“What’s moon gardening?” I hear you say. Gardening at night when the moon is out? Well no, not quite but some people do believe that the moon can have a positive effect on how their crops grow, in the same way that a full moon causes sea tides to rise and a waning moon tides to fall.
MOON PHASES
The idea is that some seeds planted during a full or new moon will grow quicker and establish better. This is because they may benefit from more water being pulled to the soil surface by the same gravity pull of the moon that causes sea tides to rise.
Crazy? Maybe, but this idea goes back more than 3,000 years to the Egyptians and Babylonians. They were said to have based their farming on a type of calendar based on the phases of the moon.
There are two main moon phases. Firstly is the time between the new moon and the full moon (waxing) and the time between the full and the new moon decreasing in size (waning).
PLANTING PLANS
The suggestion is that annual flowers, fruit and veg that crop above ground such as tomatoes, courgettes and sweetcorn, should be planted when the moon is waxing (i.e. full). Alternatively, veg that crop below ground such as carrots, potatoes and flowering bulbs, should be planted when the moon is waning.
Calendars are produced each year showing the relevant dates of each phase of the moon throughout that year, they also list what plants should be sown or harvested at relevant times.
These theories haven’t been scientifically proven but there are people who are convinced their fruit veg and flowering crops are bigger, better and healthier from having been grown following this method.
Maybe they’re right and maybe you might want to experiment with moon gardening with some crops next year!
The Bottom Line
In modern garden circles, gardening with the moon stirs a pot of controversy. Greenthumbs who practice it stand firm behind its benefits, saying it’s the key to plants that grow stronger and yield better. Other gardeners say they get the same result by gardening with an eye to weather forecasts and soil and air temperature. From a practical standpoint, many of us just aim to get things planted when we have the time. So what’s the right answer?
Si vous voulez jardiner avec la lune, essayez-le. Savourez le fait que vous pratiquez des techniques que vos ancêtres ont probablement utilisées. Prenez des notes et suivez les progrès de votre jardin. Voyez si cela fait une différence dans votre coin de la planète.
Si vous ne voulez pas jardiner avec la lune, ce n’est pas un problème. Utilisez tous les outils technologiques à votre disposition, comme les applications météo, les cartes de température du sol et les systèmes d’irrigation intelligents pour cultiver votre meilleur jardin.
Avec le jardinage, les meilleurs résultats viennent lorsque vous faites ce qui fonctionne le mieux avec votre style de vie. Surtout, n’oubliez pas que le jardinage consiste à savourer le processus, ainsi qu’une récolte savoureuse.