Moon sowing.

[Stringfellow]

Hi,

I planned this seasons sowings according to the waxing and waning of the moon. I’m busy with many other activities and, although I’d love to stick strictly to a biodynamic calender such as Maria Thun’s, at present this is not possible for me.

I understand the idea of sowing anything with vigour above ground a couple of days before full moon to take advantage of it’s drawing affect; is the opposite also the case i.e. anything with vigour below ground sow a couple of days before new moon? I was planning on sowing some mooli for winter tomorrow, for example.

In addition, does swede and turnip (roots) class as a plant growing below ground, although most of the root is actually above?!

Thanks, I’m just intrigued and trying to resist making things unnecessarily complicated….

[charles]

Hi Tris, its all good questions because the more one looks at moon sowing dates, the more choices there are! 

I understand two days before full moon as the date for most vigour, highest yield of anything, root, leaf and fruit – but not necesssarily the best quality. Two days before new, i.e. tomorrow, imparts least vigour. But also it is full-waning so the root part of a plant is favoured: good idea for mooli as they sometimes grow too big and watery.

Yes swede and turnip are roots, though the tuberous bit we eat is above ground. Its a root swelling.

For my part I just sowed on unfavourable days as I just needed to get them done eg lettuce sowing so I have plants ready to take over from the May sowing when it finishes. Also a problem for leaf veg is that there are so few leaf days compared with root and fruit, to do with constellation size I think.

[Stringfellow]

Thanks for responding so swiftly Charles, hope you are both as well as your garden! Things looking great.

I guess I’ll make sowings at the most favourable moments possible, otherwise sowing simply when I have a spare few minutes – no sense in throwing the baby out with the bath water! Fascinating subject though and open to much experimentation.

I noticed that your squash are making a break for freedom; mine are doing the same and I wake up to find they’ve grown another few inches with all of this heat. One wonders where they will get to….

[charles]

Yes they almost leap along when yu are not looking. After harvesting some potatoes next to squash plants I have let them run over the surface and that is a way to have extra harvest without planting anything else. Their exuberance is wonderful to see, and rabbits aren’t interested!

[Barb]

I have followed the moon calendar this year, sowing on favourable days, but it has not always been possible to plant out the resulting seedlings in line with the moon calendar when they have matured and are ready for transplanting before then. So I am not sure whether sowing on the right day or aiming to plant on the right day is more beneficial.

[charles]

Its tricky, everyone has a different way of gardening by the moon. Where possible I sow on propitious days and that is enough as there is not time to follow it for everything else. 

[Barb]

Thanks Charles.  I was a bit confused because I understood that “planting” actually meant “transplanting”.

[Author]

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