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Planting by the Moon is an age-old custom. Though little known in Britain, it is widely used on the continent where most people would not think of planting any other way. We grow food to feed ourselves and as we are told we are made of ‘stuff from the stars’ we feel at home when we look up into the sky and see our old familiar friend the Moon punctuating our lives with her rhythms. If we could encourage local authorities and firms to adopt a ‘dark sky’ policy we would be astounded by the beauty of the stars. Even in Britain, in olden times it was the custom to plant in tune with the phases of the Moon. In its simplest form, this means waiting until you sight the Crescent Moon before beginning to plant, then planting up to the point where the Full Moon shows signs of shrinking again. Generally there are three days when the Moon can be considered Full. After this she is waning, and it is not recommended to plant. The Crescent Moon is shown on the plan for each month.
How does it work? All plants do better when planted during a 'waxing' Moon. This is the period between the firt sighting of the Crescent Moon and the third day of Full Moon, when the Moon can be seen to be reducing in size. Those who are interested in gardening by natural means have been experimenting with a method which links each type of crop to a group of zodiacal signs. Those who are familiar with astrological practice will know that signs belong to four elements: earth, air, water and fire. These link naturally to roots, flowers, leaves and seeds/fruits, and being logical, are easy to remember. The Moon moves through a complete zodiac plus two signs in each calendar month, giving you an opportunity to plant every type of crop, even allowing for the fact that you only plant during the waxing phase. March April May June
July August September October
November December
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Earth Signs are for crops where the part that grows beneath the earth is eaten: these are potatoes, onions, garlic turnips, carrots, swedes, Jerusalem artichokes, beetroot. Air Signs are for flowers and herbs, the connection being that these plants spread their sweetness on the air, or appeal to the aesthetic senses. Even when used in cooking, the function of a herb is to add flavour and aroma, rather than be a source of nourishment. Water Signs are considered appropriate for crops whose leaves and stems are the parts eaten, as these crops when cooked or dissected will be found to mainly consist of water. Celery and leeks belong in this category, along with all the lettuce and kale families. Although cucumbers and squash would normally be considered to come under the heading of seeds/fruits, they too are mainly composed of water, so if you are not having much success starting them under Fire signs, you might like to experiment by planting them when the Moon is in a Water sign, and see if you get better results. Fire Signs are for those crops where the part eaten is the seed or fruit - fire is the universal generative principle, and the seed or fruit contains the potential for next year's harvest, the spark of new life. Below are links to download files for each month | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
