Gardening by the Moon – A Fascinating Lore
We have all heard of the moon effecting the water tides but have your heard of it effecting soil moisture?
From The Farmers Almanac, gardening by the moon “is an age-old practice of completing chores around the farm according the the moon phases and that the moon governs moisture.”
Growing in Popularity
It is growing in popularity for various reasons but prominently because people are trying to find ways to stay in touch with nature. If people pay attention to the seasons, weather conditions, and natural patterns they can start to feel more in touch with their environment and surroundings.
There are certain garden centers that plant solely on moon phases and swear by it. We have yet to find current research projects that proves it to be more effective. However, we can find anecdotal evidence of its effectiveness online. To be in touch with your environment and weather conditions is an important part of your gardening success. Even if it is gardening by the moon’s phases or not. On this website , they list some sources of research, anecdotal accounts, and their findings for gardening by the moons phases.
General Rules
The over arching rule is that people plant specific crops based on the phase of the moon. It is also believed there are better times to prune, build fences, wean animals, fish, etc. What do they mean by better? Everything from better yields, increased growth, stronger fences, juicier meat, and even to more flavorful produce.
The general rules, from The Farmers Almanac website, is “the new and first-quarter phases, known as the light of the Moon, are considered good for planting above-ground crops, putting down sod, grafting trees, and transplanting.
From full Moon through the last quarter, or the dark of the Moon, is the best time for killing weeds, thinning, pruning, mowing, cutting timber, and planting below-ground crops.”
Working on your garden and land by the moon does seem like a good way to keep track of when to do certain tasks. If it produces better yields and healthier plants that would be an amazing bonus!
Conditions Are Important
If you choose to plant by the moon please remember that other planting conditions still need to be paid attention to.
- Soil temperature
- Present and forecasted weather conditions
- Moisture levels
- Soil type
- Specific planting needs of the crops you want to grow
If you have any questions about when to plant something please contact us or stop in and chat about your gardening goals!
DO YOU PLANT BY THE MOON? Email us or message us on our Drummers Facebook page and let us know!
Websites where you can find more information about gardening by the moon:
The Farmers Alamanac
Read about some moon phase gardening research here.