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The Moon has cycled around the Earth at least once since you read my article
“Gardening By
the Phases of the Moon.” Hopefully, you’ve become familiar
with these phases, and have incorporated them into your planting schedule.
If so, your seedlings are thriving, and you’re well on your way to becoming
a good practitioner of this ancient method. Paying attention to the Moon
phases will definitely enhance your gardening experience.
The
second step in this technique is to consider which sign of the zodiac
the Moon is in. Most people are familiar with the twelve signs, Aries to
Pisces. The Sun makes an apparent path through one of these each thirty
days. The Moon moves much faster, and makes the 360-degree
cycle around the Earth approximately every 28 days. From our perspective,
the Moon spends approximately two and a half days in each sign. Once you’ve
chosen the correct phase of the Moon for planting a particular kind of
seed, you can refine the method further by picking days to plant when
the Moon is in a fertile sign.
The
Fertile Signs
Each
heavenly body has more affinity with certain signs of the zodiac than
with others. The Moon is associated with moisture, so she is most comfortable
in signs of the water element. Just as a mother can nurture her child
best when in familiar territory, the Moon acts on behalf of all growing
things most effectively when in a compatible sign of the zodiac. The water
signs (Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces) and earth signs (Taurus, Virgo and
Capricorn) are considered female and fertile. Planting when the Moon is
moving through one of these six signs will result in hardier plants, greater
yields and larger produce or flowers. If possible, choose to plant on
a day when the Moon is in a water sign, although once you begin paying
attention, you’ll notice it rains a lot on these days!
Since
water nourishes the earth, the earth signs are also very hospitable to
lunar energies. They are the best second choice for planting, after the
water signs. Virgo can be the last choice of the six signs because it’s
the least fertile, even though the virgin is best for corn. Fire
and air signs are infertile and should be avoided when
planting vegetables. Flowers do well when planted when the Moon is in
Taurus or Libra, an air sign, because these are linked to Venus, the planet
of beauty and fragrance.
What
Sign is the Moon in Today?
It’s
easy to watch the night sky and visually determine the phase of the Moon,
but you’ll need a calendar, ephemeris or almanac to find which sign of
the zodiac the Moon is in. An astrological calendar is easiest because
the Moon’s phase and sign are recorded for each day. Many on-line astrology
sites, including StarIQ, publish this information (Editor’s note: You
can find an ephemeris that lists the placement of the Moon under PlanetIQ
on StarIQ.) Almanacs contain Moon phase and sign notation along with good
gardening tips. However, some almanacs publish sidereal zodiac notations
and gardeners have much better results using the tropical
zodiac. You will need to become familiar with the glyphs
for each sign to read these sources. Symbol keys are usually provided.
Lunar
Gardening Review
The
essentials of gardening by the phases of the Moon are matching the specific
plant with the proper phase of the Moon, and within that proper phase—which
lasts about one week—planting when the Moon is in one of the fertile signs
of the zodiac. The quarters of the Moon are as follows:
- First
Quarter Moon: Plant plants that mature with the edible part growing
above ground and form seeds on the outside of the plant.
- Second
Quarter Moon: Plant plants that mature with the edible part growing
above ground and form seeds on the inside of the plant.
- Third
Quarter Moon: Plant plants with the edible part growing below ground.
- Fourth
Quarter Moon: Not good for planting.
Below
are examples of fertile planting dates for the Year 2000 for Zone 5 for
a mid-summer planting for an autumn harvest:
- July 2:
First Quarter Moon in Cancer. Plant lettuce, broccoli and cabbage.
- July 8:
First Quarter Moon in Libra. Plant flowers.
- July 9–11:
Second Quarter Moon in Scorpio. Plant a second crop of beans.
- July 16:
Third Quarter Moon in Capricorn. Plant beets, turnips and leeks.
This
planting method is less complicated than it first appears. Popping seeds
into the ground takes comparatively little time and effort, compared to
soil preparation. Therefore, prepare your vegetable and flower beds as
usual—all at once on a pleasant sunny day. Weed, till, fertilize, raise
those raised beds high, mark your rows, poke stakes and trellises in the
ground and admire your work. Then, note on your gardening calendar what
days you will sow seeds or transplant seedlings. It’s good to have a plan.
Even in inclement Full Moon weather, there will be enough breaks in the
clouds for you to dash out and plant a row of onions. Once you gather
your bumper harvest, you’ll realize how easy it is to garden with the
Moon as your helper.
Notes
The
Earth is actually circling the Sun. Because we live on the
Earth and not the Sun, it’s easier to speak of the Earth-Sun-Moon relationship
from our Earthly viewpoint.
Fire
signs are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. Air signs are Gemini,
Libra and Aquarius. The exception is for onions. They do well planted
in the third quarter Moon in hot and spicy Sagittarius.
The
tropical zodiac is based on the relationship
between the Earth and Sun. In the sidereal zodiac, the Sun’s relationship
to the fixed stars is primary. People using a tropical zodiac developed
the body of knowledge about Moon phase gardening. Western astrologers
also use this. If you choose to work with an almanac, cross check the
notations with those in a popular astrology magazine to make sure your
almanac has tropical notations.
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