One of my favorite things to do when I’m visiting Amish country in August is simply slow down and take a walk past the gardens.
There’s just something about them this time of year. Everything is growing. The tomato plants are heavy with bright red tomatoes, the green beans seem to climb a little higher every day, and if you’ve ever planted zucchini, you already know there’s always more than you know what to do with!
What I love most, though, isn’t really the vegetables. It’s what the gardens represent.
An Amish garden doesn’t come together overnight. It starts with tiny seeds planted months earlier and grows a little at a time through patience, hard work, and faith. Families spend time working side by side, children help gather vegetables for supper, and before long the kitchen fills with the sights and smells of canning season. There’s something comforting about that rhythm of life that I think so many of us long for.
I think that’s one of the reasons I enjoy writing Amish fiction so much. It’s not just the horse and buggies or the beautiful countryside. It’s those everyday moments that make Amish life feel so special. A basket of tomatoes sitting on the porch. Fresh herbs growing by the back door. A grandmother showing her granddaughter how to snap beans for supper. Those little details have a way of finding their way into my stories because they remind me that the simple things are often the ones we remember most.
If you’ve read my Amish Book Club Mysteries, you’ve probably met Irma Gingerich. She loves spending time in her garden and is always growing something, whether it’s vegetables for the supper table or herbs she swears can cure just about anything. (The other ladies don’t always agree with her, which makes for some fun conversations!) Irma has always been one of my favorite characters to write because she reminds me of so many Amish women I’ve met over the years—hardworking, practical, and happiest with a little dirt on their hands.
Now I’d love to hear from you. If you had an Amish garden, what would you plant first? Would it be tomatoes, sweet corn, flowers, pumpkins… or maybe something else?
Let me know in the comments. I always enjoy hearing from you!
I’ve never been close to an Amish graden let alone walk in one
If I was to plant an Amish garden it would be flowers.
I would plant flowers!! 🌹
Me too… I plant more flowers than vegetables these days.
Tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, dill, garlic, hot peppers, squash and anything different to try
Tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, dill, garlic, hot peppers, squash and anything different to try
Marigolds around the garden.
My dad swore by marigolds to keep his cucumbers and tomatoes bug-free.
I would plant root vegetables, they take the longest to mature but you know when autumn and winter arrives you’ll be able to make wholesome soups. Next would be herbs to season and be a feast for our senses. Lastly but in no particular order, salad crops, climbing vegetables and lots of bright flowers, to deter pests and be a beautiful addition to any little vase. My head knows what I would like but the body has some catching up to do!
I love this! “My head knows what I would like but the body has some catching up to do!”
I think I would plant corn first, because it takes a while to grow.
Since we moved to SC, our corn never does well. It’s too hot here.
I miss having a large garden, we now live on a small property so no large gardens for me! If I were to have an amish garden the first thing I would plant would be tomatoes, nothing better than a fresh garden tomato!
I agree… the store-bought tomatoes just don’t taste the same as I remember from my childhood.
Tomatoes! There is nothing better than fresh garden tomatoes.
Agree!
As I Love tomatoes that is what I would plant first!
Nothing like a warm tomato fresh from the garden.
I remember from when I had a big garden we planted the potatoes first. Then we planted green beans, peas, etc. We even tried peanuts one year. I loved the green beans that I grew on tri-pod sticks. And everything was so delicious. I even froze cantaloupe one year when we had a bumper crop. Canned other things.
I grew up with a mother who loved to can… one of those skills I have but seldom use anymore.
Yes! I read these books and I love them!
I would plant tomatoes, green peppers, hot peppers, green onions, and flowers … and so much more!
My hubby misses the stuffed hot peppers I used to can for him.
Tomatoes and herbs
Me too!
I would plant corn first, followed by tomatoes and okra, collard greens, and cabbage, all my favorites.
All my favorites too!
I’m surrounded by Amish families here in Pennsylvania and reap the benefits from their gardens regularly!