Learn How to Garden and Plant by the Moon's Phases
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Gardening by the Moon is a great way to plan your garden. Many of our readers follow the age-old practice of planting by the Moon’s phases for healthier, more productive gardens.
Gardening by the Moon isn’t anything new. Gardeners and farmers have been using Moon-phase gardening for ages! Best of all, it’s a fairly simple process.
What Is Gardening by the Moon?
From what we are reading, many trend watchers are confused about Gardening by the Moon. No, it’s not about gardening at night or planting in your PJs!
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Gardening by the Moon
The basic idea behind Gardening by the Moon is that the cycles of the Moon affect plant growth. Just as the Moon’s gravitational pull causes tides to rise and fall, it also affects moisture in the soil.
Therefore, it’s said that seeds will absorb more water during the full Moon and the new Moon when more moisture is pulled to the soil surface. This causes seeds to swell, resulting in greater germination and better-established plants.
Moon phase gardening considers two periods of the lunar cycle: the time between the new Moon and the full Moon (the waxing of the Moon) and the time between the full Moon and the new Moon (the waning of the Moon). It’s considered best to plant certain types of plants during the waning of the Moon and other types during the waxing.
The Moon also impacts plant growth through geotropism—how plants grow in response to gravity. Roots grow downward in the direction of gravitational pull, and stems grow in the opposite direction (i.e., upwards). This behavior can be easily demonstrated with potted plants. Lay one on its side, and the stem will grow upwards. Or, consider a tulip bulb: if you plant the bulb incorrectly with the pointed end down, it will turn around and send its shoots upward, even though it’s in total darkness.
How to Plant by the Moon’s Phases
To plant by the Moon, follow these guidelines:
- Plant your annual flowers and fruit and vegetables that bear crops above ground (such as corn, tomatoes, watermelon, and zucchini) during the waxing of the Moon—from the day the Moon is new to the day it is full. As the moonlight increases night by night, plants are encouraged to grow leaves and stems.
- Plant flowering bulbs, biennial and perennial flowers, and vegetables that bear crops below ground (such as onions, carrots, and potatoes) during the waning of the Moon—from the day after it is full to the day before it is new again. As the moonlight decreases night by night, plants are encouraged to grow roots, tubers, and bulbs.
Dates for Planting by the Moon
See the Almanac Planting Calendar for planting dates based on 1) average last frost dates and 2) the Moon phase. Both are customized to your local postal code (U.S. and Canada)!
The Almanac provides favorable dates for sowing seeds or transplanting in the ground for all popular vegetables and edibles.
You could also calculate planting dates yourself by looking at our Moon Phase Calendar and the guidelines above, though this method won’t take your climate into account.
Astrological “Best Days” - Zodiac Signs for Planting
Some of our readers follow a different approach called the “Best Days.” This is astrological, not astronomical. Let’s explain: Like Gardening by the Moon, astrological Best Days are based on the Moon. However, instead of depending on the Moon’s phase, Best Days consider the Moon’s position in the astrological zodiac. For example, when the Moon is in Taurus, it is regarded as a good time to plant, transplant, or graft. Everyday gardening activities are associated with certain signs, shown here:
| Activity | Associated Signs |
|---|---|
| Plant, Transplant, or Graft | Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, or Taurus |
| Harvest | Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini, or Aquarius |
| Build/Fix Fences or Garden Beds | Capricorn |
| Control Insect Pests, Plow, or Weed | Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini, or Aquarius |
| Prune | Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius |
To see the dates of upcoming Best Days, check out our Best Days Timetable.
However you plant, check out our library of Growing Guides to learn how to grow all your favorite fruits, vegetables, and flowers!
You can also find a planting table in the annual Old Farmer’s Almanac, which contains the best planting days based on the Moon’s phases.
Do you garden by the Moon? Do you think the technique helps you grow better crops? Let us know in the comments!
Catherine Boeckmann
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You said here: https://www.almanac.com/plant/corn
to plant corn during the waning for best ears, and here you say plant in the waxing? Which is it? Or is it just more hubbalu winging it to get peoples data?
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We have expanded the entry on the corn growing-guide page to include the method discussed on this Gardening by the Moon page.
Different traditions (such as between families, generations, cultures, or locations) have arisen as to the best time to plant corn. Many lunar gardeners plant when the Moon is waxing to encourage vigorous, healthy growth; that is what we talk about on this page. However, according to another long-standing tradition, as mentioned on the corn growing-guide page, it is said that corn planted under a waning Moon grows more slowly but yields bigger ears. We have shared both methods on our Web site, but apologize for the confusion with the conflicting information. We hope that the revision will help to make things clearer for our readers.
Thanks again!
why is Libra not included on the
Astrological “Best Days” - Zodiac Signs for Planting
Libra is a bit tricky. According to some astrologers, it is a barren sign, while others say that it is semi-fruitful and can be a good sign to plant root crops, herbs, vines, and flowers. Our astrologer has listed the best signs for planting in general. Hope this helps!
I read in several other places before starting my garden that the third quarter (between the waning half-moon and new moon) is the worst time to plant anything, and that this is the best time to weed and fertilize. By this same advice the first quarter/new moon is the time to plant above-ground crops, and the full moon is when root vegetables should be planted. The exact days of these events are best but in-between days will suffice, although they're less-good the farther from new/full moon the day is. Beans and runners should be planted during the first-quarter moon. The rules presented here run along the same lines but are less precise. I used the above rules for my summer garden and they seemed to work well, but for my fall/winter garden none of my seeds germinated. Do the same guidelines apply for cold-weather gardens? It may be that I planted them too late in the season (November - it typically stays warm in the South well into Fall), as I wanted to finish harvesting my summer crops first, or the unusually cold weather discouraged them.
I wish the plant Dailey by the moon was easier to find 😇
Where is the calendar ? Where is the plant by the moon calendar ? Each day ? That is the only reason I buy this. All joy is truly being taken out of this world by greed ? Ego ? Why ? I’m won’t buy it now.
I absolutely agree!!!! used to love this site now you can't find what you are looking for and it just loops you around and around!! I'm done with this worthless supposed upgrade to what was working great.
Totally agree.
I like to plant all seeds during the waxing of the Moon. soil at the top seems more moist the moons pull on the seeds is stronger. I planted one bean seed every day in March the same time of day and the waxing of the Moon phase was the best plants.
