How to Plant a Garden by the Moon Signs

The moon's power can affect plant fertility.

Astrology has been used for centuries to predict good and bad fortune and it also plays a role in gardening for farmers who plant vegetables based on phases of the moon and zodiac signs. When the moon is in certain phases of its cycle, plant fertility can be affected by the light of the moon and its gravitational pull. Tradition has shown that vegetables grow best if planted when the moon phases into earth or water signs.

Things You'll Need

• Calendar
• Zodiac calendar

Instructions

1. Determine your region's last average frost date. Use a calendar to look up the dates of the new moon and full moon for that first frost-free month.

2. Note the zodiac signs for each day of the moon's cycle. During the 28-day lunar cycle, the moon spends about two to three days in each of the 12 signs. Keep a list of the dates that the moon passes through Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn.

3. Cross-reference the dates of moon's cycle with the dates the moon passes through water signs, Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces. Plan to sow above-ground crops from when the moon is in water signs from the new moon until the full moon. This part of the lunar cycle is called the light of the moon.

4. Cross-reference dates for the earth signs, Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, against the dates of the dark of the moon, from the day after the full moon until the next new moon. Plant root vegetables on these dates.

Tips & Warnings

• The principle of planting by the moon relates to the moon's gravitational pull that causes the tides. The theory suggests that the same pull can affect moisture levels in the soil.

• Fire and air signs are considered infertile. Plan to weed when the moon passes through the signs Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius.

• Gardening almanacs generally provide daily details on the moon's phases relative to zodiac signs. Use an almanac for quick reference.

• Planting in the evening by the light of the moon is optional.

References

• Gardening by the Moon: How the Astrological Signs of the Zodiac Influence Gardening by the Moon
• The Old Farmer's Almanac: Gardening by the Moon