History Mystery
How did Ozark settlers know when and what to plant in the springtime?
Growing
food was a critical part of any Ozark family's work. If you didn't grow
it, you didn't eat it. Anything this important is surrounded by a system
of beliefs about how to do it to get the best results.
Most early Ozarkers planted by the signs of the zodiac and the phases of the
moon. Vegetables that grow chiefly underground, like potatoes, beets, onions,
turnips, and peanuts, were best planted in the dark of the moon. But not everyone
agreed on just when to plant potatoes, a very important crop. Some farmers planted
them on Valentine's Day. Others thought that was much too early and put theirs
in on St. Patrick's Day. The one thing all agreed on was that you'd best dig
potatoes in the dark of the moon or they would rot in storage.
In his book Ozark Magic and Folklore, Vance Randolph tells the story of Arkansawyers who were always careful to plant onions and potatoes on opposite sides of the garden, believing that potatoes wouldn't do well with onions growing too close. One little boy, when asked about this, joked and said, "onions make a 'tater cry its eyes out." Joke or not, it wasn't done.
Plants which bear the edible part above ground, such as beans, peas, tomatoes, and such were usually planted in the light of the moon. Some said beans should be planted in Gemini, the sign of the arms. Others said the signs didn't matter as much as waiting until after the first whippoorwill's cry is heard, regardless of weather conditions or signs.
Farmers who couldn't agree on when to plant potatoes or beans did agree that turnips should be planted on July 25. This rhyme helped them remember the date: "Sow your turnips the 25th of July, you'll make a crop, wet or dry."
Old timers believed that the best time to plant corn, the major crop in a "hog and hominy" diet, is when the oak leaves or the hickory buds are as big as a squirrel's ear. Considering it takes 90 days to make a crop and you need time to pick, dry, and store it before winter, that gives you an early enough start.
Even if they couldn't read, many farmers relied on a calendar or the Farmer's Almanac as a surefire way to keep up with the signs of the zodiac and the phases of the moon. But woe be to anyone who brought the family bad luck by hanging up a calendar or almanac before sunup on New Year's Day!
However you decided when the time was right, an Ozark homestead never lacked for things to do in the spring. Everything was waking up and getting busy after its long winter's nap. Field had to be plowed, kitchen gardens planted, sheep sheared, wool spun, baby animals tended, butter churned and cheese made, among other chores. With that much work to be done, you can see why the settlers looked for any assurance that they wouldn't go hungry when winter rolled around again.
In Garden Sass: A Catalog of Arkansas Folkways, Nancy McDonough describes the results of springtime work this way:
"Garden sass" is a mountain term for a dish of fresh vegetables--tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, etc.--served perfectly plain and ungarnished. It is the salad straight from the garden--washed, cut up, and put on a plate with no sauce or dressing of any kind."
A city-bred skeptic might say, "What makes you think this silly superstitious stuff works?" The Ozarker, between bites of the tasty green garden sass, fresh from his kitchen garden to his plate, might calmly reply, "What makes you think it don't?"