Kitchen Garden Forum

I don't know anything about all this lunar sowing stuff but the Moon and Venus have been a truly magnificent sight in the western sky as they sit together for a few hours after sunset.

John

I just checked the print out i'm using (i found it on the internet but i can't re-find it so don't know where it came from) and the dates correspond with yours June.

Thanks for the tip on hot crops

The weather here has been a bit bonkers it went from sunbathing weather with 25c last week plus to snowing this week. So the poor old plants don't know what hit them - i've delayed sowing tomatoes inside until this week as i am expecting a cold April - according to the old cevenol proverb ...if you get tanned at Christmas, you'll be burning logs at Easter..
and we had our christmas dinner outside in baking sun this year - first time for that even here.

Cleve West is trying out this method of planting. You can read about it on his blog - just follow the link from the BBC Gardening website.

Retired Father is a proper cloth cap wearing Yorkshireman, and even he says this moon gardening is a good idea. Personally I remain sceptical.

Alison, just thought I would check in to see how your moon planting is going. Aside from the inconvenience over the last couple of months of having the wrong days falling on a weekend when I have most of my free time, I am finding it to be working quite well. Have had excellent germination and the plants are all coming along nicely. What about you and anybody else using this method?

I live in dept 81, France, where it seems that all the locals (mostly Farmers) seem to garden 'by the moon', my neighbour kidly gave me a photo copy of the calendar from their equivliant to the TV Times, it takes me from April to September, with each day given over to what one can plant or not as the case may be. Very useful, as I am a total novice at this and cannot say I totally understand the system, but I am trying to follow it, unfortunately have not kept a record, oh well there is always next time.

Jeanne

Having read this threat I've just got the Kollerstron book and it's fascinating. Wish I'd been clued up sooner, the science actually makes sense and I understand now why Italian gardeners are so keen - if you live in a dryish environment it's very useful to be able to 'catch' the water table at its peak.

Interestingly, the times we have had rainfall here have coincided with the Moon being in a water sign. These are traditionally some of the best times to plant. If you can cope with putting crops in in the pouring rain (and believe me I have done many times much to the amusement of other allotment holders!)on these Moon phases the plant really do romp away. I realise many folks think all this is pure rubbish but all I would say is you've nothing to lose by giving it a go! Christine, you are spot on with the high degree of gemination this method produces too.
June

Kollerstrom has a website too, more technical than the book especially on test results. Best bit is the calendar for the current week is always there to view. www.plantingbythemoon.co.uk
There's even a software package to plum a perpetual lunar gardening calendar into your own p.c. for the really keen.

When the sun has set tonight (Saturday, May 19th), go outside and look west. Venus and the crescent Moon will pop out of the twilight barely 1-degree apart. It's a spectacular pairing of the two brightest objects in the night sky at the moment.
Not quite sure what I should be sowing and planting though.

John

John wrote:...go outside and look west. Venus and the crescent Moon will pop out of the twilight barely 1-degree apart.

Thanks John. We had a clear night yesterday and that was a really good sight! Interesting that was only 1 degree apart - to my untrained eye there seemed to be quite a gap betweeen them.

Like you, I haven't checked what to plant/sow but my French bean plants are going in the allotment this morning.

Colin

My thanks too for the tip-off, John. Great sight.

Yes, they were a little further apart than I expected - I'll check back with the source of my info. A spectacular sight even so!

John

here is a web site with lots of usefull information about moon planting and a 7 day guide for free!

http://www.the-gardeners-calendar.co.uk

Interesting site but the Moon Calendar has completely different dates to mine.
In my calendar New moon on June 15 is in Cancer and stays in Cancer until 17th.

What have other people got - bit worried mine might be out.