Life Down a Back Road with Anna

Basic Companion Solution

6 to 8 drops essential oils selected from the attached chart here

2 gallons water

Combine and apply to plants.

What better way to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects to your garden than through the use of Essential oils!

Bees- they like Orange, Coriander, Lemongrass, Lavender, Hyssop, Marjoram, Helichrysm,

Basil, Sage, Roman Chamomile, Rosemary, and Dill

Butterflies-like Lavender, mint, Fennel, Sage, and Helichrysm

Other beneficial insects such as ladybugs like Coriander, Dill, Fennel, and Roman Chamomile

Pollinators favorite blend

12 drops Lavender

8 drops Rosemary

5 drops Orange

Combine oils and add to cotton balls, string or cloth strips and scatter in and around your garden!

I hope you’ve enjoyed these blog posts on gardening with Essential oils!  You can also use the plants that the oils come from in your garden!  Plant some thyme, or Rosemary, or Lemongrass. Herbs are great companions for your garden. Have fun and use Essential oils combined with different herb plants to make your garden both pretty and pleasing!

Happy Oiling,

Anna

Reference:  Essentially Grown.  By Jackie Tarlton

This book has such great info and can be found on GrowingHealthyHomes.com

Ughh I really dislike when my plants start looking awful from different issues. Here are some great recipes to help us all out!

Tomatoes looking awful?  Blight got them down?

Combine and spray affected plants.

Club Root Remedy

Lemon, Oregano, and or Tea Tree

Quart of water

Add 8 to 10 drops spray liberally around affected plants.

Too much watering causing your plants to get grayish?  Try this,

1 capful of Thieves Cleaner

1 quart of water

Remove affected leaves and or fruit. Combine thieves cleaner with water and spray liberally over entire plant and surrounding soil.

Fungi Treatment

Tea Tree, citronella, rosemary, peppermint or thieves

1 quart of water

1 Tblsp baking soda

1 drop liquid Castile soap

Combine 8 to 10 drops of chosen essential oil plus other ingredients, shake thoroughly before applying to plants. Apply once or twice a week.

How about those pesky weeds, the worst!  

Weeds be gone!

Cinnamon bark, Palo Santo, or Oregano

20oz white vinegar

1 drop Castile soap

Combine and shake well. Spray on weeds being careful to avoid garden plants.

Tomorrow we will cover some essential oils that plants love!

Happy Oiling,

Anna

Essential oils are great for all the things!  Choose the best combos for whatever you are trying to combat.

Here is a recipe for insects

Add 8 to 10 drops of desired essential oil to a gallon of water and spray directly on plants or the soil around them. Click on the link for a table of essential oils best used for each critter.

To deter ground moving pests add 4 to 5 drops of Essential oil to cotton balls and scatter around the area.

Broad Spectrum garden control spray

Combine in a gallon of water and spray liberally on and around plants.

Fire Ants?

Combine and spray directly on anthills or infested areas.

Deer and Rabbits be gone

Combine in mixer or blender. Add to one gallon sprayer, top with water. Spray plants or around your garden area to protect. Apply every two weeks or after a heavy rain.

Tomorrow I’ll share recipes to treat common problems in the garden.

Happy Oiling,

Anna

Do you love to grow your own garden?  Did you know you can use Essential oils for the health of your garden?

Essential oils can help you combat those pesky critters that like to destroy your garden, and your garden plants also love them because they are part of plants.

Are you a fan of pesticides?  I sure am not.  For one they kill the good guys, like the pollinators and other beneficial insects. Not only that do you really want that stuff on your skin or in your lungs?  Ughhh I know I don’t!

How about your fertilizer?  Did you know that they are often made of industrial waste, lead, arsenic, cadmium, and even some radioactive components?  

And then we have the Herbicides, which can be toxic to both animals and plants. I really don’t want these things near my garden, how about you?  

This is where Essential oils and composting come into play. You don’t need all those things for your little garden plot.

Before we get into some ways to use Essential oils let’s first talk safety!

Making your own compost can be easy!  

You need carbon rich materials such as garden trimmings, dry leaves, straw, wood chips, and sawdust. These are the brown sources. Nitrogen rich materials such as grass clippings, green leaves, plant material, livestock manure, coffee grounds, and kitchen waste are the green sources. Don’t use animal products or dairy products as they can rot and attract scavengers. Layer brown and green materials at a 3 to 1 ratio with a little soil between layers. Keep the pile moist and turn it at least every week or two.

Do you know your soils ph?  It should be between 6.5-6.8 for most plants. The most important nutrients for plants are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, while calcium, magnesium, and sulfur are known as secondary nutrients also important to many plants. You can test the mineral content of your soil by purchasing a kit available at most home improvement stores.

Have you planted a garden this year?  I love checking my garden and seeing those new little sprouts coming out of the soil!  

See you back here tomorrow for more on gardening with Essential oils!

Happy Oiling,

Anna

I want to tell you a story that will show you why I love natural alternatives.
It all started with my mom. She was born before all of the wonder drugs we now have were available. I am the youngest of 8. She learned from her mom so many treasures that could be used to treat things that we now use medication for. As a result we were treated the same way first and if that didn’t work than we went and got “the big guns”. Here is a pic of my mom, isn’t she beautiful?

I can count on one hand the times I took baby aspirin. I did love the taste though so I’m not sure what kept me from talking the entire bottle! Not even a child proof cap!  
My grandma taught her how to make a mustard plaster that helped alleviate a case of pneumonia that I couldn’t take antibiotics for due to an allergic reaction to two different ones.

Fast forward to my own children, her teaching made me use alternatives to so many things. I bought tons of Candy Canes at Christmas time because we used them for coughs, sore throats and tummy aches. Even as a nurse we used Apricot Nectar for our patients in the hospital when they couldn’t have cough syrup for one reason or another.

Now I have in my natural arsenal these amazing bottles of Essential Oils. I learned about Young Living from my niece. I was looking for something for my daughter who suffered from allergies that made her miserable doing the things she loved. My niece raved about how amazing the oils were so I took the plunge and bought my own!  I did some research and combined Lemon, Lavender, and Peppermint in a roller bottle for my daughter. She applied it over the tops of her ears and on her pulse points. I can now happily say that my daughter can feed cows and not break out sneezing uncontrollably. She can also eat her favorite healthy foods that use to make her mouth and ears itch. I am so beyond happy!  

Such an amazing blessing for her and also for so many other things on our wellness journey!

Happy Oiling,
Anna