All of my Grandparents have been avid (and great!) gardeners.
I remember the gardening efforts of 2 of them (from different sides of the family) fondly, and I know that their passion has traveled down the line to me.
Both were very different gardeners – Frank only every grew productive crops – awesome citrus, apples, asparagus, tomatoes, celery and everything else you can think of…. While ‘Nan Fietz’ (actually no relation lol) only every grew ornamentals. It was Nan I wrote about digging Bellis plants out of our lawn every-time she visited. She had a magnificently well kept garden.
One thing they both had in common was a seemingly primal knowledge of what to do in the garden, and when. I guess a person builds this over the years – but when i was young i found their ability to produce such magnificent food, flowers and foliage as nothing short of magical.
Both of these amazing gardeners revered the Moon’s capacity to help or hinder their gardening efforts. My Nan was a bit extreme with this and did most of her gardening by moonlight lol.
My Grandfather was not quiet as extreme, but always seemed to know just the right time to harvest or plant.
Some Lunar/Moon planting enthusiasts believe that all gardening efforts are underpinned by the Moon Cycle, but when it comes down to it, the basic principles are quite simple:
The moon has a gravitational pull -this affects all the water on earth (tides etc).
The closer to the earth, the stronger the gravitational pull – hence encouraging water molecules upwards.
As the Moon becomes ‘Full’ it provides more light to to the earth overnight.
This means:
If you want to promote growth above the ground, plant when the moon is becoming fuller (waxing) and plant root crops during when the moon is decreasing in size/light emitted (waning).
Like my Grandmother, I’m often found gardening by torchlight and seem to be inspired to weed, plant and harvest at different times. Maybe its the Moon, maybe the Moon has nothing to do with it đŸ™‚
Ive included a few links about Lunar Planting below: would love your thoughts .
Australian Lunar Gardening Calendar
Happy Gardening,
Anthony and Mamma Tony
Brunswick Gardener 