Amish Farming and Gardening Secrets and Why They Work

By Guest Author Laura Sage.

Many Americans are familiar with the Amish, even if it is only in passing. Stereotypically seen as strait-laced and anachronistic, the Amish generally keep to themselves except to sell their farm produce and other goods at farmer’s markets. There, bearded men in plain clothes load and unload horses and buggies as they sell products from their village farms. Such is the perception, at least. The reality is of course much more complicated.

Who are the Amish?

Today’s Amish are for the most part descended from Swiss German Anabaptists who began migrating to America in the early 18th century to flee religious persecution in Europe. In the mid-19th century, the Amish divided into Old Order Amish and Amish Mennonites. The Old Order Amish retained their original culture and still live in rural communities much as their ancestors did in the 18th century, eschewing modern conveniences like cars, radio, and television. The Amish can be found throughout the U.S., including New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and other states.

Amish farms are maintained much like farms before the Industrial Revolution. As a result, Amish farming and gardening techniques are quite different from most modern methods:

• Amish farming is largely done with horse-drawn equipment with metal wheels, as rubber tires are forbidden in old-order sects.
• The main crops grown by Amish farmers are typically wheat, corn, tobacco, hay, soybeans, tomatoes, barley, potatoes, green beans, and fodder for livestock.
• The Amish forego any motorized mechanical equipment, relying on teams of horses and true grit to plant, raise, and harvest their products.
• What the Amish do not need for their communities they sell to the outside world whom they refer to as “the English”.

Amish old-fashioned farming techniques

For the most part, the Amish use only limited synthetic fertilizers and no industrialized equipment in their farming and gardening. Despite this, Amish farms can be very productive. While the average American farm is 444 acres, the average Amish family farm is about 40 acres, a size that can be worked efficiently by a team of horses and a family. As a result, the Amish make the most of their limited land with careful, regular seasonal plantings, crop rotation, and a reliance on livestock manure for fertilization. An Amish farm is full of livestock, typically dairy cattle, heifers, pigs, chickens, and horses. These meticulous, old-fashioned farming methods may help explain their success. It is not uncommon to hear of Amish farmers who brought overworked and unproductive fields back to life and maintained them using methods that have not changed for centuries.

A busy growing season on Amish farms

• April: The Amish growing season begins with the sowing of oats and early-harvest corn, planting of tomato seedlings raised in greenhouses, and, increasingly, hemp.
• May: The livestock start feeding on pasture grass. An early sweet corn harvest is perhaps one of the greatest tricks of the Amish farming trade and Pennsylvania residents make annual visits to Lancaster County to buy Amish sweet corn a full 30 days before it typically appears in local markets.
• June: A second field of corn is planted for a fall harvest, but this corn is grown to feed livestock over the winter. Planting crops at intervals allows for multiple harvests in one growing season. Following the second planting of corn, hay is made and strawberries are preserved.
• July: This is the busiest month for Amish farmers as more hay is cut, threshing is done, berries are picked, apple starts are transplanted, and honey is harvested.
• August: The farm silos are filled with grain, and autumn wheat is planted.
• September/October: The second corn planting is harvested, and apple cider is made.

Multiple yields of crops through the use of different varieties and interval plantings is not new to farming. But the Amish’s industrious and meticulous methods help them get the farm work done on schedule without machines driven by fossil fuels. It bears mentioning that this is all done by hand with simple tools and equipment. The sheer industriousness of the Amish people is very much a part of their agricultural success.

Why Amish farming is so successful

Some heirloom crops can’t handle mechanical harvesting due to their fragility. This is not an issue for the Amish, who do not use industrial harvesters and harvest much by hand. Thus, heirloom varieties of corn and other crops, which tend to be novelties for modern farmers, are sold in volume by the Amish at roadside stands and farmers’ markets. Some Amish do use seeds of modern varieties, allowing for higher yields in some cases. By alternating the crop plantings in a season, the Amish can achieve faster growth and impressive yields with their limited acreage.

Many Amish farmers pay close attention to the quality of the soil. In research studies, a higher percentage of organic matter was found in their soils vs traditional neighboring farm plots. Organic matter is key to plant nutrition, battling fungal diseases, plant viruses, and insect infestation. Of course, the Amish are a varied group, and some farmers utilize non-heirloom crops. The public has a mistaken impression that Amish farmers are 100% organic, but some do indeed use industrial-style chemical fertilizers and pesticides on their small farms.

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Amish gardening secrets

Those looking for some sort of folksy, rustic secret to unlock the bounty of Amish gardening techniques will likely be disappointed. Unfortunately, The answers are difficult to replicate, but they can be applied to a small home garden. Properly cared for and tended, even a small garden plot can provide decent yields.

• Add eggshells in the soil around vegetables at planting time to provide calcium. Add eggshells again on top of the soil near the stem of the plant to deter slugs – they don’t like crossing eggshells.
• Plant peas when lilacs produce fat buds but before the buds open.
• If weed sorrel starts crowding out other plants, the soil is too acidic and the pH needs to be raised (more alkaline).
• Use companion planting to enrich the soil and avoid plant diseases.
• Use heirloom plantings for biodiversity and to save seeds year after year.
• When choosing tomato seedlings at a nursery, choose those with sturdy stems rather than those that are the tallest. If the top of the tomato plant becomes too big for the root system, the roots won’t be able to transport enough water to the top of the plant, resulting in transplant shock.
• An organic fertilizer with high biological activity such as compost tea, liquid seaweed, kelp meal, or alfalfa meal should be added into the hole when planting or transplanting. This will provide minerals to the plant and enhance soil biology for the first few weeks until the plant is established.
• With the exception of tomatoes, seedlings should be planted at the same depth as they were in the container. Seedlings are frequently transplanted too deeply, which can lead to rot or fungus on the stem. On the other hand, tomatoes can be planted up to the foliage, as they have the ability to produce roots from anywhere along the stem.

The Amish work ethic is a major factor in their farming and gardening success. With no fossil fuel-driven machinery or electricity from the grid, they follow the seasons like clockwork to ensure the best planting times and harvest times. This allows them to obtain the best results in the most natural way possible. Such a method on a large scale would be incredibly time-consuming for most commercial farmers, but the Amish have traditionally small farms, and families work closely together to complete the work.

Amish farming and gardening secrets might not be easy, but they are useful at home for those willing to put in the work. Tending to a small garden plot the old-fashioned way is much easier, and also rather fulfilling.

Author’s Bio: Laura Sage is the manager of Amish Furniture Factory, makers of the finest solid wood furniture. She’s a professional when it comes to hardwood furniture and home decorating.