How To: Moon Gardening

If the moon can influence the great ocean tides, I’m sure it isn’t hard to believe it’s gravitational pull affects the moisture in our plants.  These effects vary at different times of the cycle. Moon gardening is simply learning to optimize your timing according the moon’s phases.

Between the New Moon and the 1st Quarter:

The lunar gravity pulls water up, and causes the seeds to swell and burst. This factor, coupled with the increasing moonlight creates balanced root and leaf growth. This is the best time for planting above ground annual crops that produce their seeds outside the fruit. Examples are lettuce, spinach, celery, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and grain crops. Cucumbers like this phase also, even though they are an exception to that rule.

Between the 1st Quarter and the Full Moon:

The gravitational pull is less, but the moonlight is strong, creating strong leaf growth. It is generally a good time for planting. The types of crops that prefer the second quarter are annuals that produce above ground, but their seeds form inside the fruit, such as beans, melons, peas, peppers, squash, and tomatoes.

Between the Full Moon and Last Quarter:

After the full moon, as the moon wanes, the energy is drawing down. The gravitation pull is high, creating more moisture in the soil, but the moonlight is decreasing, putting energy into the roots. This is a favorable time for planting root crops, including beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, and peanuts. It is also good for perennials, biennials, bulbs and transplanting because of the active root growth. Pruning is best done in this quarter, in the sign of Scorpio.

Between the Last Quarter and the New Moon:

Do not plant anything. There is decreased gravitational pull and moonlight, and it is considered a resting period. This is also the best time to cultivate, harvest, transplant and prune.

Fruitful Signs:

Cancer - plant leafy things, plant above ground fruit

Scorpio - prune to encourage growth

Pisces - plant root things

Taurus - plant root crops

Capricorn - prune to strengthen, bulbs, roots and stalks growing

Libra - plant flowers and vines

Barren Signs:

Leo - kill weeds/pests cultivate/till

Gemini - harvest herbs and roots

Virgo - plow, till, weed

Sagittarius - prune to stop growth

Aquarius - reap crops, herbs, and roots, ground cultivation, kill weeds/pests

Aries - gather, store herbs and roots, prune to reduce growth

Sources: Grimoire for the Green Witch by Ann Moura, Gardening By The Moon