Living Magazine Spring 2015 Living Magazine | Page 18

Essential oils can be valuable tools for every gardener. Whether you are trying to chase away garden pests, improve health and growth of the plants, or restore those gardener hands, essential oils can help. Here are some easy ways you can use essential oils to enhance your natural gardening experience. I clean my greenhouse and garden tools with a mixture of 10 drops of Melaleuca in about 33 ounces of distilled water. We put this in a spray bottle and clean every inch of the greenhouse. -Maila Chan Last year, I had the best luck getting rid of slugs using White Fir essential oil on my peppers. I have also used Peppermint oil for aphids and mystery bugs. Peppermint also works great for cooling your body off in the hot sun. I make after-sun spray with Lavender, Peppermint, and aloe juice. After a long day of working on my garden, Deep Blue® Rub comes in handy for the joints and muscles. I clean my hands with essential oil sugar scrub. I can’t tell you how much I love using dōTERRA in the garden. -Jamie Stitt I have been an organic farmer for 35 years. I have been using essential oils in my gardens since I have been with dōTERRA. I teach the organic portion of “The Master Gardener” class for my local area. My class this year will include the wonderful uses of dōTERRA essential oils in the garden—not only for pest management, but also for plant vigor and growth. I don’t use any chemicals in my garden at all and love sharing new and safe ways to enjoy gardening! I have substituted dōTERRA essential oils for companion plants—the results are amazing! For example, basil is a great companion plant for tomatoes. I use Basil essential oil in my watering can to give the plants a dose that can be absorbed through the root system, or I use it as a foliar spray. This helps to give the tomato plant great vigor for growth and plant resistance. -Kay Pittman My garden was being attacked by a beetle-like bug. It was eating away at everything, especially my favorite lily plant. I put a couple drops of TerraShield® in a spray bottle with water, sprayed the plants, and the beetle moved on! dōTERRA was part of my inspiration for my garden. -Kristen Willis Vinegar makes an effective natural herbicide and weed killer. Last summer, I was attacked by ants. They had colonized near my strawberry patch. I panicked a little—I hate ants!—and dowsed the suckers in a solution of water and Peppermint. The next day, the ants were completely gone! I was impressed by how fast it worked. Plus, even though I did go a little overboard (a few sprays would have worked), I know Peppermint is safe for my strawberries and me. -Elizabeth Sperling TerraShield® Peppermint Cinnamon White Fir Thyme Geranium Cedarwood Apply Lavender to soothe irritated skin associated with certain plants or bugs. Lemongrass Arborvitae 8 Tips for Starting Your Own Organic Garden F R O M R I C K L AT T I N Gardening is one of America’s top hobbies and with increased interest in nutrition, healthy eating, and saving money, growing a garden is gaining in popularity. Small urban gardens can be fun, educational, and productive, particularly with new methods of season extension, drip irrigation, and varieties especially suited to the garden. Here are a few tips on successful gardening. 1 Contact your local Cooperative Extension office. They are part of the land-grant university system all across the country. They have expertise on growing in your specific area and have experts and publications suited to your climate. 2 Start small and plant easy-togrow crops. Many nutrient-packed vegetables grow quickly and easily and are less subject to weather-related problems than difficult-to-grow crops. Lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, Asian greens, and similar crops take up little space, don’t mind cold weather, and grow quickly. 3 Don’t overlook the root crops. 4 Almost all vegetable crops love the sun. Sunshine helps plants get 5 If you have a yard with a fence, use the fence area to grow perennial crops such as raspberries and blackberries. They don’t mind a little shade and you can let them use the fence line for support. 6 Consider getting your garden off the ground by adding compost and forming raised beds. Shaping and raising beds lets you protect crops from wind and frost with row covers to extend your season. 7 Invest in drip irrigation with an inexpensive timer. You use less water (good for the environment and your wallet) and are less likely to water too much and/or too little. Small garden timers are inexpensive and easy to program. Many yards already have a sprinkler system— it’s easy to add a line for your veggies. 8 Know when to plant and when to harvest. Most extension offices have guidelines for the areas they serve. I like to follow what I call the “Grandpa/Grandma System” of gardening. Look around your neighborhood—find the grandmas and grandpas with the best gardens. They probably know more than anybody in town about what to plant, when to plant, watering, harvesting, controlling bugs, etc., than anybody, including the experts. The other trait they usually have is that they love to share what they have learned with friends and neighbors. TIP: If you really want to get into serious gardening, I can recommend three national organizations that serve both professional growers and home gardeners. They sell seeds and supplies and give free advice. • www.groworganic.com • seedsofchange.com • highmowingseeds.com GARDENER’S HAND SOAP • ½ cup white sugar • ½ cup castile soap •2  tablespoons Fractionated Coconut Oil • 1 teaspoon vitamin E • 1 5 drops Geranium essential oil There is nothing tastier than a home-grown fresh carrot, Asian sweet turnip, or fresh-picked beets. off to a good start and helps develop those sugars that make vine-ripened products so delicious. Walk around your yard and check for sunny spots and shady areas. Most likely, the area that gets the most sun will grow the best vegetables. Rick Lattin Generational organic farmer, owner of Lattin Farms, and Founder and Managing Partner of Nevada Great Basin Basket CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) LLC. www.doterra.com / 19