Loony for Lunar!?!?

Ginger in her role as Gardening Supervisor.

There are some folks who just throw seeds in any ol' dirt and pray for a garden with loads of veggies . . . Then there are those who research what type of soil, fertilizer and light combo produce successful gardens . . . . And then there are those of us who take it a step further and decide which seeds to plant based on the lunar calendar. Many experienced gardeners and farmers will tell you that crop yield can be influenced by what type of moon you plant under. And, no, planting during a full 'moon' will not produce luscious 'orbs.'

Brief lesson: There are four phases of the moon, each lasting roughly seven days

1. New moon
2. Second quarter
3. Full moon
4. Fourth quarter

Now, the amount of moon light is increasing during the new moon and second quarter (also known as the waxing moon), while there is decreasing light during the full moon and fourth quarter (waning moon). The general rule-of-thumb is that you should plant seeds for above ground crops (tomatoes, lettuce, peppers) while the moon is waxing and seeds for below ground crops (onions, carrots, potatoes) while the moon is waning.

Want to make it even more complicated??? The forces exerted during the new moon, increased moisture and increasing moon light, appear to produce balanced root and leaf growth. Thus, of the above ground crops, those that produce seeds outside of their fruit (lettuce, spinach, cabbage) should be planted during the new moon. During the second quarter, you have a decrease in soil moisture, but a continued increase in moon light, which led characteristics to strong leaf growth. Thus, above ground crops that produce their seeds inside their fruit (tomatoes, peppers, squash) should be planted during this period.

Well, as many of you know, I have a tendency to make things complicated. But this amount of detail, what to plant during which lunar quarter, makes me want to take a flying leap off a short pier during the full moon (when tides tend to be higher). So, my thought was to at least plant above ground crops sometime during the waxing moon; seed-to-fruit placement be damned!

New moon started March 26th. Guess what I did yesterday? Started my tomatoes, squash, peppers, eggplant and zucs.



Lord, please let me be one of your children blessed with a green thumb.