To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
Ecc. 3:1
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
Ecc. 3:1
This is the time of year to plant bulbs in anticipation of beautiful blooms next spring. Bulbs typically need a dormant period to establish roots and be ready to grow once the ground starts to warm. Planting then in the fall, before the ground freezes, allows them to do that.
Bulbs need well-draining soil, or their roots can rot. Prepare the soil by loosening and amending it, if needed, with compost or other organic matter to improve its drainage. Some gardeners like to mix bulb fertilizer into the loosened soil before planting, or you can apply it later for bulbs that need feeding.
Follow the directions that came with the bulbs for planting depth and spacing, and plant them with the pointed tips facing upward.
After planting, water the bulbs to settle the soil and mulch them with 2 to 3 inches of organic material to help retain moisture and suppress weeds.
These are some of the bulbs you should be planting now, before the first frost: Bearded Iris, Ranunculus, Amaryllis, Dutch Iris, Daffodils, Paperwhites, Freesia, Hyacinth, Tulips and Crocus.
See the HGTV article, '25 Bulbs to Plant for Spring' for more information.
In a conversation recently, someone commented that their little one had a case of diaper rash and that what she was using to treat it wasn’t working well. Someone else in the group shared their grandmother’s remedy for diaper rash – a dirt dobbers' nest. Dirt dobbers make their nests out of mud (hence the name ‘dirt’ dobber). You knock down one of their nests, crush the dirt into a fine powder, then sprinkle it on the affected area. He (it was a dad that shared) said it cleared the rash right up.
Folk remedies came into practice before the advent of modern medicine when people had to rely on what was available to them. Now there’s a pill or a syrup or an ointment for everything. Sometimes the side effects are worse than the condition they’re supposed to be treating! Here are a few other old-time remedies to cure what ails you (Some sound more practical than others!).
Garlic worn around the neck helps keep germs away (probably because it would also keep people away!).
Use a warm poultice made of cooked onions to treat the croup.
Put a wet tobacco leaf on the stomach for the hiccups.
Put a small wad of wet tobacco on bee stings to ease the pain and reduce swelling.
Rub red pepper on your forehead to relieve a headache.
Piling on blankets will ‘sweat’ out a cold. Combine this with a dose of castor oil to help cure the flu.
Recipe for Spring Tonic – to ‘clean out your blood’: In April on May mix together 3 spoons of powdered sulfur with 10 spoons of honey. Mix together very well. Take a spoonful every day for a week.
Thanks to the book “Recipes, Remedies and Rumors” by the Cades Cove Preservation Association for including these remedies.