PLANTING BY THE PHASES OF THE MOON

  

      Mourning doves are calling, the world is greening up. It almost looks like a wee bit of Ireland.  Don’t mind the dandelions they are nice and friendly compared to the Canada and Goat-head thistles that menaced our other place.

      I haven’t had a “lawn” for over 15 years and I don’t know when I’m suppose to mow it, water it, feed it etc. I keep peeking out the windows watching what the neighbors are doing. Their lawns look super. I’ll do what they do only a day later!

       This year I’m going with container gardening, too tired to plant a “real” garden. And if the weather turns bad, I can hall all the containers onto the back porch rather than just stand there and watch them be washed away by rain or torn to shreds by hail. Here is a bit of information regarding planting by the phase of the moon.

New moon to full moon/Increasing Light 

Examples of garden chores to do by the Light of the moon:

Repot and groom houseplants.

Sow seeds of plants that grow

above ground. Fertilize and graft fruit trees.  

Plant evergreen and deciduous trees.

 

 Full moon to dark of the moon/Decreasing Light 

The decreasing or waning phases are when the moon "shrinks" from the full moon down to the new moon (darkness).  

Plant bulbs

Plant crops that grow below the ground,

such as potatoes, carrots.                               

Plant biennials and perennials

because they need strong roots.

Eliminate slugs, Prune shrubs.

     How is sowing, transplanting and harvesting linked to phases of the moon? One theory is that during the light (waxing) of the Moon, sap is thought to flow more strongly, filling plants with vitality and energy, favoring the planting and harvesting of crops that mature above the ground.

     The decreasing or waning phases are when the moon "shrinks" from the full moon down to the new moon (darkness). As the moon wanes during the 3rd and 4th quarters, this is a good time to prune plants, as the water table is diminishing and so less sap will flow out of the cut ends. The plants are said to orient themselves toward their roots, making this a favorable time for planting, transplanting and harvesting root crops in general. The 4th quarter is the most dormant period and is good for chores like weeding.

     Happy planting and may your labors now

reap many delicious rewards all summer long.

This blog in memory of Uncle Al and Aunt Linda. Aunt Linda always made me feel pretty and Uncle Al was a heck of a gardener, who did wage and win several terrtorial battles with the squirrels.