Spring is almost here... Gardening indoors today

I am so happy to be planning out a garden, of course I found this wonderful book called The Essential HERBS handbook by Lesley Bremness, it appears to be well-researched as far as any herb book ever goes. I of course want to plant nearly every herb in that book in my garden. Which of course is not going to happen with seeds averaging in at about $3 per packet, and the one I really wanted is of course sold out.

I wanted to try growing Bilberry as it's just perfect for my temperate zone of 7 and 8 and I think I might have all the symptoms of demacular eye disgenerative disorder. Even though both my doctor and eye doctor both say they can't see anything wrong with my eyes. I've looked at all the symptoms using WebMD.org and I would say I definitely have it from what I've been seeing. Probably it's just not gotten bad enough for them to see signs of it yet. I really don't want it to get so bad that I need surgery, or go blind, or get's much worse than it is now. But they can't 'see anything' with their tools so they won't prescribe anything, leaving me pretty much on my own to solve this.

I think if people just paid attention to their bodies, and read through books of symptoms themselves, we could probably reduce the cost of a lot of healthcare in this country simply by being self-informed, and aware.

So anyway, I want to try growing this plant and see if taking a few leafs a day might help me with those strange dark things and flashing dots I keep seeing with slowly increasing frequency. I think I first started seeing them when I was about 18, and that was about 1 dot every 6-8 months, now 10 years later, it's more like I'm seeing a dot or two every couple of days.

I've started my Loofah plants on time, there's really very limited information on growing them. I've gone for covering them up with a blanket, and keeping an electric gas heater next to them all the time, I'll be watering them again in a couple of days. Being a tropical plant, they had to be started indoors and they need 300 days of sunlight, or I'm suspecting warmth and artificial sunlight, but that means I'll be germinating and growing them indoors for at least 2 months.

I am so looking forward to trellising them, and I am really hoping for several hundred loofah from the final harvest, so I can have my very own affordably grown scrubby sponges for embedding in my home-made soaps.

I actually have extra loofah seeds dated 2012, I don't have room to start them all, if anyone would like to trade seeds or plants. I am interested in Bilberry, Angelica, Lavender, Sage (medicinal), Alecost, Ginkgo, Sweet Violet, Hawthorn, Red Clover, Lemon Balm, Blue Skullcap, Black Currant, Clary Sage, and Gogi berry bush.

Essential oils and southern floral tinctures also interest me, as I am in the business of making fine scented soaps.

Locally, I also have the following forages available in the spring, summer and late fall.

Burdock, Dandelion whole plants available, wild miniature strawberry, white, pink and purple lilac, Forget-Me-Not, crab-apple, Willow twigs, Blackberry, Cattail (early September ONLY).

I will most likely be attempting a dandelion flower tincture, and a forget me not tincture for floral scenting this summer, possibly bluebell one as well, but only if I can find enough of them.

You may mail me SkaldSircha.at.yahoo.com serious trades only.