Gardening and women's rights?

Lovely thread. I like it almost as much as I like gardening. I'm going to think of everyone cooling off in the soil when things become too much.

This is a nice thread! This is the first year that I've had a garden to plant things in, the learning curve is steep but I'm enjoying it, and getting some nice tips and suggestions from women friends.
I've started by planting a veg patch growing the few veggies my family will eat (courgettes, squash, broad beans), something that I hope will become a lavender hedge, and some random shrubs around the place.
I saw this a couple of weeks ago, might be of interest: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sissinghurst-castle-garden/features/gardening-women-exhibition-at-sissinghurst-castle-garden

Spitzwegerich, I have seen it here in West coast Scotland but nowhere near as much as I have seen where I grew up in Germany. The soil and the amount of water is very different between the two places. At home it grows on dry, nutrient poor land
There is seed available for under a pound on Amazon.

Lovely thread. It's out of print now, (but lots of second hand copies around) The Virago Book of Women Gardeners is worth looking out for. They did an illustrated edition that's particularly nice. They also published Gardening Women a few years ago. I've yet to get my mitts on that one but it looks good - it's a history of women and gardening.

I would love to find this plantain

That's the one I have cultivated [well, found in the border and left well alone]. If I manage to catch any seeds I'll save them for you.

Superloud, there’s loads of that plantain round where I live. As children we used to, ‘fire’ the tops at each other.

Thanks for those links Popping :)

I am a gardener. I love growing food and useful things (basket weaving, gourds, dye plants, herbs). Is there a board on mumsnet for gardeners? I would love to cruise it.

I agree it is a very feminine calling. We remake the world by applying gentle pressure. Pull a weed here, let it go wild there. Everything becomes ripe in its own time.

It's been incredibly spiritual for me. This year my government heavily restricted the sale of codeine and I was absolutely distraught. I have migraines and severed period pain, i used to take codeine only twice a month or so but on those days it was a GODSEND. We all know how seriously doctors take women's invisible pain, i figured it was pretty unlikely they'd give me a prescription for "like, whenever". I was beside myself, not knowing how I would get through days of work in agony with no relief and all the petitions in the world are no match for the medical lobby. Around the same time, my whippersnipper broke and the weeds in the corners of the yard got quite long. Then some started to flower. Lovely soft blossoms in purples and reds. Turns out they were a kind of poppy. A very specific kind of poppy, the sort you might use for breadseed. I don't worry about the availability of codeine any more. This sort of thing has happened 3 other times and I'm pretty sure my garden is literally magic at this point. I love garden, garden loves me back.

I have what I call a medicinal herb garden but all my herbs are in amongst the shrubs and trees, and I also grow pickable veg in amongst it. I also have loads of mints and herbs in pots around the courtyard.

For my medicinal herbs, I pick a load in the spring; including a lovely plantain that I have growing in the borders; I pick that, garlic chives, normal chives, lemon balm, lime balm, lemon verbena, lovage, thyme, oregano, and any other edible leaf that I can find - wash it and dry it and then dehydrate the lot. Crumble it into a jar and that becomes my go-to jar to add to all stews, pasta sauces etc for the rest of the year. I also pick all the wild garlic, dehydrate it and have a garlic jar.

I grow two varieties of oregano, in one wooden box. Throughout the summer, I pick that, and use lemon verbena and garlic chives with basil, olive oil and whizz it up for a small jar of pesto. It is flipping gorgeous.

What an interesting thread - I had never really given a thought to gardening as feminism but it does make sense.

My DH and I garden together but we have our different strengths and I definitely do all the planning for the garden. I was made redundant a couple of years ago and was off work for ten months - the garden stopped me going completely mad as there was always jobs to do or things to try.

I love the idea of doing a medicinal herb garden - must try and find a book on that.

Blimey! I've actually found something I can relate to on the 'feminist' board :)

DH and I share the gardening equally. It is our sanctuary where we really come together.

I have the ideas, he puts them into action for me.

Except the greenhouse. That is MINE.

For slugs, may i recommend nematodes. They are wonderful. Not only do they get the number down for 6 weeks they decrease the numbers in the next generation. Use plenty of water and do it when the ground is not too dry.

Enjoying this thread, especially the book references.
My mum is a carer, elderly and suffering with knee and back problems, but is still able to garden, and it is her only form of exercise now. Her garden keeps her sane, and gives her so much pleasure. Mine is filled with cuttings from hers.

I have a garden and an allotment. Dh and I share the tasks.

Sometimes I just like to lie down on the warm soil with my eyes closed and feel the connection with the earth.
The others are used to me now have have stopped rushing over to check I am ok.

When I am stressed I have a great need to put my hands in soil - it soothes my soul

Here in the Pacific Northwest we do what we can about the slug invasion and remind ourselves from time to time how grateful we are they do not fly.

Oh god, the leopard slugs, I remember those feckers (two years in Portland). I know they are elsewhere as well but I have never seen slugs bigger than there.

The allotment is my space, my little piece of heaven. DH and I garden it together but in that we have found harmony as the jobs we each enjoy compliment each other.

The thing I see often (and was discussing with my allotment neighbour) was how often a couple would start. The man would throw himself into it, rushing around trying to get it all done in one weekend.

The women and more experienced allotmenteers of any and all gender tend to be devotees of the gentle art of potter. No racing.

Copper works a treat, against both slugs and moss, the banes of my garden and walkways.

Copper worked here too Badger - but - I grew the chard because I'd seen it at an Open garden day. It looks stunning - but tastes shit

note to self -stick chard into compost heap

Love the Marge Piercy poem Super. Years since I read anything of hers but you've inspired me to look her up again . And I'm going to plant some radish seeds tomorrow.

lightofasilverymoon slugs are a pain in the arse! They’ve had my peas this year, have had some success with copper tape though round pots of green leafy stuff like spinach and chard

Here in the Pacific Northwest we do what we can about the slug invasion and remind ourselves from time to time how grateful we are they do not fly.

I really, really, really tried getting into gardening our garden, but got defeated by slugs, mainly.