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Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

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May Dreams Gardens

“There ain’t no such animule”

February 13, 2011 By Carol Michel 5 Comments

In The Busy Woman’s Garden Book by Ida D. Bennett (Small, Maynard & Company, 1920), Bennett included chapters on groups of vegetables including early spring vegetables, mid-season vegetables, vegetables of the vine family, and vegetables less commonly grown.

But she gave asparagus its own chapter.

In the asparagus chapter, Bennett concludes with, “Salt was formerly considered essential to successful asparagus culture and certainly does no harm, but its chief value is in keeping down weeds and this can be quite as successfully done by hand cultivation; this is better than to form the habit of depending on some quick, laborless road to clean beds — in the annals of gardening “There ain’t no such animule.”“

I now feel somewhat chastised at even the slightest thought of considering the idea that I might “form the habit of depending on some quick, laborless road…” to anything in the garden.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: books, gardening

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings says

    February 13, 2011 at 2:54 pm

    Funny. Yes, weed free beds are not realistic are they? Yet, we keep trying.~~Dee

    Reply
  2. Cindy, MCOK says

    February 13, 2011 at 3:23 pm

    Ida D doesn't mince words, does she?

    Reply
  3. growingagardenindavis says

    February 13, 2011 at 4:04 pm

    I'm interested in the idea that people salted their gardens!

    Reply
  4. Annie in Austin says

    February 13, 2011 at 5:07 pm

    Salt for asparagus is still referred to in Texas but not really recommended.
    What kills me was seeing Ida use 'animule'! That post-WWI slangy way of talking shows up in old song lyrics & in letters. Do you also find it easy to imagine Ruth Campbell saying it, Carol?

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

    Reply
  5. Patsy Bell Hobson says

    February 14, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    There has never been a day when my gardens were all weed free.

    Reply

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