Moon Gardening

Moon Gardening, ever heard of it? After coming across this term in a gardening chat, I was instantly curious to the meaning of this term. Thoughts of digging in the dirt at midnight didn't appeal to my senses however the gardening term brought up many different concepts that were later discovered as being intriguing. For instance, how does the idea of mowing less each month sound to you?

Moon gardening refers to gardening in different phases of the moon for better success. Taking into consideration the different phases of the moon, it is said that the moon's gravitational pull will effect the flow of moisture in soil and plants. At first I was skeptical however after thinking about the concept; I connected the generational passed down information on the scientific research relating moon phrases to the oceans' tides. Therefore, the concept of moon gardening can not be so far off, considering that the ground has a stream of water that is constantly available. In fact the groundwater tables show that ground water sees an increase by two to three inches during the night of a full moon stated in "Ed Hume's Garden Almanac". Therefore having a grasp on the moon phrases will allow a gardener to know when time such activities as planting, mowing, transplanting and so on should be completed. Understanding the timing and effects given by the moon phrases is the main concept of "moon or lunar gardening".

If not known already, the moon runs through a 29 day cycle which is further divided into four phases (or quarters). Each moon phase refers to the shape of the moon on each day. For instance, the moon always follows the pattern of "new moon", "first quarter", "full moon", "third quarter" and finally "new moon" again.

During the first two quarters, the groundwater table is at its highest. Hence, at this time in the moon phase, gardeners should consider repotting plants, sowing seeds, and planting evergreens since there is an abundance of available moisture in the ground. During the last two phases of the moon cycle, it is best to prune shrubs, plant bulbs, and weed the garden. These tasks should be completed at this time since there is less moisture in the groundwater, resulting in less moisture in the plants and trees. For instance, if there is less groundwater available for a tree, therefore be less sap that will come out at this time.

Although there are no recent studies done on this theory, many websites have been formed and a few books have been written on the success of this sort of gardening. It is a theory that I plan on attacking in my garden and suggest it to all of you. There are many accounts that insist that moon gardening has drastically changed the garden and has decreased the hours of working in the garden. After a few years of working in a veterinary hospital, I found out that there is definitely a chance in people during the full moon. Hence, I believe there is an evitable change in everything and everyone on the earth and why take it to my garden, it is worth a try.