Halloween and Fall Superstitions for Gardeners

The moon waxes full and the chilly evening breeze reminds gardeners that fall - and Halloween - approaches. With good fortune, there's time for one last round of garden produce before pulling plants and raking falling leaves. But wait! With fall and Halloween around the corner, will certain garden produce bring more luck than others? It's a wise gardener who knows.

Peel or write upon an apple. Most gardeners - if they're lucky - have fruit trees, and Halloween is the time to employ their magical properties. Apples are good for your health ... a fact that isn't really magical ... but according to legend, they're also good for finding a mate. Perhaps it's because of Adam, Eve, and that notorious bite of fruit, but gardening superstitions aren't founded on empirical data, so it's hard to say. At any rate, peel an apple in one long piece and throw it into a bowl of water on Halloween. The shape of the peel will display the first initial of your beloved.

And just in case you're unlucky enough to be bitten by a mad dog in the fall, The Encyclopedia of Superstitions 1949 instructs, "Against a bite of a mad dog write upon apple ... 'O King of Glory come in Peace.'" It doesn't stipulate the writing instrument to use, but to insure the incantation works, consider an indelible marker.

Throw nuts into the fire. No, you can't just throw them in on Halloween and say, "Aww, nuts, another gardening season's over." Toss them in and if they jump, your beloved is unfaithful. In reality, they jump because of the expansion of gases inside, but hey - it's fall - let's believe the myth.

Examine a cabbage. Go into the garden on Halloween, blindfold yourself and pull a cabbage. Examine the root's shape and draw conclusions about your future spouse. Since the Dictionary of Superstitions didn't mention what the various shapes mean, draw your own conclusions for a potentially fantastic mate.

Circle the garden with lighted torches. If you're looking for another easy legend of the fall, this one's it. Circle a field ... yes, a garden is a small field ... with lighted torches, thus safeguarding the next year's crop. Almost as good as crop insurance!

Go to a crossroads and listen to the wind. According to a Welsh myth, Halloween magic lies on the wind at the crossroads. Gardeners who go there and listen might hear it foretell of next year's events.

To recap ... the gardening season may draw to a close in the fall, but that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun with this list of "Halloween and Fall Superstitions for the Gardener." You might discover good fortune, as well as true love. And not to be superstitious, but just in case cars are driving at the crossroads, increase your insurance before going out and listening to the wind.

Sources.
Marissa Kantor, "Full Moon Crazy," Psychology Today.

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