I admit that when I first heard about gardening by the lunar cycles I was, to say the least, extremely sceptical – it just seemed a bit too woowoo for my stolid northern soul. But then – and I don’t know why – I decided to try it out…and became a convert! How could I not when my peas went from planted to harvested in less than a month, a good week and a half before the seed packet said they were supposed to be ready? And I noticed other things too, like the fact that shrubs respond better when pruned during a waning moon, or that weeds take longer to come back if beds are weeded during a waning moon.
But don’t take my word for it…try it for yourself.
I’ve included a link to an online site that shows phases and signs but I rely exclusively on the book Guided by the Moon: Living in Harmony with the Lunar Cycles by Johanna Paungger and Thomas Poppe. It’s the reference I use when, for example, I need to calculate the correct time to start sowing my seeds, which is what I did the other day.
After calculating the number of weeks to last frost – typically, May 7th, here in Edmonton – and determining the length of time needed from seed to tansplanting for each type of plant, I cross-reference the date of planting with the moon phase and sign to find the optimal sowing date. For example, tomato seeds need to be sown indoors 7 weeks from the last frost date which puts that sowing at March 19th. But since tomatoes are a fruiting plant that bears above ground, they’re best planted during a fruit sign and a waxing moon. The closest that those appear to March 19th is March 17th and 18th – Aries in a waxing moon.
Too complicated? Sometimes it can only make sense if you do it but if you’re still feeling overwhelmed, I’m linking a spreadsheet showing my planting schedule based on the lunar cycle. Using my schedule and the website I linked to, you should be able to calculate something similar, keeping in mind the following guidelines:
-
Plants and vegetables that grow above ground should be sown when the moon is waxing. The exception is lettuce, which should only be sown when the moon is waning.
-
Vegetables that grow below ground should be sown when the moon is waning. With the potato though, you should plant as close as possible to the full moon.
-
Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius are fruit days. All fruiting plants are marked in red on the spreadsheet.
-
Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are leaf days. All leaf plants are marked in green on the spreadsheet.
-
Virgo, Taurus, and Capricorn are root days. All root plants are marked in orange on the spreadsheet.
-
Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius are flower and medicinal herb days. All flower and herb plants are marked in purple on the spreadsheet.
2010-Planting-Schedule
