Planting by Moon Phases

For the longest time, I paid no attention to planting by moon phases. Then, one day I was talking to my neighbor. I mentioned that it seemed to me like he was starting his tomato plants a bit late this year. He said this was true. Additionally, my friend went on to say that he was waiting for the moon to be “right.” And he was serious!

He said the few extra days wait would be more than offset by the favorable growth from planting at the right time. He said if you plant at the right time, the tomatoes will set fruit lower on the plant. And the time you might lose when planting later, is more than offset by earlier fruit set lower on the plant.

The concept of planting by the moon is not new. It has been practiced since ancient times, dating back to the Babylonian era. Some of this thinking is embedded in astrology. Astrology is a science that believes the moon influences many areas of our lives. The annual Old Farmer’s Almanac displays pages of dates for the waxing and waning moon to help you plan when to plant your garden crops for optimal sprouting and early growth.

In our gardening example, there are some scientific roots. The Lunar gravitational pull influences tides and ocean levels. Water is also pulled upward in the soil by the same gravitational forces. This, in turn, brings moisture to newly planted seeds.