Grow Your Own Magazine

In a world of technology and speed, advice is often sought out quickly. However sage advice of yesteryear was passed down by word of mouth in the form of rhymes that taught children and new gardeners the wisdom gained by years of hard work and observation.
Everyone knows the rhyme “Red sky at night shepherds delight. Red sky in the morning shepherds warning.”
However recently I have come across weather knowledge that was new to me. Two such bits are. “Rain before seven, fine by eleven.” And “wind from the East, good for neither man nor beast.”
Which with observation have found to be rather helpful to know.
Does anyone have any gems that they know? I should love to learn of them.
Jax

Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration!

__________________
Geordie

Te audire non possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure

A Garden is a Friend you can visit anytime.

Ne'er cast a cloot til May is oot !

Live as if you will die tomorrow, garden as if you will live forever !

When lilacs show their leaves, it's time to plant peas.

One man's foul weather is another man's fair. [Here in Wales this year, October is rather wet ]

Got this from the R4 Gardeners Question Time website:

If you want to be happy for a day, get drunk,
for three days, get married,
for eight days, slaughter a pig and eat it.
If you want to be happy forever, become a gardener.

Up here they say: if ye can see the hills it's gonnae rain; if ye cannae, it's rainin'.

I was in the allotment the other morning when it was rather cold but I was digging and hence hot. Another Gentleman walked by in his overcoat and hat and smiled at me saying his grandmother always said that 'if you have to don a coat to go into the garden then don't'. He promptly delivered something and left laughing happily with me.

There must be some element of truth in that statement I was left feeling like everyone must be looking at me, but what the heck, it needs doing.

Looloo

Yon po-faced colleague of Monty Don- you know the one, the gardening fashion statement- hope SHE reads that one! Incidentally, was there ever such a contrast of personalities as the Mirthless One, who takes herself so seriously, and the delightful Carole Kline? But I digress...

A visiting friend at the weekend avers that her grandmother used to say at this time of year: "Day lengthens; cold strengthens."

Berr
Haven't heard that one before but can vouch for it's accuracy today !! Cold enough to freeze the ...... you know the rest !
Rat

''Fog fae the sea brings honey to the bee; fog fae the hill brings water to the well''

One I heard on our plots from one of the more seasoned campaigners was

"The mest mulch is the gardeners shadow"

Theres a lot of truth in that one

If February bring no rain, tis neither good for grass nor grain.

All the months of the year curse a fair februeer.

February fill dyke, Be it Black or be it white.

If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, winter will have another flight.
But if Candlemas Day be clouds and rain, winter is gone and will not come again.
(Candlemas day is Feburary 2nd)
Jax

March hack harm, Comes in like a lion. goes out like a lamb.

March borrowed from Averill, three days and they were ill.
The first it sall be snaw an sleet
The neist it sall be rain an weet
the last it sall be sia a frreeze,
Sall gar the birds stick to the trees.

March'll Search ye, april try ye.
May'll tell, whether live or die ye.

your not practicing for the Eistedfford are you Jax

__________________
ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

I've got a white bed sheet and a tea-towell so I could try to join the back of the queue of Druids and Bards as they walk into the stone circle.
Having said that nothing is the same any more. The stones are now made out of Fiberglas. Ho Hum!
Jax

Unfortunately, alot of these sayings held true at one time but with the advent of spring getting earlier and winter being non-existent in parts of the UK e.g. rain and cold but still mild (we have averaged between 4-10 here during the day and -2 at night compared to 6 years ago, where we averaged 4-6 and -8 at night). Maybe we should come up with our own sayings:

Red sky at night, chemical plant leaking again.
Red sky at morning, fuel depot exploded.
Willow leaf showing it's belly, deforestation
Otter plays in the brook, high on chemical plant (see first one).

Today, I appear to be in a black mood...

__________________
Andrewo
www.andrewoldham.co.uk

As well as knowing the traditional running we used to say

"Red sky at night...Guernsey's on fire"

__________________
Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

Or red sky at night....Shepherds house on fire!

My dad always told me if I chopped a worm whist digging it would rain? God knows why!!!

I was brought up in Consett which was renowned for it's industrial 'Red dust' cloud. It wasn't until I left Consett that I realised cauliflowers were not supposed to be pink!

__________________
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

P.S. On a brighter note.....no one from Consett suffered from iron defficiency!!!!

__________________
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

.........or sun burn

__________________
ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Nice one Andrewo! lol

It will be dry between the showers

Works for me

__________________
Don't take away the SNC