How many of you plant by the almanac or moon phase? Which almanac do you use and how strict do you observe the information? I've bought a new almanac but it isn't one I've used in the past. It's the " Farmer's 2006 Almanac" put out by Country Accents.
Huffy1
PLanting by signs
The only 'sign' I use is from my childhood gardening mentor. "Plant your sweet corn seed when the oak tree leaves are the size of mouse ears".
Andy P
Nope, don't use them or ever met a farmer (who farmed for a living) who did. I have met a few including my grandfather. They were usually more useful in explaining why they were not going to the field on a perfect day for planting, then actually producing a crop.
I'll put it this way....I've been planting gardens for over 50 years and have usually gotten good to excellent results without almanacing. I plant many succession plantings of corn and green beans with good results each time. These are spread out over all kinds of moon signs or whatever.
I used to have a neighbor that swore by planting by the
moon phases, not necessarily the almanac though.
She said it had to do with the gravitational pull of the
moon on the moisture in the soil.
Made sense to me because the moon controls the tides,
and my dad always said the fish would not bite during
a full moon because they were sensitive to the gravity
of the moon to waters.........................and he was one of
the most avid fishermen I've ever known. We ate LOTS
of fish at my house when I was a kid. Seems true too,
because I love to fish also and the fish don't seem to
bite as well during the full moon.
Anyone else ever heard of planting according to the
moon's phases?
Apparently a lot of people do, Peggie.
Gardening by the Moon for 2006: http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/
The Farmers Almanac Monthly Farm and Garden Schedule: http://www.farmersalmanac.com/gardening/gardening.html
The Old Farmers Almanac from Yankee Publishing Inc - The original Farmer's Almanac since 1792: http://www.almanac.com/
garden almanac: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&q=garden+almanac&btnG=Search
~* Robin
I've been known to plant by the moon signs but nowadays seems like I just have to plant when I have the time!
I did have a great grandmother that swore by it. My great grandfather, on the other hand, informed her that he was planting his beans in the ground not on the moon. It's kind of a family heirloom story so people must have been using that method for sometime.
I do own LLewellyn's 2006 Moon Sign Book and it is a pretty good read.
This is burly tobacco country and my father refused to plant on Ember Day. One year he forgot to consult the almanac and planted on Ember day, and we ended up setting that tobacco over. So if nothing else, I observe that rule. He also would consult the almanac for spreading gravel, in a certain moon, the gravel, or rock would sink more, weaning calves, in a certain phase of the moon the calves didn't cry for their mothers, and were easier to separate. There were several things he swore by. Although I don't spread gravel or rocks real often, and certainly don't wean calves, my almanac is used mainly as a good read. DH swears by it for fishing. I have a calendar which tells how the fishing will be on a daily basis. |He is an avid fisherman, and I bought him a t-shirt for chirstmas, which says. I have 3 things to do today--FISH, FISH, FISH. And it is true. I have seen him go fishing as many as 4 times a day.
I am trying it for next years veggie garden, both by the moon and not and I am going to see what works best for me. I know there are some great gardeners here on Daves that swear by it.
dmj1218,
You can pick up a copy of Gardening by the Moon for 2006 calendar at these locations in the state of:
Texas:
Enchanted Forest 6619 E Lancaster Ave Fort Worth, TX 76112-7007
Crown Hill Farm, 1114 FM 1946, Bynum, TX 76631
Rhodes Nursery, 1651 Wall Street, Garland , TX 75041
~* Robin
There is a downloadable version of Gardening by the moon at www.gardeningbythemoon.com. The price is $12.00. If nothing else, it has some pretty pictures.
I grew both ways last yr. and the ones I planted w/the moon were bigger producers and less diseases. I've been flower planting by the moon for yrs. but just started the veggie thing and you can bet I'll be staying w/the moon phases. I also use the almanac (online) and find out the barren and productive days. I won't plant anything on barren days. My new DH thought I was looney until I proved him wrong. Now he comes to me and asks what are his planting days... works for us.
Hilary
Robin--thanks but I already have the book!
I've got the Gardening by the Moon calendar too. Side-by-side w/ conventional planting times, there was no difference for me. I expected there to be, but oh well.
Well, we are going to do a "test" here, since I'm a Believer in planting by the signs and Molly scoffs. (Actually, she said I'm crazy, which may be another story, LOL.)
We planted onions yesterday, but not in a good sign. I have leeks to plant but will wait until Friday when the moon is in Libra... not the best sign but I'm leaving Friday afternoon for a few days and don't know how long the leek plants might last without planting.
I really did only hit send once!
We are being invaded by the multiple post. There were 19 on another thread, i guess i should be glad mine only posted twice.
Is it a sign?
This message was edited Jan 16, 2006 10:42 AM
Some of the signs i plant by...
When my lovely daughters are playing nicely... good sign.
When my knee works... very good sign.
When i can't remember where i left the shovel... bad sign.
When i can't remember where i left the kids... very bad sign.
There used to be more signs, but i've forgotten them... that can't be a good sign.
Tom, Those same signs show uo here at home also. ' Course now days it's the grandkids and they don't let me forget nothing.
Tom-- here's one I live by:
when I have the time to plant....very good sign
lol
That is a good one! I must have forgotten that sign because it is so rare.
Melissa
Yes it is Melissa!
Debbie
.. Huffy1 ..
I will 'whole-heartedly' encourage you to garden by the 'signs'!
There's certainly gonna be the times, when there's been too much rainfall and the garden is much too soggy a mess to pull weeds under the 'right' zodiac or moon signs: let alone try to plant the thing! hee .. But, 'man' did finally learn that the heavens weren't placed up there solely for our amusement and to strictly signify the difference between nite & day!
There's even times when a body should and shouldn't dig a hole in the ground! Just all depends on what he's after in the first place! If he's wanting the dirt to use elsewhere or for some altogether different reason to dig a hole in the ground. All this, is aside from logic; both common and horse sense (such as don't fertilize the weeds, for instance!) .. but there is a 'sign' to do so; pull the weeds and to fertilize.
Yep, there's going to be those things that won't allow the 'right' time to plant, pull, treat, and harvest. The weather and the many incidents that happen in each of our lives, indeed dictate a wee lil higher authority and/or agenda. Yep, between folks employment/work schedules, the flu droppped by, the sprained ankle on the curb on the corner of 5th and Main, the tiller tranny went out, the hoe handle broke and you've no dry hickory wood to replace it .. all the way to a hurricane or tornado, flood, or landslides: there are logical indicators one must intelligently abide by .. but, there are 'signs'! They've not been given to us .. for the pure heck of it either! I'd venture to say that the Almighty has been a wee bit toooo busy tryin' to fix the many things that mankind has managed to mess up on our own .. to have been bored one day, or just found 'em sitting around takin' up space, and with no thought .. just chunked 'em up there in some random order out-of-the-way! .. lol .. (keep your stones, folks - I've already got a plenty of 'em!)
I'm not putting any money on anyone elses' reasons for not 'implementing & adhering' to the moon phases and/or other signs when their plantings beared true and most successful harvests - but I tell ya, some of these same folks may get their fooler fooled .. if they were to take a wee closer look, to find & perhaps, realize .. that a good bit of it, just 'so happened' to coincide within some of the 'right' signs afterall. There'd be some folks that may not have recorded the 'dates' that they may have 'done this, that or the other', etc. .. Of course, another theory is that a good many would certainly bust their bunners to t-totally refrain from fessin' up to it being 'coincidental', also. Naturally, there will always exist .. those that'll holler 'poppy-cock' .. till their last breath is drawn. And there's not anything .. that I, nor anyone else .. could ever do to try to change the mindset.
Tis certainly not my affair nor responsibility ...
My Mom even put off her heart by-pass surgery .. until the 'signs' had moved down and thru the body, and past the 'heart' organ. One of the 'would be' surgeons, mistakenly laughed out loud when my Mom relayed the reason she was postponing ... Talk about ya bedside manner, 'signs' & ethics!! But, that's a whole nuther story, for some other time, elsewhere - not here.
At any rate .. 'happy gardenin', to ya !!
((huggs))
- Magpye
This message was edited Mar 22, 2006 11:52 PM
Granted that there are influences beyond our 5 physical senses of sight, taste, smell, hearing, and touch with which we contact our physical world.
We have senses of another realm such as memory, affection, conscience, reasoning, and faith or doubt.
Whether you believe a little or a lot in moon and sun signs, JUST do not miss His Super Sign.!
I tried it last year altho I wasn't too anal about it. What I liked the most is that it sort of tells you what to do when, like a 'to-do' list and gets you out there doing stuff that you might otherwise procrastinate. If that little book said Pull Weeds, then darn it, I was out there pulling weeds!
Gwendalou
Before you knock it, try it. But, if you try it, you have got to keep records! How else are you gonna remember if it was on a good day or a bad day? I'm like many other peple, (surprising isn't it) in that I try to do it right but then sometimes I do it when I can ie: weather, time alloted, arthritis. I have gardened big and small for 35 years and do keep records when I can remember to. One year I planted in haste but did write it down. Later when we didn't even get our seed back I went back and checked records and sure enough it was all planted in the wrong sign. The Bible says there is a time to plant and it also asks why aren't we able to see the signs when they out there. My advise to anyone who questions planting by the signs to try it and keep records. Also plant a companion crop in the oposite sign and compare them. I'm waiting right now to plant potatoes. Good gardening to you.
I would ask the question, " Are those signs simple or are they complex and disputed?"
I planted potatoes 2 times last year...around the 22nd of April and May 6th in the same bed from the same sack of seed potatoes. Both crops were nearly identical in growth and potatoes.
*Editor"s note: The words underlined are what was edited.
This message was edited Feb 4, 2006 10:14 AM
Indy, there will be more than one day to plant any particular plant or to do any particular task in the yard.
And I'm sure that if the soil is good and other conditions are right, you can have a fine and dandy crop without planting on any specified day.
I dare say you could plant by the moon til you were blue in the face and if your soil was lousy and other things not right, you would not get a good crop.
Gwen
Gwen, Well said there. Basically I have had very good crops year after year....after year [check what I voted for in the poll last fall!]
I have good soil and the good Lord has promised to bless me if I do certaiin things.
I had someone tell me that they castrate farm animals on certain days to prevent bleeding....may be....we did a lot of that when I was a boy, but don't remember any problems about bleeding.......only the times I cut wrong on a male chicken to caponize it.
A few years ago I was lucky enough to visit a native population in Ecuador. They're a small group of people, but they've been gardening there since before the Incas resided in the area. They did EVERYTHING by the phases of the moon and were also very aware of other astrological events (they had an accurate monument to the equator before the technology existed to measure where the equator was!). It seems to me like there's a lot of wisdom in the way native cultures go about doing things-- certainly goes beyond wives tales (heck, the pharmeceutical industry now consults native tribes for clues on new medications). Perhaps it's something I should try also. I need all the help I can get, because this year we're planning our first "real" vegetable garden! Gwendalou, I like your post: if nothing else, I'll have a To Do list. :)
I've done a few tests and I plant by the signs when i have the time, it makes a slight difference in transplanting, some difference on seed and a vast difference on some seed, esp the cucurbits. It won't make up for neglect but it can and often does make for more germenation and better and larger crops. I avoid the bad signs, fire signs, but most are ok and use cancer moons for tricky things, like moving hellbores or cardoon.
The Robins' are back; that's a good sign! I saw 6 out there today.
~* Robin
This is my first year of planting by signs. I am keeping a journal, and always check the almanac each day so that I will know what to do/what not to do. It is a good to do list. By the way, I am experimenting, by planting identical things, one in a good sign, one in a bad, and I will indeed have evidence if it works.
I think natures direct signs are more telling that moon phases really. Like NatureWalker pointed out with the robins. They are back here too, and the geese came back early.
I knew it was going to be a hard winter when I saw the geese leave early and white fuzzy catipillars. The frogs also disappeared early too. I didn't hear them singing at all last fall. Sure enough, we had temps down in the tweens and it snowed more than twice. I think I've lost my cannas and maybe my jasmine.
I'll know it's time fore seeds when my deciduous trees put on their first leaves. But mostly I rely on my own intuition. Sometimes it just doesn't feel right or sometimes it feels like just the right time.
I wonder if there have been any controlled studies on sign planting. Anecdotal is all I have ever heard.
Some of the old timers really took it seriously. I surely have planted in many of the different signs and phases at times. I am not one to have all kinds of results, but rather very good consistant ones. Certainly it would be a problem waiting two more weeks and then maybe it would be too wet then.
My intuition is that signs can be of some value in certain situations, but not over-riding in value. Yes, those natives had tribal remedies that had some health value...no doubt I take some of them myself.
For those of you who do plant with the moon......... tomorrow is the start of the full moon. Time to plant root crops. Think I'll put out some potatoes and onions and see what happens. Guess I could also throw out a few carrots and beets.
You might guess by my "handle" that I try to plant (and harvest, and dig, etc.) by the Moon and somewhat by the signs. (And the Signs...*LOL*) I use a combination of Old farmer's Almanac, Astrological Gardening, by Louise Riotte, and a dash of common sense seasoned with experience. I also use a different astrological system than most tables use (Sidereal vs Tropical). I kept records for the first few years I did it, (1988-1992), and was sufficiently impressed with the results to just continue doing so. I don't keep strict records anymore, but every once in awhile when something seems to go majorly wrong, I'll check back and discover I was in a non-productive sign, or a penumbral eclipse or the like...
I've never done it with landscape ornamentals and flowers, but I'm doing so this year, and may keep records since that's a bit new.
I am a veterinarian and During the lunar phases IE 2 days before till New Moon, Full Moon we have dramatic increases in our business volume. Animals are very influnced by these cycles so the concequences of staying out and howling = Hit by car, Dog fights, Cats mauled, Whelping (birth) problems, and most important Siezures are always recorded in greater numbers during this time. Now not every lunar cycle is noted because the moon when distant, and not affecting tidal changes, seems to be quiet. So yes I know when the manic clients will be in to my practice. 2 days before and through the full moon. They are to depressed at any other times to interact with people. Also I grew up on a farm where we always would dehorn ( cut horns off cattle) when the sign was right because the lunar cycles above also cause much more hemmorage and at that time the Almanac says the sign is wrong. I have never seen a relationship of this to plants. I'm sure there is.
Sure am plenty pleased to read of you guys' confirmations that the stuff isn't hog-wash!!
And I for one, truly appreciate your sharing it here, also!!
((huggs))
- Magpye
Talk to any emergency room staff: they'll tell you the moon brings changes, too.
I used The Farmers Almanac when my daughter had to have her tonsils out. I have nothing to compare it to, so I don't know if made a difference or not. Made me feel better. I used to try and plant crops by the moon, but the weather usually didn't cooperate, so I plant when I can now. I believe in it tho.