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Here
are some of the most frequently asked questions
about Gardening by the Moon.Is
it more important to plant in the right phase or the right sign?
The
phases of the moon seems to be the fundamental element that most people agree
upon. It is also backed up by the scientific factor of gravitational pull. There
is some difference of opinion about the signs; for instance, biodynamic gardeners
would plant flowers and seed bearing crops in the air and fire signs, where others
would consider that barren and better for cultivating, since it would not encourage
weed seeds to sprout.
However, the tests that Thun conducted in the 1950's
showed a stronger influence from the zodiac signs. In our busy lives it is hard
to coordinate your schedule with the perfect time to plant, so I might use a good
sign in a bad phase to justify planting. And sometimes it is more important to
get it in the ground without waiting for the perfect moment. Perhaps weather will
force your hand, or the fact that the next best time won't be for another month,
and that would be too late. All normal rules of gardening are just as important
as the lunar influence--perhaps more so.
Do I need to plant my seeds in flats at the best time?
Try
to start seeds in flats at the optimum planting date, and then transplant them
in a favorable sign too. Although the tidal forces aren't affecting the water
in your flats, the seed absorption rate is higher, and will encourage growth.
When charts give you x number of weeks to transplant, that presumes normal weather
patterns and a certain amount of growth has occurred, which we know doesn't always
work out.
You have to use your best judgment. Is the weather really ready,
or is it going to be a late spring? Is the plant ready? Does it need to be potted
up and held a little while longer before going in the ground? It requires a little
experience on your part, and careful observation of all the factors. How
come I had frost after the last frost date?
Those dates
are calculated to give you the last average frost date, which means that
up to 50% of the time you could experience frost after that date. I do plant using
those dates, unless it seems like it will be a longer or colder spring that usual,
and I am ready with my floating row covers to tuck in my plants on colder nights.
Again, observe the weather signs and patterns for the year and use your best judgment. Do
you have a calendar for a long growing season in Eastern Time Zone?
You
can get these choices by ordering the digital download that you can then print
or view from your computer. We now have the calendar available in Greenwich Mean
Time (digital format only).The calendar was started in Northern California, and
most of my gardening experience, and a large part of my audience, is in this area.
The Moon Matrix software, our new software application,
enables you to customize many more options, such as frost dates, all 24 time zones
and the specific vegetables and flowers you grow in your garden..
Is daylight savings time figured in the calendar?
Yes,
Daylight Savings time is from March 11 to November 4, in the Pacific and Eastern
Time Zone options. The Greenwich Mean Time option does not include Daylight Savings
time. What
is the digital calendar like? When will I get it?
The
digital product is basically the same as the printed product. The pages have been
shrunk a little to allow for printing on the common household printer. The PDF
links show up immediatly in your order confirmation. The files expire after 30
days so please download them to your harddrive. If you need to get back to the
files you can find them by going back to the shopping cart, either through the
links in the email confirmation or by going back to the web site and clicking
Buy Now. Go to My Account, click on the order number, and you should see the links. What
are those little tiny black lines at the bottom of each day?
Those
mark each hour of the day so you can see approximately what time of day the moon
sign changes. It reads like a time line, with the morning hours on the left of
center, and the evening hours to the right of center. The gray bars that span
several days show when the moon is in that sign. My
other calendar has different dates for the moon transits. Why?
Lunar
gardening facts are derived from the astrological sign of the Moon, which
is different from the astronomical constellation of the same name. In other
words, there are actual constellations that are named for the zodiac, and the
moon passes through each of these, but they don't match the astrological signs.
The heavens are divided equally into the twelve signs of the zodiac, but the constellations
aren't actually in those signs. The Gardening by the Moon Calendar is based on
the Tropical zodiac.
What if I live outside of the continental United States?
The
Greenwich Mean Time, sometimes known as Universal Time, is now available as a
digital file for our international audience. Choose your digital files by the
best matching frost dates, then choose GMT. Specific lists
of plants may not be appropriate for your hardiness zones, or commonly grown in
your area, so use your own judgment. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, we
recomend the Moon Planting Matrix software.
Are there any scientific studies of lunar gardening?
What other sources are there?
Here are some of the
sources that I used to develop my calendar and the information in this web site:
"The Old Farmer's Almanac", by Robert Thomas.
Yankee
Publishing Inc. 2000
"Living by the Moon", by Ute York.
Bluestar Communications. Woodside, CA 1997 (5)
"Llewellyn's Moon Sign Book"
by Gloria Star.
Llewellyn Publications. Saint
Paul MN 2000, 2001
"How to Grow more Vegetables…" by John Jevons.
Ten Speed Press 1991 (3)
"Astrological Gardening" by Louise Riotte.
Storey Books 1995 (1)
"Planetary Planting" by Louise Riotte.
McNaughton & Guan 1975
"The Lunar Garden: Planting by the Moon's Phases"
EA Crawford.
Weidenfield and Nicholson 1989
How Bio -Dynamic Calendars Developed: the Chronology (2, 4)
http://www.plantingbythemoon.co.uk/
Planting by the Moons Phases http://kkeys.home.texas.net/~kkeys/spirit/moons/moonseed.html
| This
is something I've been "meaning to do" and never got around to it. Phew! Glad
I can cross this off my to do list. Your site is extremely well thought out and
beautifully presented. Cudos!
Diane S. |
