Through time immemorial, Herb gardens have been a source of, and associated with magic, old wive's tales and mystery. Much of this old advice has at its her practical considerations that scientists have now verified. You probably have heard about how chicken soup really is good for a cold and garlic good for the heart (although the part about keeping vampires away is still suspect; if I wore something that would keep me from getting scared to death, I'm sure my heart would benefit from it).

A bit about lunar cycles; if you are planting a vegetable that will "bear fruit" underground, (carrots or potatos for example) then you plant in the dark of the moon. If your crop is the above-ground variety, (flowers, beans etc.) then you plant during the opposite cycle.

Old Herbals advised farmers to sow seeds without any clothes on; this led the gods to believe that the sower was a poor innocent growing food for just his family, and not for profit. Thus the gods would be more inclined to look favorably upon the farmer and help his crops grow (personally, I think the gods just liked a good laugh!). This tradition carried on, but in more populated and self-concious times, the farmer would only stick a bare elbow into the dirt. If you think about it, this makes sense; if the soil is warm to the touch, then it is warm enough to plant seeds. So if you are messing about in the garden, try to mess a bit without gloves on your hands. If its too cold for you, it will be too cold for the plants!

Practical Advice: both ancient and modern

Chamomile was used by gardeners as a "visting physician"; they would plant the herb beside a sick plant, and as soon as the ailing plant recovered, they would remove the chamomile. If they didn't, the recovered plant would sicken and die - too much of a good thing is bad for both plants and people.

Don't use bonfire ashes as a mulch of soil conditioner around mint, as it will cause the mint to sicken, and perhaps die.

When you rinse out your milk bottles, pour the left-overs on your plants. It is a fine, mild, liquid fertilizer.

If you are bothered by flies, bugs and other noxious insects, rub your skin with mint. It will also leave your skin feeling fresh and cool.

If you don't want to use pesticides in your garden, here are some Old Wives' Tales and a few modern ones that will help you combat the unwelcome visitors

If you are troubled by ants in your house, track down their entry point and surround it with bay leaves. It takes about a week, but they won't come back any more.

If you encounter a bug in the garden and don't know whether it's good or bad, here is a practical rule of thumb; if it moves slow, step on it - if it doesn't, leave it, it will probably chase down and kill a slow one.

Garlic is good for roses as well as people. Plant one garlic per rose, and they will help keep aphids away. Don't let it flower, unless you like the smell of garlic mixed with roses.

A horsehair rope or a circle of broken eggshells placed around a flowerbed keeps slugs away.

One creature you should keep in your garden is a toad. It eats lots of bugs and will keep your garden insect-free. Get two toads - keep them happy!

Back to Articles