sowing with the moon
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cevenol jardin
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alan refail
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The level of confusion in most of the postings in this thread make me even less likely to bother reading up on the subject. I try not to dismiss ideas out of hand, but in this case I am inclined to agree 100% with Johnboy's posting on the subject in another thread viewtopic.php?t=3885
There may well be many people who believe in gardening by the moon, but, then, there are a whole lot more who believe the world was created in 6 days. Try looking at the Mayan Creation story:
http://www.crystalinks.com/mayancreation.html
Alan
There may well be many people who believe in gardening by the moon, but, then, there are a whole lot more who believe the world was created in 6 days. Try looking at the Mayan Creation story:
http://www.crystalinks.com/mayancreation.html
Alan
Interesting, Alan, particularly as there is always mention of a flood. I didn't know about the Mayan creation stories, but in all the other creation stories I've read a flood appears somewhere. I did read that there really was a major flood but can't remember the details. (I know this is going off the thread but I think it's interesting, nevertheless).
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Granny
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Granny
Mon Jun 18, 2007 8:06 am
Hi Crivens,
I quote one of the paragraphs of your posting:
Moon Planting has been used for thousands of years and there are records of Egyptians and Mayans using the moon to plant crops by (the Mayans also used the Sun). The basic principles where easy to follow, plant with a waxing moon and harvest by a waning moon. This is simply a method by which you can easily follow the rise and fall of the moisture content in the soil and plants, just like the tides in the sea.
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Unlike us lucky people who live in modern times who have a calendar the Egyptians and Mayans were so lucky to have only the Moon and the Sun to go by.
If the Bible is to believed the Egyptians were always in trouble with drought and pestilence so not a very good example to follow. If the Mayans of yesteryear were as successful as the modern Mayans of Guatemala today they too are not really a very good example to follow either because they are in a hell of a mess at this present time.
I feel that if gardeners were to follow the advice given by seed suppliers and reliable gardening books they will fair equally well without getting tied up with one hell of a lot of mumbo-jumbo.
Tell me Crivens how many Brussels Sprouts have you harvested this month or perhaps you have only thinned them out. This is the advice from the website you quote.
The claim that so many thousand people are reaping the benefits of Moon Planting well it may come as a great shock to you but those who garden using common sense runs into many millions.
I respect that you find moon planting beneficial but to expect everybody to follow your example is something that I do not accept.
My view, for what it is worth, is that it really is the biggest load of old pony that I have ever read!
JB.
In order to try and prevent more confusion I have transferred this from the other site.
JB.
Hi Crivens,
I quote one of the paragraphs of your posting:
Moon Planting has been used for thousands of years and there are records of Egyptians and Mayans using the moon to plant crops by (the Mayans also used the Sun). The basic principles where easy to follow, plant with a waxing moon and harvest by a waning moon. This is simply a method by which you can easily follow the rise and fall of the moisture content in the soil and plants, just like the tides in the sea.
-----------------------------------------------------
Unlike us lucky people who live in modern times who have a calendar the Egyptians and Mayans were so lucky to have only the Moon and the Sun to go by.
If the Bible is to believed the Egyptians were always in trouble with drought and pestilence so not a very good example to follow. If the Mayans of yesteryear were as successful as the modern Mayans of Guatemala today they too are not really a very good example to follow either because they are in a hell of a mess at this present time.
I feel that if gardeners were to follow the advice given by seed suppliers and reliable gardening books they will fair equally well without getting tied up with one hell of a lot of mumbo-jumbo.
Tell me Crivens how many Brussels Sprouts have you harvested this month or perhaps you have only thinned them out. This is the advice from the website you quote.
The claim that so many thousand people are reaping the benefits of Moon Planting well it may come as a great shock to you but those who garden using common sense runs into many millions.
I respect that you find moon planting beneficial but to expect everybody to follow your example is something that I do not accept.
My view, for what it is worth, is that it really is the biggest load of old pony that I have ever read!
JB.
In order to try and prevent more confusion I have transferred this from the other site.
JB.
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Jenny Green
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I have to say I agree with you JB. 
Though I might have put it more politely.
I think it would have been perfectly understandable for ancient people to have farmed according to cycles they observed in their natural environment. However just because people used to do it this does not mean it was the best way to do it. After all, we used to think many strange things about the way the body works, such as the four humours, which we have since shown to be completely wrong.
I understand the theory about the moon's effect on the moisture levels in the ground, the presence or absence of rain is light years more important and this is not affected by the moon at all.
Though I might have put it more politely.
I think it would have been perfectly understandable for ancient people to have farmed according to cycles they observed in their natural environment. However just because people used to do it this does not mean it was the best way to do it. After all, we used to think many strange things about the way the body works, such as the four humours, which we have since shown to be completely wrong.
I understand the theory about the moon's effect on the moisture levels in the ground, the presence or absence of rain is light years more important and this is not affected by the moon at all.
(Formerly known as 'Organic Freak')
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.
Hi Cevenol,
My own understanding of signs good to harvest in again goes back to the traditional affinities of signs of the Zodiac being fruitful, semi-fruitful and barren. This gives you 15 or so good days to sow and plant and the other 15 to harvest, cultivate and destroy pests etc., each month.
The suggestions I have come across are that root crops can be harvested when the Moon is waning and in the signs of Aries, Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius and Aquarius. Other crops are better on the waxing Moon in the same signs. To be honest though, this is so much fine tuning I would just harvest when ready!! I don't have enough experience of harvesting crops to keep for a long time to know if this technique makes any difference to the long term keeping qualities though. I personally have never come across the recommendation of harvesting on a New Moon. I always understood the days of the New and Full Moons were better avoided in relation to sowing, planting, etc. I personally would have thought crops needing optimum water content at point of harvest are better on a waxing Moon and ones needing to be dried to be stored better on a waning one.
We also now have another problem that various sites referred to in these postings have the Moon on any given day in a sign different to the ones used in Astronomical reference books. I am not surprised that the whole topic is now open to ridicule and is putting people off investigating it.
June
My own understanding of signs good to harvest in again goes back to the traditional affinities of signs of the Zodiac being fruitful, semi-fruitful and barren. This gives you 15 or so good days to sow and plant and the other 15 to harvest, cultivate and destroy pests etc., each month.
The suggestions I have come across are that root crops can be harvested when the Moon is waning and in the signs of Aries, Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius and Aquarius. Other crops are better on the waxing Moon in the same signs. To be honest though, this is so much fine tuning I would just harvest when ready!! I don't have enough experience of harvesting crops to keep for a long time to know if this technique makes any difference to the long term keeping qualities though. I personally have never come across the recommendation of harvesting on a New Moon. I always understood the days of the New and Full Moons were better avoided in relation to sowing, planting, etc. I personally would have thought crops needing optimum water content at point of harvest are better on a waxing Moon and ones needing to be dried to be stored better on a waning one.
We also now have another problem that various sites referred to in these postings have the Moon on any given day in a sign different to the ones used in Astronomical reference books. I am not surprised that the whole topic is now open to ridicule and is putting people off investigating it.
June
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Christine B
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Hi All,
Been reading all the postings recently with interest. I have been trying this for myself this year for the first time, using Nick Kollerstroms system, mainly because I liked the idea. Must admit, I don't think I have any greater or lesser success than I had last year, when I just planted as and when, and I am not sure whether I would do it again so religiously next year as I have found it hard to keep to the days recommended for planting various crops, as a lot of them have fallen mid week, when I don't always have the time to get around to sowing/planting. Still it has been fun and the subject certainly seems to have provoked a good discussion!
Been reading all the postings recently with interest. I have been trying this for myself this year for the first time, using Nick Kollerstroms system, mainly because I liked the idea. Must admit, I don't think I have any greater or lesser success than I had last year, when I just planted as and when, and I am not sure whether I would do it again so religiously next year as I have found it hard to keep to the days recommended for planting various crops, as a lot of them have fallen mid week, when I don't always have the time to get around to sowing/planting. Still it has been fun and the subject certainly seems to have provoked a good discussion!
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alan refail
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"The Maoris believed that the moon whom they call Rongo, protects crops. They always planted sweet potatos on the 11th, 27th and 28th days of the lunar month. Their main agricultural tools are long spades with crescents carved into the handles."
courtesy of http://www.planetfusion.co.uk/~pignut/L ... ening.html
Time to get carving crescents on those spade handles
Alan (a non-believer)
courtesy of http://www.planetfusion.co.uk/~pignut/L ... ening.html
Time to get carving crescents on those spade handles
Alan (a non-believer)
Hi Jenny,
Thank God I was sitting down when I read your posting
We have know each other long enough for you to know that I was being polite!
I didn't get to bed last night and I spent absolutely hours reading about Mayan Agriculture and do you know not once did I find a reference that they planted by the moon! They used just about every planet and star you could think of but of the Moon nothing.
I think this whole topic can be very confusing to newcomers to gardening and we should assure them that they do not need to enter the realms of Lunar or any other method other than that which they will find in the seed catalogues and good gardening books.
JB.
Thank God I was sitting down when I read your posting
We have know each other long enough for you to know that I was being polite!
I didn't get to bed last night and I spent absolutely hours reading about Mayan Agriculture and do you know not once did I find a reference that they planted by the moon! They used just about every planet and star you could think of but of the Moon nothing.
I think this whole topic can be very confusing to newcomers to gardening and we should assure them that they do not need to enter the realms of Lunar or any other method other than that which they will find in the seed catalogues and good gardening books.
JB.