Gardening by Phases of the Moon - Full Moon Alert!
I love getting to know gardeners; whether novice or generational, they all have their little tricks of the trade. I remember my Grandma Garcia's tricks for rooting avocado seeds, toothpicks, correct positioning on her window sill and honestly...nearly stagnant water. In my permaculture class, one of the students was incorporating moonlight into her flow diagram. A flow diagram is charting movement over your land, water, soil, animals, sunlight and in this case moonlight.
That got me thinking about some of the practices involved in planting your vegetables in synch with the lunar calendar. Planting by the moon is an idea as old as agriculture, based both in folklore and superstition,
but there are scientific ideas to back it up. The Earth is in a large gravitational field, influenced by both the sun and moon. The tides are highest at the time of the new and the full moon, when sun and moon are lined up with earth. Just as the moon pulls the tides in the oceans, it also pulls upon the subtle bodies of water, causing moisture to rise in the earth, which encourages growth. The highest amount of moisture is in the soil at this time, and tests have proven that seeds will absorb the most water at the time of the full moon.
At the new moon, 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.
In the second quarter, the gravitational pull is less, but the moonlight is strong, creating strong leaf growth. It is generally a good time for planting, especially two days before the full moon. 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. Mow lawns in the first or second quarter to increase growth.
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 the third quarter, in the sign of Scorpio.
In the fourth quarter, 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. Mow lawns in the third or fourth quarter to retard growth.
Tonight is the full moon in Austin, TX and I want to share a great quote courtesy of my lovely friend Dani: Full Moon is Monday, March 29. This is the first spring moon that demands that you honor who you truly want to be in this life. Where you are is exactly where you have placed yourself in your universe at this time. If you like it, do something honoring in gratitude of it. If not, get rid of something that symbolizes an... old path, an old attachment. Do something for yourself out of a tremendous amount of self-love.
Love you all- Rache
The moon has four phases or quarters lasting about seven days each. The first two quarters are during the waxing or increasing light, between the new and the full moon. The third and fourth quarters are after the full moon when the light is waning, or decreasing.
At the new moon, 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.
In the second quarter, the gravitational pull is less, but the moonlight is strong, creating strong leaf growth. It is generally a good time for planting, especially two days before the full moon. 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. Mow lawns in the first or second quarter to increase growth.
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 the third quarter, in the sign of Scorpio.
In the fourth quarter, 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. Mow lawns in the third or fourth quarter to retard growth.
Tonight is the full moon in Austin, TX and I want to share a great quote courtesy of my lovely friend Dani: Full Moon is Monday, March 29. This is the first spring moon that demands that you honor who you truly want to be in this life. Where you are is exactly where you have placed yourself in your universe at this time. If you like it, do something honoring in gratitude of it. If not, get rid of something that symbolizes an... old path, an old attachment. Do something for yourself out of a tremendous amount of self-love.
Love you all- Rache
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