“Don’t plant until Mother’s Day” (gardening adage)
“Don’t plant until Mother’s Day” is an agriculture adage. Mother’s Day is the second Sunday in May, and the chance of frost is usually eliminated. The gardening adage is popular in the northern United States.
“Don’t plant herbs before Mother’s Day and they’ll be okay” was printed in the Washington (DC) Post on April 25, 1990. “Don’t plant anything before Mother’s Day” was print in The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH) on May 1, 1994. “You ALWAYS wait to plant until Mother’s Day. It’s a Midwestern rule!” was posted on Twitter by Sarah Brown on April 25, 2019.
Wikipedia: Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May. It complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Father’s Day, Siblings Day, and Grandparents Day.
25 April 1990, Washington (DC) Post, “The Garden of Herbal Delights; A Plan for Flavorful Plants” by Judith Benn Hurley, pg. E1:
This area is in the Mother’s Day Zone, which means don’t plant herbs before Mother’s Day and they’ll be okay.
1 May 1994, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), “Growers, Marketers Are Happy to Hail Herbs” by Suzanne Hively, pg. 15I:
“When I was growing up, I remember the saying, ‘Don’t plant anything before Mother’s Day.’”
24 May 1996, The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA), “May’s Weather Sends Plants into Low Gear” by Phyllis Stephens, pg. D1:
Perhaps this may explain why “old timers” say don’t plant until Mother’s Day or until the snow is off Mount Spokane.
9 April 1998, Rockford (IL) Register-Star, “Now’s time for planting fertile tales” by Mike Doyle, pg. 3A, col. 1:
Among the other stories that farmers and others have passed down:
. Don’t plant tomatoes until Mother’s Day.
Google Groups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel
OT It’s *SPRING*
吵o吩oo
1/10/01
(...)
Don’t plant anything till Mother’s Day. 😊
3 April 2002, The Advocate (Newark, OH), “Gardeners make plans for spring” by Julie Scheurer, pg. 8A, col. 4:
While annuals should not be planted until after Mother’s Day, some hearty perennial plants and herbs can be planted now.
Twitter
paul paire
@paire
@rosalind Isn’t it too early to plant Vegetables? I thought you were supposed to wait until Mother’s day to plant a Veggie Garden.
6:22 PM - 21 Mar 2009
Twitter
Cassie Armstrong
@MorningStarEdit
Learned today that its best not to plant until Mother’s Day in Colorado. Have to start the seeds all over again. Snowing a little.
11:14 AM - 27 Apr 2009
Google Books
Southwest Gardener’s Handbook:
Your Complete Guide: Select, Plan, Plant, maintain, Problem-Solve
By Diana Maranhao
Minneapolis, MN: Cool Springs Press
2016
Pp. 12-13:
Our last frost date is around the end of April, so I now don’t plant anything out in the garden until after Mother’s Day.
Google Books
Plant Your Money Tree:
A Guide to Growing Your Wealth
By Michele Schneider
Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield
2019
Pg. 6:
We all know that you don’t plant when the ground is frozen. Depending upon where they live, most people plant sometime after Mother’s Day. This is a guideline of nature.
Twitter
SeamstressFF 🌊
@SeamstressFF
Replying to @theodora_brass
This is why I don’t plant annuals until Mother’s Day. It’s tradition now.
10:06 PM - 10 Apr 2019
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(...)
6. May Market at Phipps: May 10 & 11, various times
In the Burgh, gardening season officially kicks off at Phipps, where they take the old adage, “don’t plant until after Mother’s Day” to heart.
Twitter
Sarah Brown
@DTSBHEsq
Replying to @bethwilensky @BridgetMaryMc
You ALWAYS wait to plant until Mother’s Day. It’s a Midwestern rule!
10:11 AM - 25 Apr 2019
Twitter
Darren Cahr
@legallysocial
Replying to @dansinker
I was told last week by a landscaper “don’t plant anything in chicago until Mother’s Day unless you’re an idiot” and I stupidly laughed
7:01 PM - 26 Apr 2019