I’ve been itching to get my early spring veggies planted-but as I’ve told you before-I’m determined to plant my entire garden by the signs this year. Between my busy life and Mother Nature-I’ve already had a taste of how hard fulfilling that dream may be.
During the right days for planting root crops last week, I had appointments, work, and mushroom growing to do. I could have planted on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday this week-but the signs weren’t right. Yesterday was taken up by a busy schedule-and this morning I awoke to rain clouds and a forecast for heavy rain through tomorrow.
After dropping the girls at school, I came home and hurriedly put my work clothes on. As soon as I stepped outside the basement door I felt the rain start. I turned around, took my boots off and came back upstairs-defeated-fretting that I would have to wait till the end of the month to plant what I was hoping to plant today. I kept running to the back deck to check on the rain-when finally I realized-I won’t melt and I might have time to plant at least one thing before the heavier rain started.
As I pulled my boots back on and headed out-I kept thinking of the old song-“I fought the law and the law won” except I was singing “I fought the signs and the signs won”. I quickly re-built one of my long narrow beds by turning the soil over and adding some mushroom compost along with some of my compost.
Before I knew it-I had it done. A bed full of radishes and a bed with 2 different types of onions-all planted by the signs. I was dirty and soaking wet-but hey I fought the signs and won-at least for today.
Tipper
Still too wet down here. Just about the time it starts to dry up, it starts raining again.
You are way ahead of me.
I kinda had my spring hope knocked outta me. I’m hoping it returns soon.
Tipper: Very nice, since our snow has just melted off the garden and a swamp could use the same description, WET. I will have to wait for things to dry out.
Now that is dedication to a cause. I am certain all your efforts will be productive.
I have a new site for you to check out, http://WWW.littlefarmresearch.com
it’s a farm in Utah that is completely organic and uses subtle energy to ensure the optimum health of plants and soil. I’ve spent the last two days in a workshop with Lutie Larson from Little Farms. It is remarkable what they are doing. Check out their site.
I coulnd’t see any different dtaes for other zones either Tipper. Maybe northern zones will just have to go into the next month? Too wet here as well, unless the almanac has something about rice!
I have started pole beans,
cucumbers, and will get tomatoes, radishes, and marigolds,(they say marigolds deter the bad bugs).
Hopefully I can get out and clear the beds soon, but it has been pretty wet. It has turned cold at nite too. 39 degrees is a little chilly for seedlings.
Our ground is saturated here in Western NJ so no planting yet 🙁 I love that you are planting radishes. I cooked them for the first tome two years ago and they were fabulous.
Hope all your plants bloom beautifully!
I’ll be reading to see how it goes planting by the signs. My Dad always planted by the signs and he always grew a wonderful garden!
I really enjoyed reading about your mushroom growing experiment too! I love mushrooms and I’ll sure be interested to see how it all goes with that.
this is the time of year my dad always planted seeds. he builit a 12 x 12 foot square box over the dirt, put two old glass doors over it and that is where he planted his seeds. when the seedlings grew strong he transplanted into the ground. he was always reading The Signs for when to plant. I had the job of cutting up seed potatoes and walking behind him and pushing them in the holes and covereing them up. it always amazed me that a small ugly piece of a potato could turn into dozens of potatos under the ground, I also had the pleasure of digging/pulling them when they were ready for harvest.
B.-One of the first posts I did-was about Harbingers of Spring. I asked some old timers in my area what harbingers of spring they looked for each year. I remember one lady said her Mother always planted Green Beans on Good Friday. Seems that would be too early to me. But like you I’m interested in how family members passed down their knowledge to the next generation.
Never worry about taking up space-that’s what the Blind Pig is about-all of us sharing our knowledge in an effort to preserve and celebrate the rich Appalachian Culture!!
Blind Pig & The Acorn
Music, Giveaways, Mountain Folk
All at http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
I am interested in family gardening traditions as far as when folks “plant” other than going by just the “signs”….for instance, as stated previously….
Always plant potatoes on Good Friday…we’ve heard this too..or
Plant beans by moonlight?.. Never did here!
My husbands family always had potatoes in the ground by St. Patricks Day..or on the 17th of March…Could that be because of the Irish Potato being the most common potato in the past(?) and or Irish/Scotch ancestry?
Sorry to use up more of your posting space..but while we’re on the subject….
Just wondering?
David-I have heard plant your potatoes on Good Friday all my life. My Almanac didn’t say anything specifically about potatoes other than the days to plant root crops on. So glad you continue to enjoy the Blind Pig!!
Blind Pig & The Acorn
Music, Giveaways, Mountain Folk
All at http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Lanny-Oh my goodness please don’t tell me I have to worry about outer bearing seeds and pods too : )I used a local planting calendar and the Farmers Almanac for Southern States to get the days I used on the calendar I made. I thought if I laid it all out in simpler terms I might be able to follow it better-last year I got so confused I finally gave up.
Blind Pig & The Acorn
Music, Giveaways, Mountain Folk
All at http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Stacey-I’ve been trying to figure out if the signs are the same throughout the US for weeks! Lanny-who lives in the pacific northwest said the ones I’m using are very similar to the ones in her Almanac. So I’m thinking-yours would surely be the same as mine.The main difference being-your last frost date will be later than mine-so that would dictate when you could plant tender veggies.
Blind Pig & The Acorn
Music, Giveaways, Mountain Folk
All at http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
I sure appreciate your calendar, but it’s far too wet here to even think of getting into the garden without making one huge mess, so guess the way things look it will be the end of the month for me.
That’s great! I love it when a plan comes together. I wonder if your Farmers Almanac is the same as mine? Do they vary from area to area? We are still recovering from all the snow we got & even getting to the garden at this time is impossible for it still has about 5 in of snow on it 🙁
Stacey
Yeah! Way to get over on the rain and the schedule!
Hey, is your calendar an abbreviated version? My information says that there is a difference between the first week and the second week after the new moon. first week outer seed bearing (lettuce, cabbage fam, spinach, corn) the second week for seeds in pods or fruits (peas, beans, squash, tomatoes). Any way what have you found in regards to that? Looking forward to all the results, and all the fun and all the food!.
You are so organized and such a hard-worker. BUT–when you eat all of those veggies, all of the hard work will be worth it….
We had a wonderful Birthday celebration and got home today!!! I’ll post a blog tomorrow morning.
Hugs,
Betsy
Now, an old adage up here says, “Put your Irish potatoes in the ground on or by Good Friday, best on Good Friday”. I’m going to grow a lot of potatoes this year. Lately, in these strange years, it stays colder much longer than Good Friday. Does your almanac or guide talk about a better time to plant my potatoes?
I had to get caught up on your posts. Kasie and I have been in East Tennessee a lot lately. I find me in need more and more of that tonic only the mountains can give.
Don’t mistake my sometimes infrequent comments as passiveness. I get right back to your site after each sojourn.
Boy, Paul and Pap sure make some purty music. I wish they could get to the Rythym and Roots Reunion in Bristol in September and the Tennessee Fall Homecoming at the Museum of Appalachia this coming Fall. What talent in that fold around you.
I’m listening to Ralph Stanley and Patty Loveless in your music stream. He was getting into my elevator as I stepped out at our hotel last week. I nodded and smiled but I try not to disturb famous people whenever I do encounter them.
Good for you, Tipper. Our ground is way too wet to get into, alas, signs or no!
Sometimes you have to fight the weather as well….Dh got our potatoes, radishes, and part of our onions in the ground this week, by the signs all root crops…(91) he always orders too many and still has about 1300 onion slips to plant..8 more varieties to go…he always has to try something new as well as the ones he loves..we give them away, sell a few, and store them…We love our red onions and they are always expensive in the store…Ours aren’t always huge but you can bite into them like candy…
Haven’t got the peas in yet…looks like we may be late unless the weather dries up the ground a bit..
I am looking forward to the “squash seeds”…our last frost free date is the 20th of April…I can almost taste that good ole country all vegetable supper!
That is a good post with some helpful information on it.
Good for you, Tipper! Hope the gardens flourishes from here!
So good to get your planting done! I am about to use some of my Hometown Seeds this weekend. I planted cabbage seed from them inside of the greenhouse and they all sprouted, but something is in my greenhouse and ate off the sprouts. So I have to work on that problem as well. Have a great weekend. blessings,Kathleen
Can’t wait to see how the experiment goes! We plant by the signs and usually have a good garden but I never tried it any other way