Moon gardening

[Catriona]

One persons results dont really mean anything. I think it would be better to have say 1 type of courgette from the same seed company that we all plant at the time of the moon and at another agreed time. If we want to do other stuff in addition, we could do that cos it would still be interesting to compare.

[andrewo]

I concur

I agree but we need a control, that was planted per the seed packet, so we can truly compare and contrast.

Andrewo

[Jaxom]

Anyone for beans?

The book is alphabetical and so far I have read Beans and am currently reading Beds 1, 2 & 3. Beetroot will come next
Beans cover French climbing, Runner, Broad and dwarf. The methods seem much the same for all so I will put the information together for this group tonight.
Some of the information that is in the book has more to do with old-fashioned digging techniques rather than the phases of the moon. The one thing that I thought I may find in the book and am pleased to report that so far I have not come across is any astrology.
If it had told me to plant when Mars was rising or Venus descending I think I would have consigned the book to the back of the potting shed. All it seems to do is divide the month in to four quarters and the advice is more based on sow seeds at the start of a specific quarter in the following months.
Broad beans for example it states "seeds should be sown direct into the soil at the start of the October and November Moons second quarters.
Apply Blood, Fish and Bone to the area where you will be sowing the beans at the start of Septembers forth quarter."
It all sounds pretty straightforward to me. It means that we sow the beans during a seven-day window of opportunity in twenty-eight days, and then aim for the same window the following month. This would leave us a large window of twenty-one days when beans should not be sown each month where we could sow our control beans. I am sure if we were to look at the packet that the beans were sold in it would just state "Sow beans during October and November"
In theory we would have nothing to lose. All the beans would still have been planted at the correct time of the year as reckoned by the seed suppliers.
Any way I will get on to it tonight and start putting the info together.
Jax

[Lesley Jay]

I wouldn't recommend sowing broad beans outside this winter as they are predicting the worst winter weather for over a decade. You need a sheltered spot that is free draining and in a mild area. Main crop plantings begin in march through to may.

We wouldn't all need to plant the same variety. Just plant half by the moon and half by your current method. Then report back if there was any difference between the two crops.

[michael01]

cant wait for the trial to start ( thats if u will let me play as well )
Beans pls

[michael01]

how do i grow from a seedling (as on the grapevine)

[Lesley Jay]

Michael we hope that everyone joins in the moon experiment. Make a few more postings and you will become a sprouter!!

[Geordie]

I am fine to try beans as well, french or runner, but agree with Lesley that spring would be better as much better chance of success.

[Jaxom]

All can play.. the more the merrier.

[Amanda1]

I plan on growing french beans in the spring as well and will be digging a trench for it this weekend as advised in GYO so I would prefer the experiment to involve french beans if possible. Never grown them before so if the moon helps, I'm game

[andrewo]

French beans

I plan on growing climbing french beans next spring but can plant the usual kind as well - would be happy to take part in this trial.

Andrewo

[Lesley Jay]

I can recommend Blue Lake for a climbing french bean. It gives a good crop and the taste is excellent.

[andrewo]

Blauhilde

Try Blauhilde, they're excellent, dark purple till you cook them and then a lucious green.

Andrewo

[Jaxom]

Quarters of the moon for December

As we seem to have taken the challenge on board for testing Moon Gardening in the New Year I thought I would start by giving you the Moon Quarters this month so we can all get in the swing of how we will soon think of them.

December 1st New Moon or as we will be calling it Start of the First Quarter .
December 8th 1st Quarter or as we will be calling it Start of the Second Quarter.
December 15th Full Moon or as we will be calling it Start of the Third Quarter.
December 23rd 3rd Quarter or as we will be calling it Start of the Fourth Quarter
December 31st New Moon or as we will be calling it Start of the First Quarter .

[Jaxom]

As I think I mentioned in an earlier post the book “Moon Gardening” by R.J. Harris is written alphabetically. Where this book differs from your average gardening book is that there are no Chapters or basic sections to the book. Everything follows the rigid rule of Beans before Carrots etc. Although the book is called moon gardening it is page 161 before R.J. Harris tells us in detail about the cycle of the Lunar month and how it effects the production on fruit and vegetables. Because of this it is taking me a little more time than I thought to put all the information together.
R.J. Harris’s method of Moon Gardening must not be confused with Biodynamics, which was founded by Rudolph Steiner. R.J. Harris’s Moon Gardening uses only the gravitational pull of the moon on the earth’s water table in conjunction with the seasons. Rudolph Steiner’s Biodynamics on the other hand uses not only the moon’s gravitational pull but also the Zodiac, Planets and the elements that are common in astrology today namely Earth, Air, Fire and Water, to decide when to sow and plant.
Looking at Biodynamics leads me the belief that it may be a little harder to try than R.J. Harris’s Moon Gardening.
Biodynamics tells us exact days in the year to plant and sow, which could be a little tight and rigid for most people who hold down jobs during the week and could never dream of taking a day off work in order to plant their onions. R.J. Harris’s Moon Gardening, on the other hand gives us a solid seven-day window of opportunity in which to sow or plant which will repeat three weeks later. This day window of opportunity allows an element of flexibility here in the UK where we know that the dates of the last frosts can be a month apart depending on where you live.
As Beans has been the crop most mentioned so far I will concentrate on all types mentioned in the book, namely Broad Beans, Climbing French Beans, Dwarf French Beans and Runner Beans. I will also include Peas in the same information posting.
Jax