Planning and planting a moon garden!!

The moon has an effect on weather patterns, ocean tides and even human behavior. So, why not plants?? Even though there is no scientific data, some gardeners do believe that lunar planting gives a good affect to a garden. I just thought this would be interesting for some of us to know about the logic of gardening by the phases of the moon.

The moon's phases are described in four parts - first quarter, second, third and fourth. The first two quarters are waxing (increasing) phases and the two latter quarters are waning (diminishing) phases. The cycle lasts 29 days. The full moon marked on the calendar is the demarcation between the two types of phases. Lets see how this is related to gardening:

Quarter 1:

The start of the waxing phase is the best time to sow and plant above ground leafy vegetables. Plants that respond well during this quarter inlcude broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, celery and cauliflower. The water table is rising and the plants will take up nutrients and germinate quickly.



Quarter 2 :

The gravitational pull of the moon is less but the additional light theoretically aids leafy growth. Beans, peas, tomatoes and vine crops sown and planted in this phase respond well. The second quarter is also where vegetables should be harvested. This is when moisture is at its peak.




Quarter 3:

Just past the full moon, the water table is dropping and growth is slowing. This is the best phase for sowing and planting root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, beets and onions. It's also a great time to do any pruning in the garden that is needed. The cut ends will lose less moisture or sap during this period.





Quarter 4:

A dormant period and no sowing, planting, harvesting or pruning should be carried out. This time is used for weeding, turning the compost and other garden chores.








I think this is really interesting to actually follow the phases of moon to garden!

Starting Vegetable Gardening

Cool season vegetables are those that can thrive during shorter days and cooler temperature of spring and fall. Some vegetables like kohlrabi and kale actually develop better flavor when nipped by frost. Some examples of cool season vegetables are lettuce, collards, snow peas, cabbage and broccoli. Summer vegetables like tomatoes and squash require long, hot days to grow.

The first thing we should do when we still have snow is to place the seed order. When the order arrives, it may still be too early to plant the seeds outdoors, but many cool season vegetables can be started from seed indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the frost free date in our area. The frost free date in Michigan according to last year is April 21st to April 30th. This determines when the spring growing season begins. On the other side, gardeners in extreme north have such a short growing season that they will plant their cool and warm season vegetables practically side by side.

Even though many of the vegetables are regarded cold tolerant, they can all be wiped out by a sudden, severe drop in temperature. Therefore, its important to be prepared with something to drape over the crops if an overnight cool snap is expected. We can simply cover crops with newspaper, old sheets or frost blankets. Just remember to remove the covering the next morning. Here are some of the common cool season vegetables to help produce a bountiful spring garden:

English Peas - We should direct sow it in the garden 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost date. They will germinate in soil temperatures as low as 40 degrees F. Seedlings will survive a late snow and short periods of temperature down to 25 degrees F.

Carrots - We should sow seeds in spring about two weeks before the last frost date. Carrots need deep, loose soil to form a robust root. When the seedlings are about two inches tall, we should thin them so that there is about 1 to 4 inches between them. We should cover the shoulders with mulch or soil to keep them from turning green and bitter.

Broccoli - Broccoli seeds can be sown directly in the garden 4 weeks before the last frosst date. The ideal day time temperature for broccoli is between 65 to 80 degrees.

Radish - We should sow radish seeds in the garden about 4 weeks before the frost date. No feeding is necessary, but soil should be fertile and well drained. They are quick to mature, so we should check them reguarly. They are ready to harvest as soon as they are of edible size.