Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 73

SINGING IN THE GARDEN
cause I hadn't heard the blackbirds
singing about tomatoes from the
marsh.
When I asked her why she
had already planted, she pulled
out an almanac and opened it to
a page showing the dates for planting
various crops in the correct sign.
She consulted it and then gave me the
bad news. " You should have planted your
seeds, yesterday. We were in the light days of
the moon, and it was also the sign of the feet. That
makes great planting. Now, we're headed into the dark
of the moon, and we'll be in the sign of the head. Things
won't sprout as well, then. "
Curious about gardening in the correct sign, I consulted
many of my generational mountain neighbors.
The ones whose families have lived and gardened here
since God pushed up the first ridge and smooshed down
the first valley. One of them, Robin, shared a whole list
of signs he had collected over his lifetime: Plant corn
when hickory buds are as big as a hawk's bill, plant potatoes
in the sign of the thighs, feet or knees and be sure
to do it by the light of the moon.
Beulah told me that I shouldn't
plant my cucumbers in the sign of
the posy because they would be
all bloom and no fruit. Richard informed
me that sauerkraut should
never be harvested or processed in
the sign of the bowels. I spent the rest
of that spring and summer trying to
plant and harvest things according to the
rules outlined by my helpful neighbors. I had
about the same luck I'd had planting by ear.
That fall, as I admired my neighbor Sarah's beautiful
dahlias, I announced. " You have so many blooms. You
must have planted them in the sign of the posy. "
She laughed. " Don't be silly. I don't plant things in
the sign. I plant them in the ground. "
Turns out that whatever method you use to determine
how to plant your garden, some things will grow
well and some won't, so I'll stick to gardening by ear.
There are no charts to memorize and I don't have to
think about feet or bowels. Instead, each hopeful song
carries a promise from my ears into my heart. My garden
will be beautiful no matter what. After all, it's spring and
everything wants to grow.
MARCH/APRIL 2023 73

http://helenga.org

Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023

Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 3
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 4
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 5
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 6
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 7
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 8
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 9
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 10
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 11
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 12
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 13
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 14
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 15
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 16
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 17
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 18
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 19
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 20
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 21
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 22
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 23
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 24
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 25
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 26
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 27
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 28
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 29
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 30
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 31
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 32
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 33
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 34
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 35
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 36
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 37
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 38
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 39
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 40
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 41
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 42
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 43
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 44
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 45
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 46
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 47
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 48
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 49
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 50
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 51
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 52
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 53
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 54
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 55
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 56
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 57
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 58
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 59
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 60
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 61
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 62
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 63
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 64
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 65
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 66
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 67
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 68
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 69
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 70
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 71
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 72
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 73
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 74
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - Cover4
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