“Just don’t put tomatoes in the bed in front of the Eisheiligen!”: Have you ever heard this tip? But who are these Ice Saints, and why should we wait for them?
Some old farmer’s rules are worth their weight in gold – for example the one about the ice saints. Only when the commemoration days in honor of these five saints are over in mid-May is the danger of frost usually averted in Germany. And only then can plants that are sensitive to the cold be sown, exposed or brought out of winter storage.
Background: In northern Germany, Mamertus, Pankratius and Servatius (consecutive May 11th to 13th) are considered ice saints. In the south and southeast of the country, Pankratius and Servatius Bonifatius (May 14) and “Cold Sofia” (May 15) are included.
A wealth of experience on recurring natural phenomena
There are no celebrations for the Ice Saints like at the birth of Christ or for St. Martin. But the commemoration days should be remembered above all by people with green fingers, because they remind you of farming rules that farmers and professional gardeners have adopted – but which can also be important for hobby gardeners.
For example, these peasant rules are:
► “Pankraz and Servaz are two evil brothers, what spring brought they destroy again”.
► Or: “Never plant in front of cold Sophie”.
► And no less memorable: “Before Boniface there was no summer, after Sophie no frost”.
Such proverbs are a traditional wealth of experience about meteorological probabilities and recurring natural phenomena.
Late frosts until mid-May
The farmers’ rules for the ice saints refer to late frosts in spring, which are regularly registered in Germany until around mid-May.
According to the German Weather Service, the reason for this is weather conditions caused by arctic polar air, which often occur at this time.
“Often” doesn’t mean “always”. And depending on the weather during the year, the frost period sometimes ends much earlier. The German weather service has renamed the ice saints to “sweat saints”, with daily highs of over 25 degrees in some years. In other years they can become “snow saints” if the weather is right.
Therefore, the peasant sayings about the ice saints are only a rough guide and not fixed rules. In addition, there are now scientifically sophisticated weather forecasts that garden owners can rely on more easily.
Peasant rules do no harm
But: Heeding the farmer’s rules doesn’t hurt. In this way, one internalizes rough periods of time in which the weather often changes drastically – as is the case from the beginning to the middle of May.
also read
► Why you have to protect plants in the garden from “spring fever”.
► Why you should let the lawn grow in May
So if you only tackle the summer garden and balcony design afterwards, you should be on the safe side when it comes to the risk of frost.
However, if you sow or plant your vegetables too early or fill your bed with cold-sensitive flowers, you must expect your progeny from the plant kingdom to die. Even cold-sensitive potted plants are best only left outdoors when it is permanently above ten degrees.
Anyone who dares to do so beforehand should keep an eye on the weather forecast and bring the potted plants back into the house when there is frost or wrap them up warm with fleece overnight.
With dpa