The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Fleecewife on January 06, 2016, 07:54:09 pm
-
Kitchen Garden mag Feb 2016 has a long article on growing by the moon. I've never tried it and doubt I ever will (too many other controllers on planting times, such as frost, rain and time), but it does interest me.
Does anyone on TAS use these principles, or all of biodynamic growing? What is your reasoning? Do you think it 'works'?
-
I certainly try to plant by the moon but I don't harvest by the moon as I pick stuff when I need it. I don't know if it really works but I figure it is unlikely to do any harm and I can normally fit in my planting around the right times.
-
Farmers in Tuscany plant and harvest by the moon. However in recent years it has been quite unpredictable, maybe due to climate change becoming more of a problem. Not sure what it would be like in this country. The old farmers over in Italy have farmed by the moon and sun for generations, it seems a shame that its not as consistent as it used to be.
-
All stock was done that way there weren't no lights just the moon and the season. Some farmers would no the time and the month just by looking at the wildlife.
-
Sowing and planting by the moon, yes! But, I can't see the point of harvesting by the moon, when your crop is ready nothing will alter that.
-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_astrology This is according to wiki.
-
Seems common here in France as all garden centres sell calendars an
D books re planting by moon. We are advised by our 87 year neighbour when to plant by moon and crops seem to do ok. But difficult to say if they do better has we have no control or comparator. Climate is the main issue as last year's drought wrecked the potatoe crop and other yields were down too.
-
I don't have any references for this, but I seem to remember reading about some trials of a few crops planted either 2-3 weeks before the correct moon phase, vs, some planted in the correct phase. The results were the same.
BUT they had expected those planted sooner to also sprout 2-3 weeks sooner, and to appear larger, at least at first, but instead, the early planted seeds did nothing until the correct moon phase.
Sorry I can't remember the reference for this.
I think there's something in it; if one has the time to be picky ;)
-
Smallholder this month Helen Babbs takes another look at growing your own guided by the moon.
As a fairly conventional smallholder, I had never given gardening by the moon much thought, considering it a little too alternative. Until, that is, the day a friend who runs a successful small farm calmly mentioned she would be planting her beetroot that week, because the moon was waxing. She is not, "too alternative," nor was there any doubt that her beetroot does much better than mine, even with the similar soil, methods, and even when growing the same cultivars.