What is Planting by the Moon?
It’s exactly how it sounds and it’s simple to do. Farmers and growers have been using this method for centuries to produce bigger, better harvests.
To understand how to plant in sync with the moon, you first need to understand the moon phases.
A waning moon is part of the moon phase between the full and new moon. The surface area of the moon gets visibly smaller every night, leading up to the new moon, when it’s completely dark, covered by the earth’s shadow.
A waxing moon is the part of the moon phase between the new moon and full moon. The surface area of the moon gets visibly bigger each night, leading up to the bright full moon where the sun is completely reflecting off the moon’s surface.
An easy rhyme to remember the moon phases is “light on the right, brighter the next night”. If the right side of the moon is bright, that means we are in a waxing phase heading towards a full moon. If it’s dark on the right side, we are in a waning phase heading towards the new moon.
Now that you understand the moon phases, here is how we plant in sync with them:
During the New Moon
At the new moon, heading towards a full moon, plant your crops that grow up, above ground. This includes:
- Flowers
- Beans
- Tomatoes
- Melons
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Squash
- Corn
Because the moon affects the tides, it also affects the moisture in the ground. The waxing moon pulls moisture to the surface, giving your seeds the perfect start to grow up and produce a rich full crop.
During the Full Moon
Next, plant all your root crops that grow below ground during the full moon, heading towards the new moon. As the moon wans, its gravitational pull decreases, allowing your plants to grow down as they should, producing rich full crops underground.
Plants to grow during this time are:
- Flowering bulbs such as Iris, Daffodils and Tulips
- Potatoes
- Turnips
- Beets
- Onions
- Radishes
- Carrots
You can find a moon calendar anywhere online, usually even in your weather app! Simply paying attention to the moon cycle can give you a better, bigger and healthier crop than you’ve ever had!