Planting by the moon has earned itself a certain
mystique.
But in reality, for many centuries for travelers and, in
particular,
gardeners and farmers it has been a way of life. They
firmly believe
that vegetables should be planted, cultivated and
harvested at certain
times of the moon cycle and on particular dates of the
lunar cycle in
conjunction with the other planets.
Those who plant by the moon attest that, by following
ancient traditions handed down through the generations,
that the food they cultivate from the land tastes,
grows, and looks better.
Is there any truth in their beliefs, or is it just hocus
pocus?
How Moon Planting Began
As far back as the 15th and 16th centuries astrology
was an important part of everyday life. Remember this
was a time without modern calendars and personal
diaries.
During this time, people would look to the skies for
weather predictions, to tell the time and to gleam the
best possible time to plant their vegetables.
When you consider that the Earth is covered by oceans,
and the tides of those oceans are governed by the moon
and its place in relation to the orbiting planets, it
makes sense that plants, which are roughly 90% water,
would also be affected by the same planetary elements
that affect the tides.
Plants were cataloged, if you like, by their specific
features and each was given a sign of the zodiac. The
process of assigning a sign of the zodiac to the plants
was quite deliberate one based on the qualities of each
plant.
The astrologers, who were held in the highest esteem by
the ruler of the day, and the people they served, would
look at the physical attributes of the plant, the
illnesses it was used to treat, at the plant's 'family'
and finally at the growing conditions which that
particular plant needed.
It was a highly complicated process governed by nature
and ruled by the moon. For example, plants that needed
wet conditions to grow were assigned to the moon. Plants
needing arid conditions were assigned to Mars.
What Moon Planting Means For Gardeners
This knowledge has been handed down from generation to
generation by word of mouth, for a lot of the gardening
wisdom was unwritten. Housewives and head gardeners for
the rulers of the day, woulddiligently abide by the
ancient's wisdom, and these beliefs are the same today
as they were then.
They all firmly believed that vegetables planted while
the moon was waxing (this is when the moon is
transitioning between full and new) would mean rapid
germination and good strong growth. When seeds are
germinating and needing light to grow, they push up to
the surface of
the soil to get the light.
During a waxing moon, the larger part of its surface is
illuminated making it look larger in the sky, and the
ancients believed that during this time the Earth's
energy was directed upwards towards the large moon. So
the connection was made between the upwards energy of
the germinating plant and the Earth's energy being
directed upwards towards the moon.
In a similar fashion, vegetables planted when the moon
was waning (getting darker and smaller in the sky) would
be the kind that needed darkness to grow, such as root
vegetables which grow under the soil's surface.
It is believed that when the moon is waning the Earth's
energy is directed back into the ground, and this is
good for anything that grows in the darkness below the
surface of the soil.
As you can see the logic of moon planting is relatively
simple and understandable. Planting by the moon can be a
lot more involved, but it's food for thought.
Richard's
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