Lunar Planting - what have you grown today?

[Piggle]

English - joking aren't you I haven't got a clue!

From what i can gather the moon waxes ( get bigger ) and wanes ( gets smaller ) but also ascends and decends in the sky. This cause fluids to rise and fall within plants so when it is ascending you get more growth in the leaves, when it is descending you get more growth it the roots.

It also moves through constellations in the sky which have other effects such as heat, wet, cold or dry which you can use to help increase resistance to parasites, speed up or slow down growth or increase / decrease how much moisture is in the plant.

Ta dah as they say.

[veggiechicken]

Hope there won't be a test at the end of all this ejication! I like the idea of a plan of action - I need someone to tell me what I should be doing each day as I usually overlook key sowing dates. Trouble is, I also hate being told what to do and find excuses not to conform! Maybe I will find myself in tune with Moon planting, which is, by its very nature, ancient but a little on the fringe (yes that's me too).
Think I'll give it a go!!

[Thelma Sanders]

I need someone to tell me what I should be doing each day as I usually overlook key sowing dates.

If it ever got to be as simple as that.....I'd give it a go as well

[VirginVegGrower]

Just don't make it over complicated is my advice. It doesn't need to be anything more than understanding what a fruit day means, ie. a fruiting tomato, pepper, cucumber - those that have internal seeds. A leaf day is those veg with leaves, ie. cabbage, lettuce, chard, etc. A root day is again pretty self explanatory, ie. potato, onion, carrot, etc. Finally is a flowering day which is for veggies with spears/flower bits, ie. cauli, broccoli, PSB, etc. That's it really and so long as you combine that alongside your normal sowing schedule, so get your onions sown in Jan and wait for a root day.
I trialled Biodynamic last year, sticking rigidly to just that one method. I sowed, potted on and transplanted on their specific days and worked it in easily. This year I am trialling Synodic. I had fantastic results last year although I am also sowing tomatoes on the next biodynamic day, but that's only because I can't wait. I'm the same with presents

[Piggle]

It's just me ... I have to know all the background . Blame my mum - she had the flashcards out for me when I was one year old.

VVG - did you do a control batch to compare .... like plant something on a don't do anything day?

[VirginVegGrower]

I don't run control beds, no, but the results last year if increased germination rates and thicker stemmed, stronger plants has convinced me to go with it again. I believe it works. You're either open to it or not and it was an old boy who first got me onto this. My results spoke for themselves. I used no pest control methods last year. My only failure was parsnips which were sown on a root day. Sowed too early though I think.
Try reading the Gardeners Calendar website for more on lunar planting. It's quite good. There are other sites which offer more depth but are very serious on this subject.

[zazen999]

I've got figures on moon versus non-moon.

I planted 5 garlics during Sept, Oct,Nov and Dec/Jan on a moon day, and then again on another non-moon day. So 20 moons over the time period and 20 non-moon in the same period. I weighed each clove before it went in, and weighed the resulting bulb 6 months to the day later. And then calculated the increase in weight of each clove to resulting bulb. As you can see, the results were quite impressive. They were grown side by side, and even my lottie neighbour was blown away by the difference in the quality of the plants.

Sowing	Moon increase [%]	Non-moon increase [%]
Sept	223	169
Oct	440	382
Nov	1479	1264
Dec/Jan	2952	1386

[veggiechicken]

Wow Zaz! I'm impressed. Can I plant my garlic tomorrow?

[VirginVegGrower]

Wow Zaz! I'm impressed. Can I plant my garlic tomorrow?

Not if you are sowing Biodynamic method or Synodic. Wait for a root day on 27th/28th - biodynamic. If you follow sidereal method that is right for planting your garlic now. You need to read and decide which method is for you/which you want to follow/what makes best sense to you.

[Newton]

In the words of professor Brian cox- woo woo!

[zazen999]

In the words of professor Brian cox- woo woo!

Are you a train?

[VirginVegGrower]

Puff puff!

[VirginVegGrower]

Some background reading:-

New moon - lunar gravity pulls water up, causing seeds to swell and burst. This and 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 grains.

Second quarter - the gravitational pull is less, but the moonlight is still 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.

Full moon and after, 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, for example beetroot, carrots, onions, potatoes. 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 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.

[Ananke]

I think i'm going to try it this year.

[VirginVegGrower]

Good to have you onboard Ananke.