My dad was a farmer most of his life. He did everything from planting, harvesting, pruning, cutting trees, killing weeds, breeding and castrating stock, to laying cement by the different signs of the moon. He could tell you when an animal would have her babies, (sometimes humans too), by the sign the moon was in...
Myself, I sorta do... I won't plant on the full moon, I plant above ground in the light of the moon, and below ground in the dark of the moon. I REALLY wish I had paid more attention to what he told me, but, I didn't.
Does anyone else plant their gardens (or do anything)around the moon signs?
Moon Signs
Melissa, I started to do just that a couple of years ago, but got distracted by daily life.
I just found my book again, and plan to start over. My book is Raising with the Moon The Complete Guide to Gardening - and Living - by the Signs of the Moon.
There's more to it than just the light or dark of the moon. It dwells also on what sign the moon is in, and covers soil prep, cultivating, fertilizing, transplanting, pruning, grafting, weed control and pests. It also explains how the moon affects many other areas and how best to employ the signs.
The info. on having a tooth pulled alone was worth the price of the book! I scheduled a molar to be pulled by the signs, and barely had one drop of blood from the extraction... and I do NOT contribute that to the skill of the dentist!
When the moon is full, I'm a little wierder--does that count?
Wanda... we're ALL a little wierd when the moon is full!
Ask any Emergency Room and they will tell you how many more cases they get on the Full Moon!
Darius you just reminded me of something. My dad did the same thing when he had his teeth pulled, he told the dentist the dates that he could do it, and would only accept appointments on those specific dates.
Anytime we did something after we moved away from home, and it didn't work out right, my dad would say the sign wasn't right. Yes, I know that it is more than just the light and dark of the moon, but I don't know what signs are good for what... he did. Perhaps I should order that book. :-)
Gosh I really wish that I had paid better attention!
Okay, stupid question time. When y'all say plant stuff that grows below ground in the dark of the moon, you just mean during the day during that part of the moon's phase, right? Not actually during nighttime, right?
I know someone other than me has to be wondering, so I'll play the straight man and ask!
This message was edited Mar 9, 2004 10:40 PM
LOL--that reminds me of a line from Tecumseh!
When Tecumseh comes upon the whites who have "bought" his land, they had told them to plant their corn by the light of the moon, and they litterally went out at night to plant the corn. :-)
It is the phases of the moon. The light of the moon is the New moon til the full moon, the dark of the moon is the full moon to the new moon.
Man, I am soooo white. I can't dance, either. ;)
Well, you've seen me, my dad wasn't Indian, he just did everything by the moon. :-)
And it should have been Scene from Tecumseh! not line! Brain Mush.
Yes, especially vining things like beans. Can't plant during a waning moon! You can take the girl out of the country...
My grand father was a farmer and he did everything by the moon phases they have a book called the farmers almanac he always had it it tells you alot of stuff like this. the moon has a lot to do with things you would be surprised, My mother said don't plant when the moon is shrinking unless you want to water a lot because it will cause the roots to shrink and if you notice when the moon is shrinking, and you are planting a bare root plant their is never enough soil to go back in the hole. i will stick with the moon phases I always have good luck with plants when i do
GW... Man, I am soooo white. I can't dance, either. ;) ... my first good laugh of the day!
There is a web site that sells Gardening By The Moon Calendars every year (and you can view the current month on the site) where all the signs are marked. http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/
Abbreviated notes from the chapter for Planting in my book:
Moon Phases
1st Quarter: For above-ground crops. Best for annuals that produce seed outside the fruit.
2nd Q: Also for above-ground crops and any annual that produces seeds inside the fruit.
3rd Q: Good for root crops, bulbs, perennials or biennials.
4th Q: Same description as 3rd Q but less desirable. Use this Q of the moon only when a 3rd Q opportunity oes not exist.
The signs:
Fruitful signs... the water signs
Cancer: The most fruitful of all signs. Excellent if production (volume) is the goal. Abundance.
Scorpio: Good for sturdiness or vine growth.
Pisces: good for root growth.
Taurus: Sign for quick growth or root crops. Hardiness.
Capricorn: mUse when pulp or stalks are desired.
Libra: Good for flowers (annuals).
If you have an invasive plant you cannot seem to get rid of, you should read the chapter on Destroying Unwanted Growth.
MMy 86 year old Mama has a " an old wives' tale" for everything. I'll have to ask her. Both her parents came from Germany in the early 1900s to farm here in Iowa. I guess I'm not too far from my roots when I'm digging in the earth, Looney or not!
I ordered the book from Amazon last night. Now, if I had been thinking, I could have had my dad write all that stuff down for me! LOL
You know, he could even burn out fence rows when the sign was right, and that fire wouldn't go ANYWHERE but where it was supposed to go.
My brother pruned his Peach trees one year, told my dad, and dad said, well, I hope you weren't expecting any fruit on them this year--my brother asked why, dad told him he had pruned in the wrong sign, sure enough, he had hardly ANY fruit at all that year.
I'm going to go look at the calendar site you sent too, we always had one of the moon phase calendars hanging in the kitchen. :-)
Melissa my dad was the same way. He did everything by the signs of the moon. Like you I wish I had paid more attention.Funny even now if I have something not growing right etc. I can still hear him saying , the moon wasn't right.
Anyone intending to buy a 2004 Gardening by the Moon calendar?
I just ordered one 2 days ago, and by mistake, I ordered one for LONG season growing, frost-free dates from March 1 to Nov. 15.
I've sent them an email but my calendar may already be in the mail. They are $14.95 including the postage, I'll be glad to sell mine for just that and get the correct one.
Of course, I can use it as it is, just adjust dates.
I ordered mine for mid season. I'm sure they'd exchange it wouldn't they?
Melissa... I hope so. If the send the one I ordered, I'll have to pay postage to return it, and pay postage again on the correct one. I was just trying to avoid paying postage THREE times, LOL.
oh darn, I didn't even think about that!
Melissa... I had an answer from the woman who does the moon sign calendar. She had not shipped mine yet so she was able to change it for the correct season version!
OH GREAT!!! What a relief!
I can't wait until my book gets here. It shipped yesterday from Lexington, so I'm hoping it will be here today!
Just reading the threads you all
have posted was like reading
a book, very interesting and
left me wanting more...
I remember my grandfather also
a farmer in Ky talking about
the moon, but I too didn't pay too
much attention, wish I had..
Deller what part of Ky was your grandfather from?
Deller... Well, Just GET on the bandwagon! Just because your Grandfather is gone, doesn't mean the information is gone!!!
We may need all the 'reformed' sceptics we can get.
Hmmmm wonder how planting at night on a full moon would be pumkin seeds? ggg
PS: hey gardenwife.... you can't dance? Thought this might be of help:
www.helpgardenwifedancebythefullmoon.com ;)
And for the record neither can I, lol
I always used to buy the Farmer's Almanac - good resource for where the moon is and when to plant what and why...
Here is a good link:
http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/signs.html
whiterose, any wisdom?
This message was edited Mar 15, 2004 10:48 PM
Janie, that is the same link Darius posted for the Calendar, which arrived today, by the way. It's a great link!
Both the Calendar and the book were in the mailbox for me today.YAY!!
The first thing hubby asked is; when can I plow the garden. :-)
The first week of April is perfect in moon and signs for cultivating. :-)
Thank you again Darius!!!
This message was edited Mar 15, 2004 10:08 PM
Looking at the book, it just amazes me that my dad had all of this information stored in his head!
Here is an excerpt from the section on cultivating
And here about fertilizing.
Melissa, we may have to start our own "cult" here of old-timey gardeners, LOL!
I really do believe there is a lot to this stuff, and it's also big part of the Biodynamic Faarming approach, which is gaining in popularity.
mystic, my roots are in Prestonsburg,
Ky. where there were no streets
just hollers and branches..If you ask
someone where they lived it was
meade branch, left hand fork. etc
also about 25 miles away was a place
called Butcher Holler, know who came
from there don't Ya?
Lol, Deller I know some places like that around here too. Yep I know who came from Butcher Holler. I grew up with her music and still like it today.
I agree Darius! We'll convince them when they see how well our stuff is doing!
Melissa, you've really got me
thinking and beleive me....thats
not an easy task...lol
When I'm planting by the moon, it's because i lost the flashlight again! LOL
Yes, the Farmers Almanac has alot of info about it, in there. It only cost like $5.00 - and you can get it anywhere from a grocery store, to a nursery.
Check out this calender:
http://www.bunkahle.com/astrolog/mocal.cgi?month=3&year=2004&day=1&language=eng&sidtrop=trop
charlie
Cool calender! Thanks for posting it.
melissa, very good information.
please keep those pages comming.