I’m Just Curious: Gardening tips

by Debbie Walker

I suppose it’s a little late to be helpful with your gardening this year but hopefully you will cut this out and save it for the next growing season. (Don’t think too seriously.)

This info was printed in another Maine paper, their July/August issue. I cut this out of the paper and trashed the rest. Whoops. I am sorry (but I did add some stuff).

If there is a frost after March 15, it will not cause any damage to your garden (not sure what part of the country we are talking about!)

If there is a frost, when the wind is blowing from the south, it will destroy all of your plants in the garden. (Did you already know this?)

The worst day to plant is on the 31st of any month (especially Dec., Jan., March, so does that mean Feb. is good cause it doesn’t go to the 31st?).

You will experience a wonderful crop if you have early thunderstorms. (Does that include the winter thunderstorms?)

If a pregnant woman plants any type of plant it will grow well. (Is it a hormone thing?)

If you hear a turtledove coo on New Year’s Day, it is a prediction that all crops will be good for the coming year. (I guess for that to happen in Maine you would have to have the happy, contented bird in a cage inside! I don’t think it would coo very long outside!)

Planting seeds at noon means they will grow. (I doubt that one; it just means the person was lazy, not getting to the fields until noon!)

If you put fertilizer on the ground during the light of moon it will not decompose and will do no good. (It will decompose but in the dark you put it in the wrong place and just can’t find it!)

If you see a frost between the time of the new moon and the full moon, your plants will not have to worry about frostbite. (I don’t think the plants will worry about anything.)

Stretch a piece of yarn string over the rows of your plants in early spring. The frost will then collect on the yarn and not hurt your plants. (You might break a leg if you trip on all that string!)

Placing rusty nails or old irons around your plants will help them grow. (Oh sure, and if you step on the rusty nail it will really hurt!)

Okay, so this is all pretty ridiculous but I thought I would pass it along. Of course it was titled “Old Wives’ Tales for Gardening.” Geez, old wives get blamed for so much!

I am just curious what you remember as old wives tales. For comments and questions try dwdaffy@yahoo.com. Sub. line: Old Wives.’ Thanks for reading and don’t forget the online site, tell your friends and families about us.

P.S. I don’t know how you can take any of this serious if you take into consideration that this writer is planting a flowering weeds garden on purpose!