Just been on the web looking at gardening items and saw an idea about gardening by the moon and astrology, goes back to ancient times and by all accounts works, might give it a try myself! anyone interested check http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/lunar/ out. Also this page http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/lunar/myths/ gives little superstitions and myths about gardening matters. Old wives' tales?...... what do you think?
lil
Lunar Gardening
The Farmers Almanac also does this and many people believe in it :-)
When I was a kid growing up my next door neighbor gardened by the phases of the moon. She had one of the best vegtable gardens I ever saw. If I remember correctly root crops were planted in the dark of the moon and above ground crops in the light of the moon.
I think there might be something to it.
She passed away earlier this year she was 102!!
Paul
yeah, might be worth trying, if you'd seen the sorry state of my radishes, lol, not been great weather here recently - that's my excuse anyway!
lil
Baa
Jul 21, 2001
Thanks Lil, interesting stuff, I'm still not stuck on the lunar (or loony) planting though.
I'm not overly keen on anything which says if you do something then expect a death or other misfortune though, I'm a great believer in if you think a certain way then it will happen. I choose to use this in a good way LOL. Odd numbers are abound in nature and odd numbered plantings/bouquets be it 3 or 111 always look more natural.
The cows lying down meaning rain is something I bought up with my first boss at 16 years of age (industrial city girl here), she said the only reason a cow lies down is because she is tired or stubborn. No animal including humans like to face the wind either I don't think cattle are especially sensetive LOL.
The generous seed sowing may have come from the way seeds used to be broadcast and its quite true in my experience. The soil warmth one seems to be fairly accurate, here in Hampshire there is a country saying which goes, 'When the blackthorn shows its white, sow the barley day and night.' Blackthorns flowering in the hedgerows are reacting to soil temperature and seems to be the optimal temperature for barley germination too. I've planted parsley many times and I still have managed to remain an aunty (thank goodness LOL).
The most interesting to me was the blossoms of the broad beans. In celtic times bean fields in flower were considered the home of spirits and it was thought dangerous to walk through them, I wonder if this is a reminder of those times?
Baa
i thought that those lines about sowing parsley were a bit wierd, plant on a good friday or it goes 9 times to the devil????!!! some wierd beliefs back then i think!
'Sow parsley on Good Friday as it goes 'nine times to the Devil' before germinating. Sow it only on good Friday or there may be a death in the family.
Similarly, it can be dangerous to transplant parsley or give parsley roots away. To do this safely ask the person receiving the parsley to dig it up themselves.
Omen for women; plant parsley and you can soon expect a child. '
i wont be sending any parsley anywhere now though!!
lil
Baa
Jul 22, 2001
The saying 'Goes nine times to the Devil' is simply refering to the amount of time parsley takes to germinate when sown in early Spring. The transplanting superstitions may also come from the fact that its very particular where it grows, it hates being moved and often dies when replanted so its always better to sow it. A death in the family may not need to refer to beings that move on legs! Indeed its thought in many cultures that anything which resides with a person(s) is 'part of the family'. Lets face it, even in our modern world we still have a family car etc and often think of them as honourary sentient beings. (This is one of the 'good ways of thinking' I mentioned earlier LOL)
I'm not sure that what some people may wish to call the Devil is too interested in a herb which has a mild flavour and goes well with white fleshed fish. I always thought he was more of a chillie man myself ;)
Baa
Jul 23, 2001
Sis
Do you think I'm a little harsh? I hope not.
I grew up with these sayings and can see the use or the lie in them. I also have a keen interest in the use of herbs and plants in history, especially where animals are concerned. Folklore (which I don't see as a bad term) is abundant in this and I merely wished to give my experiences and thoughts, not to upset anyone. The Celtic people also passed down their experiences just like the Native Americans do but with so many invasions in times past a lot of the sayings became twisted. While a grain of truth remains and sometimes work incredibly well, there is always going to be something which is untrue.
This is our folklore or history and while I have considered gardening by the phases of the moon I find that I'm never disappointed either way. What works for me may well not work for you. We all find our own path.
I do apologise if I have said something out of turn.
Baa
Baa
Jul 23, 2001
LOL no Sis, I'm very difficult to offend...Rhino hide is my excuse for being grey and wrinkly LOL. I was just concerned that others may have taken offence.
i don't think folklore belongs to anyone in particular, it's just a method that has worked for human beings for millions of years ever since he started to cultivate the land, if anyone is going to know best, i guess it would be our ancestors as thier lives depended on it - they couldn't just pop into a burger bar and get something to eat!!
I think the moon stars and planets can affect us all in one way or another, if you don't believe me look at the way the moon affects the tide and the sun affects the whole earth. So i definately think there must be something in it!!
lil @>--->--->-----
I can understand the gravitational effects of the moon and sun upon the oceans, and am sure that moonlight helps make seeds in the soil germinate.....the gravity and light together just pull the little green innards right out of those seeds:)
Tonight while looking through our telescope at the moon, it is hard to imagine that such a massive, highly pitted (we're now counting craters with the barlow lense..lol) and fast-moving object (yes, it kept moving out of the range every 3 minutes) cannot have a force upon us, the living, here. When you see the moon in the sky, you see the moon. When you see the moon more thoroughly and detailed, you can't help to marvel at its mystery.
Trish
trish do you think you saw a comet or something? or a meteor?
lil
Lil..There was a rather large and sightly meteorite which passed right over my area last week. It had a long tail with it from breaking up. The meteorite was very visibie in the sky without any help/binoculars. A few people got it on home video and it was in the news. The meteorite landed in a farmer's field in Lancaster County, about an hour away from me. The EPA took the remains..who knows if the farmer wil get the goods back..lol
When you look at the moon through a telescope, the moon actually moves out of sight from the lense since it's always revolving. It's surprising how fast it moves and when you look in the sky with your eyes, you'd almost never notice it!
Trish