Growing up in Pennsylvania, my mother always planted her Tomatoes on Mother’s Day. The second Sunday of May. Being one of two sons, it was always our job to till the tomato plot. It was a kind of added Mother’s Day present. My mother always said that she planted her tomatoes on Mother’s Day because that was what her mother had always done.
I always assumed this date was simply because Mother’s Day was about the last time, we would see an overnight frost. A good freeze being enough to kill the still young and fragile tomato plants. Also, of course, it was a good excuse to get two young boys out into the yard and to do some physical labor. Years later, I moved to the Michigan area and tried to grow my own tomatoes. I quickly realized that I had to wait a few weeks after Mother’s Day to plant my young plants in the garden to avoid the dreaded last frost of the year from killing them off.
Then, just last year, I was in the western part of Germany about an hour outside of Cologne (Koln), talking with my brother-in-law’s father about gardening in general and Tomato planting in particular. He lives in a nice home on a small plot of land on the top of a hill in this small town. He grows his tomatoes in buckets facing the sun. Each year, he would start the plants from seeds he had harvested and dried the year before. I asked him when he planted his Tomato plants outside in his buckets each year? To my surprise, he said around the 15th of May! I was amazed that they would be on the same date. In my mind there was no way that this was a coincidence. He then explained about the “saints of the frost” which I had never heard of. According to him, and Wikipedia, the saints of the frost bring the last frosts of the year around the middle of May. Also known as the Ice Saints or Frost saints. In German, they are called the Eisiheilige. The saints are St Mamertus, St. Pancras, and St. Servatius.
“They are so named because their feast days fall on the days of May 11,12, and 13, respectively known as “the blackthorn winter” In parts of the Northern Hemisphere, the period from May 12 to May 15 is often believed to bring a brief spell of colder weather in many years, including the last nightly frosts of the spring. Pupils of Galileo confirmed this weather pattern for the years 1655-70 and reported a marked cold snap over the days of the Ice Saints.”
A few months later, I was back in Pennsylvania at my parents’ home. I was sitting talking with my 97 year old grandmother, so I asked her why she always planted her tomatoes on mother’s day? Unfortunately, slightly anti-climactic for me, she had never heard of the saints of the Frost. She told me that was just the way they had always done it…
I don’t know…. I like to think the Saints of the Frost had something to do with it and maybe the meaning was simply lost over time. Anyway, for all you planters out there, keep in mind this date to help you get ready for the new year’s planting season.
So, based off my Mother’s Day, or the Ice Saints Day, I work backwards to figure out when I am going to start sowing my seeds indoors before being planted either in the ground or in planters outside.
When you sit down to make your garden plan and are unsure of what your seed start dates should be. A quick search to see when the ice saints are to come that year or, slightly more practical but may be less fun, you can search for the last frost date in your area based on zip code. Mark that date down for the year and work backwards to determine the seed start date. Obviously, this works for more than just your tomatoes and is by no means an exhaustive list, but it should cover most home gardener’s needs. Again, if you need a specific plant not covered, a quick search should help.
Week 10: Celery and celeriac, Leeks, Eggplant, Onions, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary
Week 9: Peppers, Parsley
Week 8: Strawberries, Tomatoes, Artichoke, Calendula, Beans, Flower mixes, Salvia, Zucchini, Back Choi, Basil, Sage
Week 6: Cucumber, Spinach, Kale, Salad, Kale, Peas, Squash, Pumpkin, Swiss Chard, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Broccoli, Beets
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