Planting by the signs
"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:"
Today I planted 3 more tomato plants that a friend had given me last Wednesday. The reason I waited until today.....it was the first day since Wednesday that the signs were right. In this modern day it may sound silly and there are lots of people .....and gardeners..... that poo poo the idea. But just a generation ago from mine, it was the norm. Most everyone had gardens they depended on and knew at least the basics of when was the right sign and moon phase to plant in.
Before everyone had calendars, television or computers to tell them what month or day it was, people looked to the sun, moon and the stars. When they saw Orion appearing in the skies, they knew to get ready for the cold season. They knew the equinox and the solstice by where the sun rose and set. In fact, the Babylonians figured it took the earth 365 days to rotate around the sun just by watching the position of the sun in the sky. The cycles of the skies are where we get our calendars. The sun for the year...the moon for the month.
Equinox's....The Vernal (Spring) and Autumnal Equinox's are the two days out of the year when the sun is lined up to rise directly in the east and set directly in the west. Most days of the year the sun varies in it's position of rising southeast and setting southwest to rising northeast and setting northwest. Solstices.....When the sun rises to the most extreme southeast and sets to the most extreme southwest, that is the winter solstice. The shortest day of the year. Stand facing the south and picture the sun coming up to the farthest southeast corner and setting in the farthest southwest corner. See how shallow the arc would be. Shortest day. Now as the sun ever slowly moves northward during the next 6 months, it finally reaches it's most northward position. The sun rises in the most extreme north east corner and sets in the extreme northwest corner. This is the summer solstice. Still standing facing south, imagine the sun coming up over your shoulder. Now imagine the arc as it goes from one corner to the next. See how high in the sky it would be. Thus, the sun is higher in the summer and lower in the winter. It's easier to tell high noon in the summer. The sun is high and directly overhead. These stages of the sun are in 3 month incriments. Winter Solstice-Dec....Spring Equinox-March....Summer Solstice-June....Autumn Equinox- Sept. Notice when the sun is high, the moon is low in the sky and visa versa. These observations are a few of what many, many, many generations observed and learned from.
Each month the sun goes through the zodiac. (Actually it's the earth that's rotating and it takes us a year to go throug the 12 constellations or zodiac signs). Anyhow, if it is May, the sun is shining on the constellation Taurus. Which is the zodiac sign of May. But looking at the night time sky, we actually see Scorpio. Which is exactly 6 months away from Taurus. We can't see Taurus because of the bright light from the sun. The moon however, because it rotates around us in 291/2 days, goes through each constellation in 2 1/2 days. It does this each month. This observation of the constellations, was what generations would be looking for when determining what time of year it was and when to plant their crops. They read it in the stars.
Plants are day sensitive. If the time of the year....not in temp alone but in the hours of a day, can signal a plant to start growing than who is to say that the gravitational pull of the moon does not have an effect on plants? Above ground crops are to planted in the waxing stage of the moon. That is the stage from the new moon to the full moon. The reasoning is the roots take up water. Above ground. Waxing. Root crops, or below ground crops, are to be planted in the waning stages. This is the stage from the full moon to the new moon. The water is directed down. Waning. Never plant on the new or full moons.
Scientific? Heck, I don't know. There is so much about our Earth we don't know. But if the people who had practiced this for thousands of years and who depended on their gardens for survival, thought it was the right way, who am I to argue?
As a side note....there are many web sites and books about moon gardening...too much info to put here. But I will be putting what gardening chores to do and what signs the moon is in, in my regular posts.
Each month the sun goes through the zodiac. (Actually it's the earth that's rotating and it takes us a year to go throug the 12 constellations or zodiac signs). Anyhow, if it is May, the sun is shining on the constellation Taurus. Which is the zodiac sign of May. But looking at the night time sky, we actually see Scorpio. Which is exactly 6 months away from Taurus. We can't see Taurus because of the bright light from the sun. The moon however, because it rotates around us in 291/2 days, goes through each constellation in 2 1/2 days. It does this each month. This observation of the constellations, was what generations would be looking for when determining what time of year it was and when to plant their crops. They read it in the stars.
Plants are day sensitive. If the time of the year....not in temp alone but in the hours of a day, can signal a plant to start growing than who is to say that the gravitational pull of the moon does not have an effect on plants? Above ground crops are to planted in the waxing stage of the moon. That is the stage from the new moon to the full moon. The reasoning is the roots take up water. Above ground. Waxing. Root crops, or below ground crops, are to be planted in the waning stages. This is the stage from the full moon to the new moon. The water is directed down. Waning. Never plant on the new or full moons.
Scientific? Heck, I don't know. There is so much about our Earth we don't know. But if the people who had practiced this for thousands of years and who depended on their gardens for survival, thought it was the right way, who am I to argue?
As a side note....there are many web sites and books about moon gardening...too much info to put here. But I will be putting what gardening chores to do and what signs the moon is in, in my regular posts.
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