Potatoes and St. Patrick's Day

During a recent visit with some of my Cardiac Rehab partners at NRMC, the topic of spring garden planting was addressed. I think this topic developed because we finally had a break from our dreary winter. Much of the discussion centered around the many long-standing methods and practices involved in vegetable gardening.

There are many venues where one can discover information about the types of plants that grow well here, and the right time to plant them. When I was a kid, most people simply subscribed to the prescriptions found in the Farmers Almanac. I dare say that for many in that era, it was taken almost as literally as the Gospel of the Holy Bible, regarding learning and knowledge of local customs and science.

Both of my grandfathers were avid gardeners. Both read and followed the Farmers Almanac religiously. One date they never varied in their schedule was St. Patrick's Day, as the only time to plant potatoes.

In today's high tech world, there are countless new places to find information on just about every aspect of home gardening. When I began this article, I simply typed in the words -- St. Patrick's Day and potatoes. The Internet search engine produced more sites, than I could have ever imagined.

Despite finding all that new available information, just about every site continued to have one common offering. St. Patrick's Day was still considered as the favored time to plant potatoes, in the temperate zone where we live.

I have attached a map that shows the average low temperature zones in the state of Missouri. It had one really interesting bit of evidence. Vernon County is split in half (resulting from temperature calculations), based on our average recorded temperatures. I suspect that is caused by a couple of geographic factors. One is simple latitude. The further north you go the cooler the average temperatures. Secondly, Vernon County has some strikingly different types of elevation.

In the northern portion of the county, what I have always heard described as the "Horton Bottoms," dominate the terrain. In the southern half of Vernon County one finds a bit more rolling prairie grasslands. These assumptions are not scientific, nor do I have any studies to back them up.

I doubt that the difference in temperature is enough to make most gardeners in our area change their plans. Whether you live in the north near Metz, or in the southernmost portion of the county close to Sheldon, I suspect you will plant your potatoes and other vegetable varieties, close to the same times.

Vegetable gardening has seen a lot of other changes in our area in recent years. In the past couple of decades, a significant influx of Amish families has relocated in Vernon County. Farm to market types of fruits and vegetables, have been a mainstay of their farming practices.

They have built some warehouse type barns in the northern areas, where shoppers can find all manner of their offerings. We often make a weekly drive to see our favorite seller "Moses." It's like being on the set of the movie "Witness," when you see the horse drawn wagons heading to his warehouse, loaded with corn, tomatoes, melons, and potatoes.

Locally grown vegetables are not just the sole province of the Amish. A large number of county producers participate in the local Farmer's Market once a week. I suspect that many of them are gearing up for next Saturday as well.

In recent years, there has been a movement to offer vegetables and produce that are free from many chemicals or genetic changes. One variety that I find especially delicious, are heirloom tomatoes.

These tomatoes remind me of the ones we used to enjoy at my grandparent's tables. They are not always uniform in shape, but oh do they ever have a better flavor. When you put slices on your plate, it is easy to notice the difference, as the juices just gush from these old fashioned varieties.

Gardening is for many akin to mental therapy. I recently read that the two countries that have the most avid gardeners are England and Japan. Both of these countries have very limited amounts of land available, and they have large populations. It is as if they seem to prize their limited resources even more, when it comes to gardening.

We Americans are perhaps a bit spoiled. One resource we have never lacked is land, and yet many of us do not make use of that resource. It's just too easy to go to the grocery store, or to one of the above listed vegetable producers, for our needs.

The first day of spring will come shortly after St. Patrick's Day. It will bring with it the warmth we have all missed for so long. It will also be the time when the gardeners will begin their weeks of planning and planting.

Morel mushrooms are not planted or farmed. Next month these mushrooms will be just one more sign that spring has finally arrived. If you have never had the pleasure of sampling these delicacies, you have missed one of Missouri's true treasures.

One more spring growth that lets me know that winter is finally gone, is the aroma of "wild onions." When these sprout, they signal with their scent, that it's time for new growth.

I plan to take a drive around the county in the next few days. I want to see the ground being tilled for all the gardens. I want to smell that fresh earthiness that accompanies that tilling.

We are so lucky to live in a garden spot like this. Are you ready for new peas and potatoes, garden lettuce, onions, tomatoes, corn on the cob, and tomatoes? Next Tuesday, I'm celebrating St. Patrick's and wishing good luck to all my gardening friends.