Vegetable Garden/The Almanac

Greens and aching back ready to come to the house.

The vegetable garden is about to get under way.  John brought the little pots in (complete with soil) today and put them by the heater.  This is to let the soil get warm before planting time.  According to the almanac the 20th is the time to plant tomato seed.  I let it all get out of hand last year.  I had 90 tomato plants lined up here on the porch trying to keep them going until we could put them in the ground.  That was ten times too many for us and we gave plants to everybody that would take one or two or more.  I planted several varieties last year, but saved seed do not always come back in true form, so this year I’m only planting Better Boys and a couple of climbing ones.  The climbing ones make really good tomatoes and they seem to be slower to produce which makes them last ’til frost.

Easter this year is the third Sunday in April and these babies will have two months to grow.  Good Friday is garden-planting time and, of course, it’s the Friday before Easter.

I wish I had more savvy about the almanac and planting; however, I did not grow up a family that planted according to the signs.  I was made a believer a few years ago when we planted bean seed at the wrong time and all we had was blooms — no beans.  One lady told me I planted them when the little girl was holding a bouquet (whatever that means) and that way we only get blooms.  We always pick up a Grier’s Almanac at the bank and refer to it often.  According to Grier’s, planting is best done when the signs are of Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus or Cancer.   They also list planting times for above the ground crops and below the ground crops.  Almanacs used to talk more about farming, but now it’s geared down and refers more to gardening.

I’ve heard lots of sign related sayings — such as plant the corn as soon as you hear the first whippoorwill.  My daddy always wanted his stove wood cut while the moon was waning in March — it had something to do with the drying and burning.  John’s Aunt Ethel always wanted to have her hair cut while the moon was waning.  She said it wouldn’t grow back as fast.

Now this is some of the signs of country living.