the latest corporate con and you have the basis for a lifetime of food. which is more important. those trainers or food. i know which one i would consider.

and dont fall for the eco junk media group gardening con by jamie oliver or whittingwhatever because the aim here is to feed your family because you know the old saying too many cooks spoil the broth. any extra you can save and then any other extra you can give to your granny/best friend/needy person or sell.(the only thing with this is that you need a peddlers licence and then get involved with the corporation again). cut out the middle man and have your own say.

get a couple of chickens you are allowed 2 in a council house. as long as they have enclosure for nights because of mr fox. kittens can be bought up with chickens and i suggest one cat because where there is food there is rats and mice.and a water squirter is really good training just to keep that cat in line. keep things clean, watered down bleach the only good method (research vetinary info on cats). no one will have any course to say you have a dirty back garden,house/flat. for those who dislike birds then rabbits for food if you are desperate(.and cant get hold of organic meat) but many farms have gone now and ive noticed the poaching laws are back on the top of tptb. listening to good old radio 4 they even had a little news item on it the other day. and dont forget parks are council owned now although some are supposed to be common land they are still council run. so those who want a healthy diet and are not vegitarian can still get round the corporate this way. you must be prepaired for a quick and clean kill so i suggest talking to some of the older generation who kept rabbits for this. and you have to be prepared for the "this is food and not pet" mentality. and contrary to popular belief rabbit is a healthy meat with less fat than chicken and is high in iron. and if kept properly and the old fashioned way then you have the perfect food. (talking from experience - we were bought up this way). pets is pets. food is food. but dont forget not to vaccinate or dose up with the latest flea product as its not good for the food. but cleaning is of the utmost to keep away mixy and flys.and the good old flea comb can help with fleas and ticks.all hard work but again the benifits outweigh dealing with the corporation. as the corporate has banned the use of guns in uk you cant even get your own wood pigeon these days so you have to work your way round stuff.one intact female in one hutch and one intact male in another hutch facing each other so they know each other. bought at the same time,same age,old fashioned british spot or new zealand white or even a dutch.good old hardy breeds.or next to with seperate runs. a hutch with a run underneith is perfect on concrete so they cant dig out but not seperated with one set of wire as they can breed through wire. and enclosed as they can climb. (years of experience ) bedding can be bought at a local wholesalers and sacks of food are cheaper this way, and hay is also cheaper.a couple of litter trays as they pee and poo in one place and plenty of plastic sheeting to keep the rain off old carpet under the plastic will keep them warm and dry. there is your basic set up.

also the clean thing will stop you getting the good old rspca at your door, reported from the good old ill informed nosy neighbour, as you know they claim to be a good citizen but after many years involved in the pet rescue frame of mind they only come out to reports of horse abuse and stuff on tv, wildlife is not first on their list as they would let you beleive but the policing of the pet owner. (research the banning of breeds of dog in uk), and the begging of money from ill informed general public. so keep your stock clean and well looked after and you cant go wrong. and if need be have two neutered rabbits as pets and keep them as such with run,innoculated,deflead ect, and keep your food (rabbit/chicken) away from them in case of nosy people so you can explaine your way of thinking. and know your stuff inside and out, how to do a clean kill all about resting the kill, skining and deboning. be as informed as you can and be prepaired to do a demonstration if need be. and do some research on rabbits/chickens in the wild. be very informed. and it helps if you have one of the small metal bike sheds for your hanging of rabbit/chicken as its best hung before being prepaired.

well i hope this post is helpfull and informative. of course the hard work is inevitable.