Garlic in the Bed and Chickens in the Vegetable Garden – Old Knowledge Rediscovered

Is there something tried and true? We often ask ourselves this when a minor ailment strikes. But you can also ask it when it comes to plants. It's worth looking at what our grandparents still knew. This doesn't refer to the modern trend of gardening by the moon, but rather everyday botanical knowledge that fell by the wayside over time.

It starts with houseplants. In the past, they were generally placed in clay pots. You can tap them to ask the green inhabitant about its needs. With a bright sound, your houseplant tells you it's thirsty. If there's enough water, the sound is dull.

What happens to pink-blooming hydrangeas when you move them from a pot to the garden? They turn blue. Why? Because the soil has a much higher iron content. And how do you keep cut flowers alive for a long time? You add foxglove to them, which acts as a natural preservative. What do you do if indoor plants don't tolerate repotting or moving? You rub the leaves with a cut fresh garlic clove. Lo and behold, they recover!

The all-rounder garlic continues to work wonders in the garden. It strengthens plants' immune systems and scares away voles. Therefore, it can be planted among vegetables, ornamental plants, and around tree trunks. If you want to protect conifers, plant the perennial lupines alongside them; they also improve the soil for fruit trees.

And then there's healthy eating. Some grandmothers still know how to prepare young ground elder leaves as a vegetable and how delicious the result is. Just because the plant is commonly considered a weed, its valuable ingredients are often overlooked.

Nobody likes unwelcome pests in the garden. If you still have the time today, you can do what people did in the past. Continuously hoeing the dry soil to prevent the eggs, larvae, and pupae of pests. In many vegetable gardens, you'd also find free-ranging chickens. They wouldn't give the unwelcome garden inhabitants a moment's peace with their constant scratching, driving them away. However, cleverly combining plant partners is simpler and still works today. Cucumbers are protected by basil, beans by savory, lettuce by chervil, and onions by marjoram.

Our ancestors also put a lot of thought into the right way to harvest. They understood that harvesting in the morning hours best preserves the aroma of fruits and vegetables. Try it with strawberries! You'll be amazed how much more intense the popular red fruit tastes if it hasn't seen the midday sun yet.

And please don't harvest too much of one variety at once! This changes the environmental climate for the remaining plants, as their shade providers are gone. To address another sensitivity: don't give your green garden inhabitants a cold shock! They prefer their watering water to be a bit stagnant and definitely not during the midday heat.

From grandmother's bag of tricks comes the burying of clay pots along with the plants into fresh spring earth. From bougainvillea to lemon verbena, the plants thrive much more magnificently than in free-standing pots because the soil climate is more stable.

Our elders also liked to plan the gardening year around the intoxicating scents of plants. Why not green your pergola with climbing fragrant plants and add many others that aren't stingy with their aroma? Crocus, lily of the valley, phlox, jasmine, lilac, and fragrant asters are just a few examples of how you can surround yourself with botanical delights from spring to autumn.

The last tip from olden times applies to Advent. Cut St. Barbara's branches at an angle, place them in a cool room, and provide them with lukewarm water. A week before the holiday, they can be moved into a warm room. Now they will unfurl their full splendor!