When to plant? Some keep an eye on the moon

For years now a good friend of mine, Don Sanders at Sanders Insurance, has gotten me an Almanac Calendar. It is kind of like a Farmer's Almanac, only in calendar form. It looks like a normal calendar but if you look a little closer you will find a wealth of information. The interesting part has to deal with when to plant your garden seeds and plants and such.

Some of my gardening friends plant only when the phases of the moon say to plant. One who strictly plants this way is Monte. He plants everything from tomatoes to corn to lettuce when the signs say to plant.

This belief has probably been around since the beginning of time. (Monte has been around for a few years ,but not this long.)

When there is a new moon, the belief is that this is the best time to plant goodies that grow above the ground, like lettuce or spinach or broccoli or cabbage or cauliflower and such. The belief is that the new moon creates a gravitational pull that affects the moisture in the soil, which in turn affects how your crops will grow. It is held that there will be a balanced growth of roots and leaves. A new moon is when there is virtually no visible moon.

In the second quarter, or when you are starting to see a piece of the moon, it is the best time to plant crops that produce aboveground goodies but have their seeds inside the goodies. This would be crops like beans or melons or peas or peppers or tomatoes and such. Some hold that a few days before the next phase of the moon or the full moon is the best time to plant.

The next phase of the moon is the full moon. Now is the time to plant crops like beets or carrots or onions or potatoes or peanuts. This is also a great time to plant bulbs and plants if you want them to establish a good root system. Many hold that this is the time to do your pruning.

The last phase of the moon is when the moon you see is getting less and less, say the last quarter of the moon. Many hold that this is the time to prune or cultivate or transplant or even harvest. By pruning or cultivating or even transplanting you are setting the plants up for the next phase or the new moon.

Does this work? Honestly, I don't know. But I do know that all the old timers that I know plant and harvest according to the signs. For me the "proof is in the pudding," if you will. Compare your garden to theirs. If their garden is better than yours, I'd probably listen to their advice. Compare your tomatoes or potatoes or beans with theirs. Not just the amount of the harvest, but the taste. It would be interesting to plant two rows, one according to the right sign and one in the wrong sign. See which one does best.

Have a great day. Oh, by the way I plant according to two different criteria. I plant when it feels right to plant, but also when I have the time. Of these two, I'd have to say the most important is planting "when it feels right."

Until next time.