Amish Folk Wisdom- Gardens
This year I've been thinking about planting a garden. When we were subsistence farming we had a huge garden. This year will be more downscaled. Its only February, and typically here in Ohio you have to wait for the last frost, which can be up until May 31. However, it never hurts to plan ahead.
Since the Amish are the consummate farmers and gardeners, they have their own tidbits and folklore about nature. I will freely admit I'm less than a novice gardener--my husband is a terrific gardener and farmer--and I have two black thumbs, but this year I'm determined to turn at least one of them green. Some of this folklore seems a bit suspect to me--particularly crawling underneath a thorny tree--but I can't say for certain. What do you all think? Any gardening tidbits that have been passed down through your family?
Amish Gardening Tips
- Never cut thistles before St. John's Day (mid-August)
- A warm June brings an early harvest
- Eat sage in May if you would live long
- Creeping under a thorn tree when a lightening storm is in progress is the safest
- If oak leaves out before the ash, it will be a wet summer
- Onion skins are very thin; mild winter coming in. Onion skins thick and tuff; coming winter cold and ruff
- Cumin seed makes good bait for traps and tames horses
'Til next time,
Kathleen
It is interesting...but a lot of those come from experience. Not sure about the eating sage in May...how would a person know? Love your blog and posts
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Hi Kathleen, I live in Ohio too....moved here 2 yrs. ago from Michigan...my daughter and family live here , that's why I am here
For the garden...her husband saves egg shells and banana peels and puts them in the garden all winter , up till time to plant the garden....guess it makes the soil richer....also I heard egg shells crushed up is good to put around flowers, keeps slugs away...they don't like the feel of the shells.... I have more....but can't think right now....start a blog on this and see how many people will participate....bet you will be surprised....announce it in amish living tho.....you get a lot og good info and recipes on amish living...
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Thanks this is very interesting, I really enjoyed this
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