Moon Gardening

You know, from here it doesn't look like that much work.

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Oi! I have been busy lately! The garden is half planted, the other vegetables are root vegetables and need to be planted at a different point in the moon's cycle. Gardening by the moon is an ancient technique that has been used by different civilizations for almost as long as agriculture has been around. People used to believe the best times to plant seeds were during full moons because the light helped the seed germinate faster.

Nowadays, it's a little more complicated, and different vegetables do better during the different phases of the moon. Directly after the new moon is the best time to plant leafy vegetables that produce seeds outside of their fruit (ie spinach, swiss chard, lettuce). Cucumbers are one exception to this rule, they benefit from being planted during this time instead. The first quarter to full moon is the best time to plant vegetables that produce seeds inside their fruit (ie tomatoes, squash, melons, pumpkins). The full moon to the last quarter is the best time for root vegetables like carrots, turnips and radishes. I've got some great links if you want to know a little more about this practice.

PlantTea.com This is a link for a specific article about moon gardening, but you should check out their other links too - very informative, helpful, and straight forward. In fact, they have another great article about growing seedlings and germinating seeds here that you should check out as well.

Dave's Garden - A great scientific explanation of the benefits of gardening by the moon.

Gardening by the Moon - Very nice, straightforward pictorial guide.

I have to admit that one of the best things about this technique is that you may apply it to other aspects of gardening and simple lawn maintenance. For instance, if you mow your lawn on the day of the new moon or near it, you'll find that you have to mow less often. If you have a lawn in Georgia during the summer you know how fast that grass can grow! Blink, and it's an inch taller. This also applies to weeding and pruning bushes. The more you pay attention to the subtle effect the moon has on plants during the different phases, the more you'll begin to notice how significant it can be.