Moon Planting

[poozie]

well I planted my garlic recently in the right moonphase and within days the majority had sprouted and are looking very strong. I think there is something in it, mother nature has a way of communicating with plants and animals without our intervention and its naive of us to think otherwise I think. Ever wondered why sometimes seeds take a long time to germinate, and other times the same seed germinates within days?

[BrideXIII]

Just cos they counted months by the moon doesn't mean they necessarily cropped by the moon - we don't crop by what the calendar says so why should they?!

..

Oh I didn't mean they went strictly by it, like 'oh there is april moon, quick plant persimmons.....er what are persimmons?, oh cr@p I haven't got any, damn just wasted a moon

I just meant they would have counted the seasons by them, as in, 'oops there goes number 3, must be spring!, quick bung in some persimmons before number four gets here, oh dear not quite on time, but I'll see if they grow anyway, after all, what ARE persimmons?'

[Demeter]

Oh I didn't mean they went strictly by it, like 'oh there is april moon, quick plant persimmons.....er what are persimmons?, oh cr@p I haven't got any, damn just wasted a moon

I just meant they would have counted the seasons by them, as in, 'oops there goes number 3, must be spring!, quick bung in some persimmons before number four gets here, oh dear not quite on time, but I'll see if they grow anyway, after all, what ARE persimmons?'

LOL - nice vision
Although I still reckon they'd have counted the seasons mainly by looking out through the window in the day time rather than up into the sky at night... leaving moon calendars strictly for the religious types or something

Mmmm, persimmons, yummy. Shame they don't grow here, eh?

[BrideXIII]

LOL - nice vision
Although I still reckon they'd have counted the seasons mainly by looking out through the window in the day time rather than up into the sky at night... leaving moon calendars strictly for the religious types or something

Mmmm, persimmons, yummy. Shame they don't grow here, eh?

well you know me, never say never, if anyone has any persimmon seeds?..........

[Helen Johnson]

I was given a moon planting book this year,and gave it a go. When there was lots to sow ,I found it very helpfill as it organized me, planting leaf types on leaf days, fruit types on fruit days etc,. I managed to snap my young runner beans when it was a keep out of the garden day. Seeds sprouted really quickly ,sometimes on the next day of that type. Mostly it really worked for me, although there are times when its rained for days and I couldnt get on the allotment on the 'correct' day. Worth giving a go,but you have to be flexible.

[di]

LOL - nice vision
Although I still reckon they'd have counted the seasons mainly by looking out through the window in the day time rather than up into the sky at night... leaving moon calendars strictly for the religious types or something

Mmmm, persimmons, yummy. Shame they don't grow here, eh?

Demeter I never knew the sea & it's tides followed a religion!!?
I feel I can't really enter any debates on moon planting as it's something I've not done,but as a totally non-religious person I can say that I aknowledge that the moon & her cycles have a huge effect on our planet & us(so why not plants?).Don't think it should be classed as a religious practice!

[Safhyre]

Interesting thread......have a Q, where would you get a 2009 Moon calender to know when to plant?

[wellie]

Religion doesn't come into this equation for me personally.
I'm entering BioDynamics (for myself and 'on behalf' of Trousers and my cat) on a purely 'dynamizing' basis.

Having met and mingled with like-minded people just recently, I am very much feeling the benefits of even just 'thinking about' re-energising my life and its surroundings for the better, let alone growing stuff on a similar basis, but this way of doing things definitely does suit me as a person.
And it would take a brave one in my book, to question my reasonings!

Definitely 'Each to their Own', and discussion that's 'Healthy' on ANY subject, is worth doing.

I take my hat off to people like zazen999 who are personally comitted to seeing what they believe in through to fruition.
Personally, I have that same commitment on this particular growing culture, and I look forward to the next few years, when I can learn to my heart's content, before implementing it for real in our new home.

[Rodley]

Interesting thread......have a Q, where would you get a 2009 Moon calender to know when to plant?

Try this website as a start

http://www.the-gardeners-calendar.co...n_Planting.asp

[Safhyre]

Rodley......thank you

[Demeter]

Oops, I didn't mean modern moon planting is only for "religious types"! And I'm personally open to the idea that there may be something in it... religiously / spiritually or otherwise.

I just thought (obviously this is not necessarily historically accurate!!) that in early pagan culture moon calendars would probably have been specifically religious calendars and that the agricultural calendar - while it may have been influenced by religion and priests and religious festivals etc - seems unlikely to have been based on a direct moon planting system of the type we are talking about in this thread. I just can't imagine that the average farmer a couple of thousand and more years ago would have had the information / knowledge / technology to be this precise about when they planted things. I think they would have left that more detailed knowledge of and interest in moon dates to those with training, i.e. the priests.

[BrideXIII]

Oops, I didn't mean modern moon planting is only for "religious types"! And I'm personally open to the idea that there may be something in it... religiously / spiritually or otherwise.

I just thought (obviously this is not necessarily historically accurate!!) that in early pagan culture moon calendars would probably have been specifically religious calendars and that the agricultural calendar - while it may have been influenced by religion and priests and religious festivals etc - seems unlikely to have been based on a direct moon planting system of the type we are talking about in this thread. I just can't imagine that the average farmer a couple of thousand and more years ago would have had the information / knowledge / technology to be this precise about when they planted things. I think they would have left that more detailed knowledge of and interest in moon dates to those with training, i.e. the priests.

basically that is about as correct as any archeologist can guess without written record.
the seasons were marked by religious festivals, and agriculture would have used these festivals as 'markers ' for planting and harvesting and storing.
no doubt over the years after watching and experimenting, this would have been expanded and led to the production ( after printing) of those wonderful old almanacks, which are the precursor to todays 'moon planting'
moon planting is not new, it's old, more of a return to a natural way of growing, after a century or so of forcing on production due to high demand.

( put as simply as I can)

[zazen999]

Taken from the website above...

In ancient times when man had not quite got round to inventing the wristwatch, the most reliable source of telling the time was the sun, moon, and stars. There seems to be several opinions of who came up with the moon planting calendar first. Was it the Egyptians or the Babylonians? It is more than likely that each and every farmer had a planting calendar based on the moon phases, and there would be different variations depending on the geographical location. As their calendars where passed on through the generations they evolved to cover the different crops they tried to grow, and the more productive farming techniques used.

It was noticed that different plants grow better when they are planted during different phases of the moon. Each of these phases imparts an influence on the way vegetation grows on the planet through the rising and falling of the moisture in the ground and in the plants.

To provide more accurate records it was noted that certain crops faired better when planted whilst the moon was in a specific constellation. As the moon can take only 2-3 days to pass through a constellation, the planting calendar was a 'cutting edge' technology.

Planting was not the most important time for the farmer, harvest time also had to be recorded. If you harvest at the correct time your crops will last much longer. It is down to how the plant stores the water in the fruit/crop at different times of the Luna cycle.

Moon planting rediscovered

We in our modern and advanced civilization are rediscovering the benefits of planting by the Luna cycle and various sources are being used to generate Moon Planting systems for us to use. Some of these systems would appear to contradict each other in places, but it is important to remember they are guides for you to use and modify, they are not an exact science.

Three Moon planting methods

There are three methods for planting by the moon. The Synodic, or waxing and waning cycle, the Sidereal, and the Biodynamic cycle.

Synodic (waxing and waning) cycle

This is a simple form of Moon planting which divides the Luna cycle into four phases or quarters. This cycle takes 29.6 days to complete. It then groups plants into categories, Root Crops, Foliage, Crops with seeds on the outside, and crops with seeds on the inside. Then it assigns plants to the phases of the moon which best suits there growing characteristics.

Biodynamic cycle

Secondly, there is the more detailed method using the 12 Zodiac signs as a method of position the moon, for more accurate planting. This method was developed by Rudolf Steiner in 1924, and the Zodiac signs used where the actual positioning of the signs in the sky, when the moon passed through them. In addition to the position of the moon, Venus ans Saturn also played a large part in the Biodynamic farming calendar. Form more information see the Wikipedia Article on Biodynamics.

Sidereal cycle

Lastly the Sidereal cycle is very similar to the Biodynamic cycle except only the moons orbit around the earth is used to define the best times to sow and harvest. The orbit is divided up into 12 equal 30 degree sections to represent the position of the moon in the sky, but it may not be the same as the current moon position. The sidereal cycle takes 27.3 days to complete.

Which of the above methods is better is up to you to find out. I suggest starting with the Synodic as a general rule and whilst you record the results, read up on the other two. For more information on the Biodynamic cycle read the The Biodynamic and Planting Calendar 2006 and for more information on the Sidereal Cycle read Gardening & Planting by the Moon 2006.

If you start to use Moon Planting for your crops, keep a diary, and add as much detail as you can. Let us know how you do with your garden using the form below..

The feed for Moon planting contains a general guide to planting crops through the Luna cycle. The feed is updated once a day and is based on the GMT Time zone.

For more information about the moon and it's orbits visit the online britannica moon articles.

[Demeter]

Thanks for that quote Zazen, most interesting.
Is that the same Rudolf Steiner that came up with Steiner schools?
Talented chap

[wellie]

Yes, the same Steiner Demeter.

Your name 'Demeter', Greek Goddess of the harvest, was the figure chosen by biodynamic farmers in the late 1920s to represent their produce. Today, Demeter certification, used by fully tested and accredited biodynamic producers, covers a wide range of food..... I read with interest today....! So you're VERY biodynamic there in Gloucester, and only 'up the road from me' a short drive away.