The Rural Voice, 1994-03, Page 45Gardening
There are good reasons for planting by the moon
by Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
I have always believed that there
are mysteries in nature that we
should savour and enjoy. When I
was a child I believed that faeries
came to the garden to dance circles
of enchantment by the light of the
moon. Despite my longing to lay
awake long enough to see the
shining moon suspended over the
garden, the sleep of a weary child is
deep and seemingly without end.
As an adult I rarely speak of the
faeries yet in my heart I still look for
them on moon soaked nights in my
garden.
Gardeners have always looked to
the moon, not for little folk, but for
the promise of a good growing
season.
My father kept the moon in mind
when he planted his vegetable
garden although the calendar was
still studied and frost dates
calculated. It wasn't until recently
that I stumbled upon an explanation
of how the moon works in planting
your vegetable garden.
It was believed that the force of
the moon was magical and
gardeners studied the movement of
the sun, moon and stars with great
respect and wonderment. Despite
the fact that humans have walked on
the "shining" surface of the moon,
we still regard the celestial bodies
with some awe.
When cultivation of plants to
feed both family and farm stock was
essential for life, man took careful
notice of how the phases of the
moon affected the lives of the plants
he sowed. Planting guides were
established around the phases of the
moon from full moon to new and
back to full and according to the
moon's position in the zodiac.
Scientific research has come to the
same conclusion that gardeners and
farmers have known for centuries —
the moon definitely does affect most
living things on earth.
It is well known how the moon
controls the tides of the seas. But
what is known now is that as the
moon grows from new to full the
tides get higher and the water table in
the earth rises. The opposite is true
when the moon evolves from full to
new. Therefore when the moon is
full the ground expands with
moisture. If you were doing some
fencing and sank some posts into the
ground during this time you'd find
that these posts would become quite
loose as the moon waned.
The time of the moon is divided
into four quarters. The first quarter
is from the new moon to the half
moon. The second quarter is from
the half to the full moon, and so on.
Plants set into the ground during
the moon waxing, or growing,
would benefit from the natural rush
of vital liquids up the stem during
the early, crucial stages. Plants set
out when the moon is waning would
not have that natural advantage and
could result with stunted growth.
Generally all crops which
produce above the ground and
mature in one growing season
should be planted during the
increase of the moon. This would
include leafy plants of one season
duration such as lettuce, cabbage,
brussels sprouts, cauliflower,
broccoli, asparagus, spinach etc.
during the first quarter. Grain will
do well planted in the first quarter
but can be planted in the second. In
the second quarter you may plant the
following: all -in -one -season plants
which contain their seed within the
fruit of the plant, and those which
grow on vines. This would include
peas, beans, tomatoes, squash,
melons and pumpkins.
Crops which produce below the
ground and crops which take more
than one year to produce should be
planted at the decrease or waning of
the moon in the third quarter. This
would include bulb and root crops
such as onions, potatoes, turnips,
radishes, parsnips, carrots, onions
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R.R. 5, Mitchell, Ontario NOK 1NO Phone/Fax (519) 347-2725
MARCH 1994 41