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Monday, March 23, 2009

Learning to garden by the moon

I am learning to garden by the moon.
And recording data here with links to where it came from in color purple .

Many old-time farmers and gardeners swear by planting in accordance with the moon phases
Some of the rules these early gardeners strictly adhered to included…
1.For an abundant crop, plant your potatoes while the moon is dark (not at night, but during the day!).
2.Plant your seeds within two days of a full moon to enable quick germination.
3.To avoid failures do not plant anything on the day of the New Moon or Full Moon.
4.Pull your weeds during the darkened new moon, to prevent them growing back.
Now, while these rules should be taken with a pinch of salt, especially the one about the weeds not growing back, there is at least a grain of truth in most of them. Just as the moon controls the tides, it is believed that it also influences the water tables within our soil and sap within our plants, this combined with moonlight is thought to steer growth rates.

2009 Phases of the Moon
Universal Time



NEW MOON FIRST QUARTER FULL MOON LAST QUARTER

..........d h m................ d h m ............... d h m ................ d h m

JAN. 4 11 56..... JAN. 11 3 27 ....J AN. 18 2 46.......JAN. 26 7 55
FEB. 2 23 13 .....FEB. 9 14 49 .. FEB. 16 21 37 ......FEB. 25 1 35
MAR. 4 7 46.... MAR. 11 2 38.. MAR. 18 17 47......MAR. 26 16 06
APR. 2 14 34 .....APR. 9 14 56 ...APR. 17 13 36......APR. 25 3 23
MAY 1 20 44 .....MAY 9 4 01..... MAY 17 7 26.........MAY 24 12 11 ...MAY 31 3 22
JUNE 7 18 12 .. . JUNE 15 22 15..JUNE 22 19 35. JUNE 29 11 28.
JULY 7 9 21 ........JULY 15 9 53.....JULY 22 2 35 ...JULY 28 22 00
AUG. 6 0 55 ....AUG. 13 18 55....AUG. 20 10 02 ....AUG. 27 11 42
SEPT. 4 16 03 ..SEPT. 12 2 16....SEPT. 18 18 44 ....SEPT. 26 4 50
OCT. 4 6 10 ......OCT. 11 8 56......OCT. 18 5 33 .......OCT. 26 0 42
NOV. 2 19 14 ....NOV. 9 15 56.....NOV. 16 19 14 .....NOV. 24 21 39
DEC. 2 7 30 ......DEC. 9 0 13.......DEC. 16 12 02 .... DEC. 24 17 36... DEC. 31 19 13


Planting by Moon Phase Type of Crop When to Plant Moon Phase
Today is a Waning moon: it occurs midway between the new and full moon.
Waning Crescent Moon, September 21, 1984 (tycho.usno.navy.mil) Pictures, Images and Photos
Moon Phase: today
Waning Crescent Moon: occurs between the full and new moon. “Waning” means fading or going away. The moon is simply moving into position closer to the sun
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When the moon is waning, the earth is inhaling and absorbing. The growing energy is pulled down towards the roots.This is the time to water, or use natural fertilizers which will be well absorbed by soil and into the plant, as well as hoeing and weeding.
Sow crops that produce their yield below ground. This includes root vegetables such as beetroot, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onions and turnips.
Traditionally some people plant potatoes on Good Friday falls on April 10, 2009. Unlike some holidays that occur the same date year after year, Easter is determined by the moon. It is the first Sunday after the first full moon of the spring.
++++++++++++++++++++++
My weather condition. Very Windy! some mild rain as I write , Partly Cloud Temp: 73°F Humidity: 31% Wind Speed: S 18 mph Gust 41 MPH
Barometer: 29.8 in. Dew point: 41° Heat Index: 76°F
Sunrise: 7:08 AM CDT Moon Phase: Waning Crescent Moon
Sunset: 7:25 PM CDT Normal High: 60°F Normal Low: 36°F
Tonight. Chance of rain 60 percent. Lows around 60f South winds 20 to 25 mph with gusts to around 35 mph..
By Saturday Lo: 35°F So I will have to cover crops for possible frost.

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A general overview of the signs
Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio are water signs (wet) and are generally good times to plant leafy things.
Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius are Fire signs (warm/hot) generally good for planting fruiting things.
Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn are Earth signs (cool/cold) generally good for rooting things.
Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius are Air signs (light/bright) generally good for flowering things.++++++++++++++++
What to plant today
flowering plants, baking bread, sowing of flowers and herbs,
Moon calendar

Links to read more.
Love to know
The heart of New England
Flower and garden tips
Planting by the Moon
PhotobucketHave a wonderful day and remember to laugh and play.Photobucket

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. - George Bernard Shaw

6 comments:

Denise said...

Very interesting.

Wendy said...

I hope you have a good garden this year. Planting by the moon phases sounds like a good way to go. I read about that a while ago. Haven't put it into practice yet.
You have 73 degrees? Lucky you! We still have snow on the ground (not everywhere, but in our backyard) and it was freezing today. About 30degrees F. Brrrrrrr. We don't plant outdoors until the end of May.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

I love reading the Farmer's Almanac.. I think they have more accuracy when it comes to the earth --than the educated hot-shots have...

We always follow the Almanac when it comes to weather.. They are usually always very accurate.

Good Luck with your gardening.
Hugs,
Betsy

Lizzie said...

my grandparents swore by this philosophy... they're garden was always full of yummy treats :)

thanks for stopping by the other day!

KrisMrsBBradley said...

Oh, I love gardening like this! The Farmer's Almanac is awesome for this. There is also a great book called The Lunar Garden: Planting by the Moon Phases by E.A. Crawford. Great book!

George said...

My father always used to plant according to the moon, but I don't always follow the moon in my gardening. I'm definitely skeptical about the weeds, however.
I meant to tell you earlier how much I like the Shaw quote.