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“Perhaps you’ve heard the old proverb that warns not to plant until after the ‘Three Ice Men’ have passed,” the Farmers’ Almanac article began.
Um, no. That’s new to me.
However, I’m also not much of a gardener. I may plant a few flowers or herbs in containers every year, but I’m always dissatisfied. It’s my dream to turn our backyard into a sprawling English garden. The trouble is, my vision is grander than my energy and talents. Emphasis on energy, thanks to Tennessee’s hot and muggy and muggy summers.
Anyway, the advice for safe spring planting time in Middle Tennessee is after April 15. Generally, by then the last frost has passed. But in more northerly climes, it’s sometimes suggested to be even more prudent and wait a month longer, until around May 15 or so. This is where the Three Ice Men come in.
The Three Ice Men
The first thing the Three Ice Men, aka the “Three Chilly Saints,” conjured to mind was Game of Thrones. “Winter is coming.” But in their case, they mark winter leaving.
As Farmers’ Almanac explained, “The tradition comes from Northern Europe and is tied to the successive feasts of St. Mamertus, St. Pancras, and St. Servatius, whose respective days occur on May 11, 12, and 13.”
It dates to a time when people in countries like Germany, Switzerland, and France didn’t read, much less mark time using the kind of calendars that we do today. Instead, they relied on nature’s seasonal rhythms and the church’s timeline of seasonal events.
Hence, after they paid homage to the Three Chilly Saints, it was safe to start putting seeds in the ground. Theoretically, Old Man Winter should’ve started hibernating by then, and the longer, warmer, sunnier days of summer were on their way.
Even though the planting season is earlier in some places than others, it’s still a good practice to err on the side of waiting a bit too long to plant rather than risk a late frost. I may not be a good gardener, but I know that much.
Check-In
Were you familiar with the proverb about waiting for the Three Ice Men to pass before planting your spring garden?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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I’m not a gardener, either, so nope, I hadn’t heard of the Three Ice Men.
Never heard of it either, but where we live in South central NM, spring tends to arrive rather soon.
I was just thinking earlier this morning about how I wanted a lovely garden (a childhood dream) but a more tangled wild/wildflower one! Maybe someday for us, right?
What strange weather we’ve been having in my area of NM–an odd late snow, and rain and overcast skies over the past few days! But good for the acequias!
Oooo! I call it “messy,” you call it “tangled wild/wildflower” but YES! I do believe we’re speaking the same language/entertaining the same vision! lol
Had to look up what “acequias” was. I thought that might be what I found out…but then I also wasn’t sure if it was maybe some type of flowering tree or something. lol
But wow does it sound like you’ve had quite the combo of weather lately!