Lay by verb phrase To leave a crop to mature after hoeing it for a final time late in the summer. When a farmer has the crop “laid by,” the labors of plowing, planting, and cultivating are over, and he can sit back until the crop is ripe. 1834 Crockett Narrative 154 Having laid by my crap, I went home, which was a distance of about a hundred and fifty miles. 1905 Cole Letters 80 Soon as crops is laid by if I live expecting to here from you soon I remain your son. 1953 Hall Coll. Bryson City NC The spring of the year come, why [Jake Welch, a neighbor] went to plowing and planting his corn, and beans, and potatoes, and things-cultivating that stuff at home. He’d take care of that ontil he got through and got his crop laid by. He’d generally get it done laying by corn in the latter part of July. (Granville Calhoun) 1955 Dykeman French Broad 322 The third or fourth week in August, when crops were “laid by” and “garden truck” was at its most plentiful, families within a radius of many miles put finishing touches on their arrangement to attend camp meetings. 1976 Carter Little Tree 90 “Laying -by” time was usually in August. That was the time of the year when farmers were done with plowing and hoeing weeds out of their crops four or five times, and the crops was big enough now that they “laid by,” that is, no hoeing or plowing while the crops ripened and they waited to do the gathering. 1979 Smith White Rock 47 All cornfields were hoed at least three times; the last time was called “laying it by.” 1995 Weber Rugged Hills 67 “Well,” someone will say, “the corn is ‘laid-by’ for this year.” What they mean is that there will be no more hoeing or cultivation. Crops are now tall enough so that they won’t be crowded out by weeds. Any weeds growing in the rows will be left where they are.
—Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English
We’ve been trying to get the garden laid by, but haven’t quite gotten there yet. We had about half a pile of mulch left from last year and we went through it pretty quick by using it on all the raised beds in the backyard.
I’ve always wanted to try using straw in the garden and thought maybe I’d try that this year. I quickly found out there’s no way I can afford straw. Our load of mulch was supposed to come last week, but didn’t get here. I was hoping we’d have it to spread over the weekend and be mostly done with this year’s garden other than harvesting and maintaining. Since we didn’t have any mulch we finished a new garden patch we started last year and sowed some winter squash and melons in it.
We typically don’t lay the garden by till at least July so we’re running ahead of schedule this year which gives me a good feeling.
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I am just finding out you had a blog as of today. I am in Michigan, born and raised. I am always watching your Youtube vids. I love the way you cook and garden and take care of your family. My husband and I watch them all the time. As far as this blog, I did not know that laying in a garden was something to do. I guess when I take care of my garden I get tired of pulling weeds about then and just slow down, LOL. Thank you for teaching different ways of looking at things, old and new. I appreciate you always.
Hi,
Here in the Blue Ridge we say that the garden is to big to hoe. Then, we go through the garden and pull weeds. My mother got the idea that pulling weeds was not fun and she would try something different. That year she used the weed eater to get rid of the weeds that she would have to pull. All of us were elated that we didn’t have to pull weeds. The poor dog though had to give up his special place to lay in the garden. When mommy fired up the weed eater he would head for the boxwood and would make a dive into the hole he had dug under it. Mommy’s garden looked great that year but the corn stalks had mysterious cuts on them. No one dared ask about how the cuts got on the corn. We just enjoyed pulling the ears and eating fresh corn on the cob. Kathy Patterson
I also have never heard “laid by” but I now know that’s why daddy would say, “we can take a break now before we get back to the garden” and by then the topping and suckering of tobacco would be over so we got to take a day and go to White Lake in Bladen county and then maybe the next day back home to a creek not far and we would meet up with other kids and enjoy the cold water and I mean it was cold. Then later that afternoon we would have a big cookout. It was so much fun! Our harvesting of tobacco was earlier than now days. Between the garden and tobacco, we stayed busy but oh how I miss those times. Have a blessed day all.
Gloria,
I worked for several years in Bladen County as a Special Education Teacher. Absolutely beautiful county and wonderful people. White Lake is a great place for a swim on a hot day. Kathy
Never hear this term in NY. Around my parts, after haying season is the time to relax. I still, even at almost 42, get a little excitement in my gut when I see all of my in laws tractors comin’ down the road to cut, rake, bale hay. Usually, can hear ’em before they get here. Its my signal to get the dishes of something good to eat, made & up to my MIL’s house. Try to make some salads, pies, watermelons to feed the crew. Funny thing tho. We are all of us getting a lot older. When my hubby was working on their farm (he is somewhat an adopted son to them, so I call them in laws) it was huge crew of teenage boys. Now they’re all old married my w/growing up kids. She & I can usually whip up a spread pretty dang quick. One time I cooked for 18 people on the fly, just with what she had on hand. Its a good time & the men are so glad to come in outta the sun & get some good grub. Then they all go lay out on the yard under the shade trees & cool off. I wish I could go back in time & live like that all the time – cooking for a crew of my own. When my FIL was a youngster, it was time for a wienie roast after the hay was mowed. They’d go to his mothers’ peoples’ & hang with all the cousins & have wienies cooked on the fire & ice cream sandwiches. Ah, the 50s were a good time for the farm kids in America.
Years ago the common word for having a bowel movement was ‘crap’ but today it can mean a bunch of anything that doesn’t need attention. My craft room is lovingly referred to as the my crap room. My father would be horrified that I even used the word. I’m 76 from Wisconsin where it was nasty to use but have lived over sixty years in Florida where it is just a word at least where I’ve noticed.
Back in those days, nobody used mulch or straw, and many gardens were too large for that to be practical. I was taught three times you hoed because it was too large to weed, and then you were given the only small break you had all summer. Canning time was a little better for the young’uns, because they could wash jars with tiny hands, string beans, and peel potatoes like a pro. Also, the young, if trained, made wonderful gatherers of the harvest. I was just as vain and prissy as the next young teen, but never thought it beneath me to get out there with my hoe and help my parents lay by the huge garden. This was done with mostly Mom, because Dad had at one time 3 jobs. Although, if it was much larger, they would have had to brought in a hired hand because it was huge. Those are warm memories, and my bonus was a wonderful tan I could show off at the pool. Fortunately, no skin CA.
In recent years, I use mulch and straw, and it sure does help and keeps the soil enriched. My garden is so small now, I don’t even have it tilled.
A garden serves one well mostly from the cradle to the grave. My dad had three small gardens the year before he died. He had made it through the arduous process of laying all three by. But, he soon realized he was over extended, so I took vacation days and helped do all the bean picking and harvesting when the half runners came in. I had miserable chigger bites and even some yellow jacket stings. It was by far the best vacation I ever spent because it was with my parents.
I remember Granddad Byers saying, “Glad it’s layin’ by time”
Beautiful garden! Ours still looks pretty much like a jungle but we’re working on it.
Someone mentioned “garden truck” and it brought back a memory–Daddy had some patches where vegetables, watermelons, and cantalopes were planted & sometimes peanuts & popcorn. They were called truck patches and I wonder if the truck part meant stuff to sell.
I have never heard “laid by”. Your garden looks great!
I had to give up on straw to because it was too expensive. I’ve never tracked close what I spend compared to what I get at store-bought cost but I like to keep them roughly equal. It’s OK by me though to let the garden be a bit more because I like the fresh and it being my choice of varieties. I did like using straw because it was so neat and clean and was no problem to turn under by fall gardening time. I’m using leaf mulch this year for the first time. Working fine so far but crumbles fast if dried out and walked on.
Your garden is so neat, clean and orderly. Mine is not as neat as yours but not too bad either. There isn’t much more I can do for it now, just hope the weather co-operates. I did pull up the Wando peas yesterday. They were nearly dead. So around here I get about a month of picking, about 5 times I think.
I have to smile about that phrase “sit back until the crop was ripe” in the dictionary. There is no real “sit back” time on a farmstead, just a change in the nature of the work. ‘Laid by’ is not really a vacation. There is tidying up from last year, doing this year and getting ready for next year each overlapping.
I must say the bean trellis is the dandiest contraption I ever saw and the beans climbing it beats all I ever saw in a garden! You’ve got a lovely garden and it’s so well placed. Even if things are laid by doesn’t one still have to go out and check on bugs trying to take over? I’m a squisher of bugs as opposed to poisoning. I’m hands on so they get off my plants. I got several patches of ground enclosed by little fences. I learned right quick every critter loves a bean plant! I have to weed yet again but I’ll get it when I get it- Considering there’s always a casualty of a plant by my big feet or big rear end… lol with gardening there’s joy, disappointment, and worry. I’m using bamboo tripods for tomatoes and will make bamboo poles into some into bean trellises.
“Lay-by time” was always a time to kick back and have a big picnic or yard party. Our family would also go to the river to fish and camp a night or two. Fish fried at the river always seemed to taste better. We loved the Chattooga and the Chauga rivers. A faithful old 1931 flatbed Model-A Ford truck was our mode of transportation in the ‘forties.
Gene, dont forget the wild river onions.
Yes indeedy; we would lay the garden by about the last of July. There was no cardboard in Aint Gene’s day, at least none she could get hold of. She would go out in her old gardening dress about 8 at night (it would still be light out this time of year) and get her hoeing done. She wanted the weeds gone and the soil broken so the dew could help water the plants in the early morning. Then she would come in and bathe for the next day. She would be in bed by 9 reading her Bible. Everything was stable and the routine was secure. Peaceful.
All of the old time farmers(40acres and a mule) looked forward to lay by time. It was a time when they could slow down a little bit and also a time for having family reunions. There is a hymn titled When The Crops Are. Laid By or some say In that compares living a life of working for the Lord to farming and then dying as lay by time. I like to listen to The Gospel Plowboys sing this song. I think of my father in law when hearing this song. He was just an old country man that loved working a 1-2 acre garden and living his life for the Lord. He was very active in his church and also had a little band of other men similar to him that would go to nursing homes several times a week and sing and have a devotion with the ones at these homes.
I’ve never heard “laid by” in reference to the garden, but it makes sense to me. Thank you for sharing and keeping the language of Appalachia alive.
Tipper…line two, did you mean ‘crop’ or ‘crap’…I read it twice and I am not sure…love your posts…
Glenda-so glad you enjoy my blog! The dictionary does show the word as crap, indicating the way it was pronounced.
Your garden is beautiful! You two amazing. I love to just walk around and look at it. It is orderly and neat and lush looking. You two have put a lot of labor into it and it shows. I wonder if our early warming this spring hasn’t lead to an early laying by.