An Herbalist’s Green Thumb Rules

If you have children, get them involved so they will learn a love of gardening early.

Find a nursery you like and ask which is the best book for your zone and climate to read and understand what to plant where, so you’ll have the best chance for success.

Always grow vegetables and fruits that you and your family love to eat.

Your kitchen garden should be a sunny, open spot that is easy for you to see and tend.

If possible, have an herb garden that is separate and easy to access for daily use when warm.

Check your soil type and use containers or raised beds if your soil is too poor or damp and swampy. Of course, a compost pile can fix your soil soon enough.

Preparation is everything, even with soil. Remove rocks and weeds; loosen the soil so it “breathes.”

Develop your garden’s soil by mixing in compost. Once the plants are established, serve them compost tea!

Patience is a virtue. Don’t sow too early—wait until the soil is warmed up.

Green Thumb Thursday Spell

On a Thursday, as the moon waxes, light green and purple candles anointed with pure lotus or sandalwood oil. Place a small ivy or fern on your altar, along with a glass of fresh water containing a pearl or piece of jade. Burn a stick of sandalwood incense in a pot of soil placed at the altar’s north quadrant and meditate on your hopes and dreams.

When the incense has burned down, place the plant in the larger container, then bow and pray:

As this living thing expands, so shall the power of this magic space grow. 
Oh, Goddess, I dedicate my magic to you. Harm to none and only good work from this holy place.
Blessed be.

Bury the jewel in the soil and use the water from the glass to water the plant. Keep your plant “familiar” with you. You will grow in health and power together. I also encourage you to continually revitalize your altar by adorning it with sacred objects—an iridescent feather, an egg-shaped pebble from the side of the road, a rosy pomegranate, or any other sacred object you find will make a perfect altar gift.