Karen
My take on the ‘moon issues’ is that maybe, where growth is marginal in early spring (due to frosts) it may be that plants have a ‘sensing’ mechanism to germinate every three to four weeks with the moon and that, once seeds have created a plant, they send out signals to say ‘don’t germinate’ to remaining seeds. However, if they die due to frost, then that inhibitory signal no longer exists so at the next full moon, seeds germinate again. If the ‘sensing signal’ is the full moon, that might work.
Of course, in more benevolent climates, it may be that such things are of less importance. I’ve no idea, but it’s one possibility that might make sense.
I guess talking to some farmers/gardeners in Alpine valleys, Alaska etc might get some answers……
My experience is that seed germination is most rapid and efficient at certain dates in the moon cycle, but it’s certainly not all or nothing. That is most important for those growing in marginal areas where you need every day of the growing season to get a good crop, I guess.
For tomatoes, if you also transplant young seedlings on fruit days, as long as your seeds have germinated within 9 – 10 days, you’re fine. If you leave them for 4 – 6 weeks before potting on, you may accelerate your plants with ‘best day’ sowing.
What I will say is that I’ve successfully harvested beefsteak tomatoes grown out of doors in early August last year after sowing in early March, using biodynamic timetables for sowing, transplanting, removing suckers and feeding. The seeds used were my own, created again using a biodynamic timetable.
I guess I would need to get someone to fund me to do a proper study to give comprehensive conclusions, but for me, without a greenhouse, I’m looking for every advantage I can get to ensure I get a good tomato crop. Biodynamics seems to help…….