Work ~with~ the forces of nature to get the best from your garden!
Gardening by the moon is an idea as old as agriculture. Since time immemorial, people have used the cycles of the moon to tell time, keep track of the seasons, and organize their lives. In cultures around the world, it has been common knowledge that some gardening activities are more suited to one phase or another of the lunar cycle.
Practical-minded subsistence farmers and peasants have followed the same basic guidelines of lunar gardening for millennia in widely disparate places, developing expertise and refining the techniques of moon planting over centuries.
Though some of us have lost touch with the ancient traditions of gardening by the moon, people worldwide have kept this knowledge alive, passed from one generation of gardeners and seedkeepers to the next. The information presented here has been collected from these folk pathways and, in many cases, has been confirmed by contemporary scientific studies.
The Gardening by the Moon Planting Guide & Lunar Almanac shows you the best times for starting seeds, transplanting, and many other garden tasks, all based on your local growing season & frost-free dates.
Designed to be helpful whether you’re a full time farmer who spends all winter poring over spreadsheets or a hobbyist gardener who’s only able to squeeze in a few hours a week, this intuitive calendar-style guide will keep you on track all season long.
Working with the forces of nature:
- encourages quicker germination
- produces healthier plants
- helps plants grow at their optimum rate
- extends the season with early planting
- prolongs production before going to seed
- improves flavor & nutrition of vegetables
How Gardening by the Moon Helps You Grow
Every four weeks, the moon waxes to full before waning down to new again and starting the cycle over. Tides follow this lunar cycle as the oceans are pushed and pulled by the moon’s gravitational force, with the strongest tides following the new and full moons.
This same force acts on smaller bodies of water as well: the water table beneath your garden, and even the water within each individual plant—like us, plants are mostly water!
JUST AS THE MOON controls the tides, it moves all the smaller waters of the earth. The waxing moon pulls water up both in the water table and in the vascular structures of living plants; as the water rises in the soil, seeds absorb more water and germinate more quickly. The waning moon sends water down deep into the water table and into plants’ roots.
THE LUNAR CYCLE of waxing and waning not only pulls and pushes water all over the world, but also impacts the amount of light growing plants receive.
THE MOON MOVES through all twelve astrological signs every month, transiting between signs every few days. Each sign favors a particular garden task like planting, transplanting, harvest, or weeding.
EACH PLANT has a preference for a particular moon phase and sign. The best time to start most annual plants is during the waxing moon and under a fertile water sign, but root crops prefer the waning moon, and flowers bloom beautifully when planted under the air sign of Libra.
Features of Gardening by the Moon Lunar Almanac and Planting Guide
This beautiful, utilitarian tool combines the best of traditional growing technologies & contemporary scientific data to bring success and abundance to your garden!
- monthly vegetable, herb, and flower planting lists
- tells you when to start plants indoors, transplant, and sow direct
- daily activities give the ideal times for planting, seedsaving, and other garden tasks
- solstices, equinoxes, moon phases, and eclipses given to the minute
- detailed moon transit bar shows precise time moon enters and exits each sign
- each month lists gardening activities grouped by most favorable moon phase & sign
- brand new six page introduction to lunar planting at back of calendar
- average first and last frost date by USDA Hardiness Zone
- US & Canadian federal holidays
- available in three season versions to suit your local climate
- Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific Time calendars available, all adjusted for Daylight Savings Time
People Are Saying…
″I’ve been an astrologer since 1974 and have used moon phases and signs since that time for planting. I can tell you that it works! I have planted at various times and the difference is rather amazing. I have your calendar and it’s great! One of the best investments I have ever made.″
–Gerry M.
″Tough times are coming, and we need to know how to feed ourselves. Your moon gardening calendar will make my life simpler and richer. Thank you for all that you’ve done!″
—Alice H.
″I’ll admit, I’ve known about gardening by the moon phases for a long time, but between being busy and distractible (poor planning, much?) I never put it into practice. Your calendar has made it far more approachable, so much so that I’ve been using it easily and consistently.″
—Kira L.
″I have used this calendar for years because it helps me narrow the garden tasks for the day to just a few, and it helps me focus on cycles of Earth + Moon. I appreciate you.″
—Diana F.
