Moon gardening

[Jaxom]

The week starting June 18th which is the fourth quarter.
I know I'm new to this growing vegetables lark but with the growing season being so late, cold and wet this year I wonder how anything will fare regardless of the time planted?

[lyndap]

Planted my runner bean plants earlier in week,cos they were desperatley in need of planting,but I've just sown another30+seeds around separate wigwams.Has anyone else done their moon planting?It really was moon planting as at 4.30 this afternoon the sun and moon were both clearly visible!I'll be very suprised if I get a good crop of anything this year, as my crops haven't liked this years weather at all!!(mind you...niether have I!!!)

[sewer rat]

I planted out my runner beans and french beans today a la moon gardening - await the results with bated breath. Never thought about sowing seeds at same time - will sow them tomorrow if I get a chance.

[Jaxom]

My beans are planted. Due to lack of room they are now all over the garden. My fault for sowing so many varieties.
The peas planted at the correct time are now producing wonderful sweet tasting peas. The peas planted out of quarter seem to be behind somewhat even the ones planted before.
Too early to report on the beans planted 28 days ago as they have yet to grow sufficiently to flower yet. They are however two foot high.

[Jaxom]

The weather is also warm enough to go dancing skyclad but I don't want to shock the neighbours with all my flabby white bits

[Lesley Jay]

Getting back to the moon gardening Jaxom my runner beans are in and tomorrow the french beans, broad beans and borlotti beans will be planted. I am keeping a tray of broad beans back to plant later. Am I right that this is the best moon gardening week to plant courgettes and squashes?

[Sunbeam]

I planted some runner bean seeds on 3/6 - purely by accident I noticed that this is the day which you suggest for your moon gardening experiment... what do I have to do from here - should I just keep monitoring this thread for info??

[Lesley Jay]

Sunbeam what I am doing is planting two different lots of broad beans. One this week which is the best week for moon gardening and one in the week starting June 18th which is the worst possible week for planting beans according to the moon gardening theory. So if you could start some more runner beans off now they would be germinated by June 18th and you could then plant the beans outside. Then it is simply a case of which batch of beans gives the best harvest - the moon gardening ones or the ones planted at the wrong time.

[Jaxom]

Am I right that this is the best moon gardening week to plant courgettes and squashes?

I would have thought so as the fruits are going to be above ground just like the beans. Courgettes and squashes would be planted out rather than sown. This and next week would give them maximum water at surface level to help establish root balls.

Root crops are sown in the first quarter, which gives them three weeks of maximum natural water to germinate and start to grow. The third week or third quarter would encourage them to send down roots to follow the water as the water table drops.

[Sunbeam]

I will set a reminder to plant some beans on the 18th/6 too - it'll be interesting to see what happens!

[sewer rat]

Well, Following Jaxom's dates, I planted out my runners and climbing French during the recommended week as per the cycles of the moon, and planted out a second wigwam of climbing French the following week when the appropriate phase of the moon had passed - so here are the results .........................2-0 to the moon. All plants grown in same way, from same seed packs, fed the same, watered the same and the difference has been quite impressive. Now I'm not normallya great believer in hocus pocus and fairies at the bottom of the garden, and I will admit that I was just a wee bit sceptical but on the basis of this one season, I think I will definitely pay a bit more attention to the wacky hippies in the future - not that I'm saying Jax is a wacky hippy, noooo, not me, nuh-uh, no way

[nick the grief]

I think the fumes from the Rowan & apple Jelly have got to you (very nice with wood pigeon btw)

[Snadger]

This has probably been answered in the thread but it all seems very technical to me and I don't fully understand it!
Is it proposed that everyone in the British Isles plants and harvests according to the moon? I would argue there is a lot of climatic differnce between north of the country and south and soil temperature and daylight length must be the main contributary factors? Excuse my ignorance but does the moon not behave differently regionally?....... My head hurts!!!!!!

[Squirrel]

My french beans that I planted as you did Rat, the one's that were planted when Jax said to, have done far better than the ones planted later! Even now that they are nearly over, they look much better than the others!

Hmm - Jax are you going to keep us up to date with planting times again next year!

[nick the grief]

This has probably been answered in the thread but it all seems very technical to me and I don't fully understand it!
Is it proposed that everyone in the British Isles plants and harvests according to the moon? I would argue there is a lot of climatic differnce between north of the country and south and soil temperature and daylight length must be the main contributary factors? Excuse my ignorance but does the moon not behave differently regionally?....... My head hurts!!!!!!

I was a bit like you Snadger, but Rats results seem to show otherwise. Maybe this Link will explain it.

http://www.moongardening.cwc.net/