rachael hamblin

mmmm I'll have to try making a dandelion curry thanks for the suggestion Nina!

I've found the answer to part of this:  I was told that if you cut back the valerian top to about 3 or 4 inches high a few times over the summer, it increases the size of the root.  So a) it can be cut back without harming the plant and b) this would be good if one was planning to harvest the root.  Still trying to find out about use of the leaves, though apparently in Fight Club it was prescribed to Jack to help with insomnia, wouldn't trust that to determine usage but it would imply it might be useable...

I just heard that a product called "Bac Out" is great for this, and only costs about $6.  Might want to give it a shot.

But folks use humanure, wouldn't it be the same thing with dog poop?  If you composted it anyway.

Clean the sprayed area well because if cats smell that an area has been sprayed before they will spray there.  We use an enzyme cleaner, also cats supposedly dislike the smell of citrus so if you used something citrus scented after cleaning it that might help as well. 

We have some valerian growing in our yard and we're wondering if there are uses for parts of the plant other than the root, since we'd rather not kill the plant to use it.  I've been trying to find information on valerian leaves and came across it used in a couple of herb formulas but haven't found any info on its use.  Does anyone know anything about this?  I'm also wondering about whether it would be okay for the plant to cut it back at this point in the season, since in a few weeks or so its going to start smothering the strawberries. 

Thanks!

Any one got any tips of getting rid of ivy?  It's springing up everywhere in our yard (not to mention eating all the forests around here).

Ah, that idea about the picks helps a lot.  Does that pretty much take care of things or do they still keep coming up for a while?

Are you in Seattle Dave?  I don't think I've seen any of this here around Olympia, though maybe I've seen it and assumed it's stinging nettle.  How would I get some growing here?  Collect seeds from up North later in the year?

References in "Bio-Dynamics" Vol. III No. 1 (The Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association, Inc., 1943):

"potatoes are aided by [...] dead nettle (Lamium album)"
"all vegetables are aided by the following in small ratio, as in border: dead nettle [...]"
"all vegetables are aided by a border; that is, a relatively few plants of dead nettle"

So it sounds like planted here and there and especially around potatoes, dead nettle could be a useful addition, though its unclear how exactly.