All Things Amish–Gardening, part 1

February might SEEM like an early time to talk about gardening, but I like the idea of planning out my garden. When I look back over the photos of Amish gardens I have visited, it’s easy to see they are well planned. Lots of work and effort went into these vegetable patches–and for good reason. Here are a few things I noticed:

1. The gardens are an important food source. They’re not just recreational–though everyone seemed to enjoy working in them.
2. They are well planned out, not haphazard. Notice the nice rows. : )
3. Flowers are planted alongside vegetables. I can remember my grandmother telling me that some flowers (marigolds) would keep some pests (ants) away from my vegetables. There might be others that work the same way.

Care to share anything you’ve noticed from Amish gardening? We’ll stay with this subject for a few Saturdays. I hope it inspires you to think about YOUR spring garden. In my Shipshewana Amish Mystery series, there is always a lot of gardening and harvesting … I enjoy the connection to the land, and I think it’s one reason we like Amish stories.

~V

p.s. – Zondervan will have a major contest announcement on my Facebook page on March 2nd. Stay tuned …