Planting seeds by the Moon

So lately I've been devouring all I can find on planting by the moon. I am not sure if it's woo woo nonsense or if it makes logical sense, but I am giving it a whirl, no harm right? Planting by the moon cycles has influenced gardeners from all over the world for centuries. As we move more to commercialised gardening (high turn over, with little regard to long term consequences of our food and environment) these practices have been long forgotten, and to an extent, frowned upon and considered crazy hippy talk.

Planting by the Moon

The general gist is that we have the 4 main moon cycles, each having optimal planting conditions for different types of plants.

New moon (to first quarter)

Is great for plants that have seeds on the outside, sounds confusing right but this is leafy green crops such as lettuce or grains such as Corn

First quarter (to full moon)

For fruiting crops with seeds on the inside such as tomatoes, pumpkins and melons.

Full moon (to last quarter)

For root crops, anything that produces from beneath the earth like carrots, beetroot or potatoes.

Last quarter (to new moon)

Avoid planting and focus on preparing the soil.

Zodiac Planting

If you want to go even more woo woo, in addition to the moon cycles there is also the zodiac optimal planting guide. Each sign is either Earth, Air, Water or Fire, and each has their own benefits.

Earth - Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Fertile signs and great for planting, particularly root crops.

Air - Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Generally a barren sign, not very good for planting with the exception of Libra which is great for planting flowers.

Fire - Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Another barren sign, but can generally be used for seed crops (grains)

Water - Cancer, Pisces, Scorpio

The most fertile sign and the best for planting above the ground crops. So there is a quick run down of planting by the Moon and Zodiac. I am now following this for all my plantings and so far have had good results. If you don't want to work this stuff out but are keen to try it, sign up to my email list below. Each fortnight I give a planting guide for the southern hemisphere which is based on Moon, Zodiac and Seasonal planting.