Three generations planting taters in Graham County NC – 2016
My father-in-law used to plant a garden every year that was always so big. Actually it was much bigger than he needed. Someone asked him why in the world he planted so much knowing that it would be much more than he needed. He said that he knew it but the act of growing things gave him such a rush that he couldn’t resist. Maybe it was innate for him. Just seeing something come from a tiny seed and grow into a large plant gives us satisfaction, I suppose. I couldn’t get kudzu to grow.
We once (years ago) were laughing at something a little old lady said down at the seed store. She was concerned and said that she didn’t know what she was going to do because she wasn’t going to be able to plant her beans on Good Friday this year because this year Good Friday was going to come on Saturday.
—Bradley Bennett
As long as I’ve been gardening I’ve heard folks say their family held to the tradition of planting on Good Friday.
Pap and Granny never observed the tradition but Granny told me that Pap’s parents, Wade and Marie always sent her to pick up the seed potatoes for everyone to plant in spring of the year. She said Papaw always wanted to plant his potatoes on Good Friday.
Last night’s video: How to Make a Knife Handle from an Old Hoe.
Tipper
Subscribe for FREE and get a daily dose of Appalachia in your inbox
my grt gdpa always planted his potatoes on st. patricks day.every year.
planted potatoes on good Friday April 3. reading these posts I guess it depends on your location as to when you can plant. I live in north Georgia so I can plant earlier
than people farther north. we have frost up to April 20 so will plant tomatoes and squash later.
Hi Tipper and Acorns. I loved watching Matt repair that knife. It was almost like having my Daddy back again because he had a little shop like this and was always fixing things. I miss him so much. I loved helping him. So, TY Matt. I was going to plant potatoes today but it never happened. I’ll have to dig out the ground by hand and I’m not able. I will try to think of some kind of container to do some herbs though. I sowed white clover seed in the yard. I highly recommend it. The clover will replace the useless, labor-intensive grass and provide food for the bees. It will self-seed eventually if allowed to mature. How does mowing once a month or season sound? Sounds great to me. I went to The Garden Barn our local Green House and saw so many beautiful plants and flowers. I bought a single Lavendar pot and fertilizer for my blueberries. I would love a pear and plum tree but will do that later. We usually get a hard freeze around Mother’s Day. On Monday I’ll scatter some insecticide for ticks, fleas and spiders around the trailer, outbuilding and where we park cars. Today was beautiful. Ed was sick most of the day but he had a good morning. Praise GOD for all of HIS Grace and Mercy, we are so unworthy, but HE still loves us. HE is the best father ever. I keep everyone here and up Wilson Hollow in my prayers. TY all for praying for us. I love y’all.
I took me til now to realize who Bradley Bennett was! I ought to be ashamed of myself!
I planted my Kenebec potatoes today Good Friday. My dad always planted them on Good Friday. I remember seeing him planting them when there was blowing snow. Alot of my Appalachian family have always done this. I am 78 years old and still do this. The potatoes always do good. Have a Blessed Easter Tipper and Family and everyone else.
Here is an excerpt from a letter my maternal grandmother wrote to my mom in 2000 that references Good Friday. My mom shared this letter recently and I thought this excerpt was very touching:
“This is such a special week for me. I remember the times when I had all of the little ones and couldn’t get to church, how I would sit and read to them about Jesus’ death and Resurrection… On Good Friday my mom would always insist my brother and I be quiet. She said if one of our own family would die, we would show reverence; how much more for Jesus.”
She went on to mention that my grandpa was “really celebrating Easter” that year, which is how we presumably knew the letter was from the year 2000. He passed away in January of that year very suddenly from a heart attack. He had bent over to tie his shoes and just fell out of the chair and was gone. She went on to live 14 years longer and passed away at 89. She has been gone 10 years now. She had 18 children and was a farm wife. She was an amazing woman of faith and very hard working. I miss her!
Been planting today. More to do, Lord willing. Won’t finish but will be off to a good start. Have a forecast for desperately needed rain on Sunday; again Lord willing.
My parents and grandparents always planted most of their garden on Good Friday.
I’ve never planted on Good Friday, but then maybe I did if it was nice weather, I just don’t remember right now. To many other things on my mind to really think about it. I still haven’t even cleaned out my garden beds yet. I’ve just had other things that had to be done first, plus my heart doesn’t seem to be in it so far this year. I’m hoping that will change before it’s to late to plant.
That is very interesting tradition.I have never heard before, but certainly having the family together and planting potatoes is a wonderful way of remembering Good Friday. Especially having all of the family together.
Mama and Daddy always liked to plant their potatoes on Good Friday.
It’s probably a tradition to plant on Good Friday that has no real basis in anything beyond “Something we put into the earth will rise again,” i.e., a religious devotion. The reason I say this is that Good Friday can fall on any date from March 19th to April 23rd. Mostly Good Friday is the first or second Friday in April, which is probably a good time to plant in any event, the March dates perhaps pushing it a bit and the later April dates being a failure to take advantage of weather mild enough for planting.
We haven’t even gotten our onions planted yet this year. We bought some onion sets the other day. Our garlic is growing great though. This evening we will go to Good Friday services at church. Then, tomorrow, my whole clan will be home. We are having a huge egg hunt for the grandchildren. I am so excited for them all to be home. They will play badmitten, whiffle ball, and climb trees. They all love the swing-set and treehouse pap built them. Our Easter dinner will be a day early, so everyone can be back home for their Easter services at church. My mama is making her yummy graham cracker and pudding pie. I can’t wait to taste it. Have a wonderful day and weekend ahead.
Happy Easter Sunday. He is Risen. I’m so grateful for Jesus dying for little ole sinful me. I’m in debt to Him from now on. I must live for Him and be willing to do whatever He asks me. I am so thankful. Isn’t it amazing to live for someone who loves us so much?!
The picture above warms my heart seeing 3 generations working together in the garden. Soon it will be a picture of y’all in Wilson Holler once sweet Ira and Woody get bit by the gardening bug. 🙂 Blessing to each of you in Wilson Holler and here on the BP&A this Easter weekend – from the west coast of Canada.
Hello Tipper, 44 years ago on Good Friday I was giving birth to my daughter, it was April 9th. 50 years ago on Easter Saturday I was giving birth to my son, April 17th. Both Easter babies 6 years apart.
Planting for us is never done before May long weekend due to the weather. Once the ground is warm then we plant. We had snow last night and is expected to snow even until next week. This has been a very long winter! Pray everyone has a blessed Easter weekend, we serve a Risen Savior!
God’s blessings to all on this Good Friday!
We never set anything out til after the Kentucky Derby growing up, we lived in South Central Indiana, just outside Louisville, and my folks were from Eastern Ky. Never heard Good Friday before.
My parents never planted anything but taters on Good Friday. Their peas, onions, and lettuce had been planted since Valentine’s Day and were often ready to eat by Good Friday, depending on the weather. It rained hard last night, and heavy rain is supposed to continue until Sunday. We won’t be planting anything around here today, or for several days to come.
Is that a sawmill over across the holler there? Looks like piles of sawdust!
I don’t know 🙂 It might be
Based on the cut in the hillside and what my brain interprets in the way of color or shading in those piles, my guess would be that the area is a quarry or mine. But, what do I know, eh?
Good place to look for arrowheads after soil is tilled
I planted my potatoes in a grow bags last week. I hope they do better than last year!
Never heard that before!. Growing up in NH there would be no way you would plant anything until early May. Reason being the weather. I remember one Spring planting my peas and just ad the young seedlings were about two inches tall we got three inches if snow and it stayed freezing for a couple of days. Had to replant my peas and then about a week later we got several days of soaking rain. Again seeds were gone. I gave up on peas that year. Living here in Murphy my potatoes are planted, my onions are planted, and my garlic is looking great. I weathering my tomato plants in my green house and will be putting my cabbage in their pots soon. This is such a great place to have a garden. Only problem I have is lack of sun due to the trees that surround my growing area. I have learned to “grow what you know” as someone wise once said. And trust that God will provide just as on this Good Friday God set the stage for the greatest gift possible. Our salvation through Jesus’s death and resurrection. Have a blessed Good Friday and Holy Saturday and one of the most beautiful Easter Sundays possible.
thank you for praying for us please continue, God bless you very much
For the older generations in my neck of the woods it was customary to plant a large part of their gardens on Good Friday, especially their beans. All of the families had large gardens, their gardens were the main source of their yearly food supply, not much bought at a store. I will always remember to my dying day, literally my next door neighbor being killed by getting ran over by his 1940’s JD crawler while trying to hook up to equipment to use to plow his garden spot on Good Friday in 1981. His name was Claude Kirby. This man cut and gave my family a stacked truck load of firewood, cut from his own property when my Daddy was down with pneumonia in the mid 1960’s. Daddy and Claude’s son in law were the first to find him under the crawler.
We have always planted taters on Good Friday however this year we haven’t even turned the garden over yet. That’s a nice picture. Reminds me of familiar times.