Gardening by the Moon

The Organic Manual

GARDENING BY THE MOON

People who garden by the moon believe that the same gravitational forces that move the tides up and down also have significant influence on plant growth. Most moon gardeners believe that the increasing light of the moon benefits those plants that bear fruit above the ground. Conversely, they believe that when the moon is on the wane, and its light and gravitational pull are on the decrease, the earth’s gravity kicks in again and the plants that produce below the ground are benefited.

Many gardeners say that bulbs and vegetables that bear crops below ground should be planted during the waning of the moon. That is, from the day after it is full to the day before it is new again. Anything like radishes, onions, potatoes, etc., that grow underneath the ground will grow larger and produce better. If you plant on the new moon, they’ll grow tall and bloom, but the underground veggies won’t do as well.

Planting should not be done when the moon is absolutely dark because that’s when plants should rest. The dark of the moon seems to be a good time to prune and kill weeds because they won’t grow back as readily. Ranchers have found that this is the best time to dehorn and castrate animals to minimize bleeding. Get a hair cut during this time and you might discover that you can go longer before needing the next haircut.

Moon gardeners have different opinions, and you can hardly find two who plant exactly the same way. And they all think they’re right, because whichever way they choose seems to work in general.

If you have the time to pay attention to cosmic forces as shown to us by the moon and stars, gardening by the moon can be fun and very productive.