planting by moon - seedling or transplants

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When planting by moon dates, does that mean planting your seedlings indoors or planting your transplants or both??

Thanks, Stace

-- Stacey (stacey@lakesideinternet.com), February 25, 2002

Answers

From what I know you would plant both. My friend, who is far more careful about this than I am, always plants when the moon is growing not waning. So from new moon to full moon is the time to plant anything.

Susan

-- Susan in Minnesota (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), February 25, 2002.


Hi Stacey, I'm doing both. Although, I think it would probably be the most critical for the transplants. Here's a general rule of thumb...plant above ground crops in the new moon and 1st quarter (waxing), plant below ground crops in the 3rd quarter, (waning) and destroy weeds, cultivate etc.. in the 4th quarter. I am using the moon phases and zodiac signs this year and my seedlings are doing terrific! This Sunday I'm planting some root crops and I'm anxious to see if they're going to do any better than usual this gardening year. What the heck, it's worth a try! :)

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), February 25, 2002.

HI! I'm using the moon and stuff this year too. I got a neat little almanac at the Feed store the other day. It says in the lst qtr plant broccoli, cucumbers,corn, lettuce,onions, spinach & seeds of flowering plants; 2nd qtr-beans, muskmelon, peas, peppers, squash, tomatoes; 3rd qtr-beets,carrots, potatoes, radishes, rutabegas, turnips, and bulbs of flowering plants. The calendar also shows what days the signs are on in that phase of the moon. If you have a FRM Feed dealer up there, maybe you can get one of these. Good luck!

-- R in Ga (rrebekah14@aol.com), February 27, 2002.

I am using moon signs also but am not very good with what signs mean what. So I go by the dates in the Blum's Farmers and Planter's Almanac. www.blumsalmanac.com I started tomatoes and peppers last month and they are doing great.

-- Bill (ewvaughn@mtneer.net), March 01, 2002.

I know that The Old Farmer's Almanac has good guidance on this (www.almanac.com) and they hav a key to what the signs stand for.

-- Jeff Baker (Lorianandjeff@aol.com), March 02, 2002.


Today, March 2, 2002; is a good day to seed below ground crops, such as beets, carrots and radishes - unless you're like me and live in an area with 3 to 5 inches of snow predicted this afternoon - on top of the white stuff that's already on the ground!! Guess I'll be satisfied with transplanting my little tomato seedlings! When the moon is full to new is a good time to promote root growth. So, this is a good time to cut branches of pussy willow and forsythia to bring inside to force bloom and hopefully set on roots; and (if your climate allows) to set plants for air layering and other types of rooting.

For Moon Sign information, I use the Old Farmer's Almanac, Llewellyns Moon Sign Book (a yearly publication), and the book Planatary Planting by Louise Riotte; who also has some excellent books out on companion planting. I gave $3 for my Planatary Planting book at the UBS, and have seen other copies available at other locations. You might also be able to find a copy on the 'net - perhaps at half.com.

If you have a question about when to plant a specific crop; you can post a question here or e-mail me directly if you'd like, as I have a chart made up for my own garden this year. Please, no religious e- mail; I am quite aware that some people believe that this practice is evil, but I am not of that opinion, and you will not change my mind. I feel that if planting by the moon sign was good enough for my little old Pentecost Granny (and a whole slew of Catholics on the other side), well then, it's good enough for me.

-- Polly >^..^< (tigger@moultrie.com), March 02, 2002.


Stace, I can't remember the spacifics of it but I once had a calender put out by the biodynamic society, and it was all about not just lunar planting, but astrological planting. It was quite precise as to when to plant what. It was also spacific about if you were planting a root crop, a leaf crop, a flower crop, or a seed/fruit crop I can't remember if there was anything about transplanting, and starting. I do remember that I mostly disregarded it, and planted by the weather, my instincts, and dumb luck. Still If you are interested in that, contact the biodynamic folks.

-- roberto pokachinni (pokachinni@yahoo.com), March 04, 2002.

Hey Polly, I can't believe you mentioned the book by Louise Riotte! I just found it last week at a used book store and it's great. I'm up to the chapter on berries now and can hardly wait till I get to the herbs. I like that's she's organic too. Good book. I'm going to keep my eye out for her companion planting books. Thanks.

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), March 04, 2002.

Hey Annie! I've been using her companion planting books for a long time now - just wish I could find then right now (Hubs boxed up some books when he was "cleaning" the basement!) I saw some of her books on half.com for a real reasonable price the other day. I've always had really good luck finding reasonably priced books over there (well, except for Gene Logsdon books, everyone else must be hanging on to his books, too!) and have never had any trouble with getting the books in a decent amount of time, as long as I paid attention to the seller rating.

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), March 04, 2002.

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