Moon Phases and Solar Tables

[jvs]

I did some reading today on the net about using the moon phases to start seeds and transplant your garden.


A few years back an Uncle that told me he did this.  I never tried it and I don't know if he still does it.  He claimed it worked for him.  Whatever benefit he got from using the phases wasn't clear.


Does anyone here use Moon Phases as a guide for Gardening or is it Folk Lore ?


I do however firmly believe in Fish and Game Forecasts based on the Solar Tables.  It was observation when I was hunting and fishing that turned me around on Solar Tables.


I suppose if I believe in one, I should believe in the other.

[charles p]

My grandmother wouldn't even see her doctor if the moon wasn't right.  Myself, I don't know that a little seed can tell the difference.

[longwinters]

I know some who go by them.  I  don't know how a person would know if it made a difference or not.  It seems there are so many other variables.  Average temps (day and night), soil temps, moisture content of soil, sun etc...And of course length of growing season makes a huge difference.
 
I just plant Memorial weekend as a rule. But if someone could prove it somehow made a difference I would certainly try it.
 
Long

[powderman]

I know some who go by them.  I  don't know how a person would know if it made a difference or not.  It seems there are so many other variables.  Average temps (day and night), soil temps, moisture content of soil, sun etc...And of course length of growing season makes a huge difference.
 
I just plant Memorial weekend as a rule. But if someone could prove it somehow made a difference I would certainly try it.
 
Long

 
YEP. I plant as the weather permits, but I know some folks who plant taters by the moon even if they have to mud them in. POWDERMAN. 

[BUGEYE]

my dad planted strictly by the almanac and had the most beautiful gardens you ever saw.
this was back when people took sunday drives and many of them drove by our house.
plus he always hired a man with a mule to plow it.  no heavy tractors in his garden.

[smokehouserex]

 
 
  Hey jvs:
 
  I would say first get a Blum's Farmer's And Planters Almanac. It is red and costs about 5.00.
  It's site is    www.blumsalmanac.com .I have used them of and on for about 35 years. It explains what the old folks did when they didn't have the seeds and tec. that we have now so they used what they found that worked for them.
  Best signs for above the ground plants, plant on the new moon or 1'st quarter when the sign is inCANCER--breast,
  next best sign is SCORPIO---secerets???
  Root crops or below the ground, plant when the signs are in TAURUS---neck and the moon is dark or decreasing.
  Plant flowers from new to full moon when signs in LIBRA---reins.
  These are a few helpful hints straight out of the Almanac.
  It's not the only way to plant but it gives you a system, so to speak.
  The soil temp is critical, some seeds respond more than others to the warm soil.
  It also has a Zone map for different area than mine.
  The info here in the Blums is interesting and easy to understand, not like some of the others which are sometimes of little help and not interesting at all. It is not a Miracle Book but it helps.
  I hope this helps.
  HM

[jvs]

smokehouserex,


         Sometimes I think that at a time when so many things are available at our fingertips, that there was a day and age when all people had to go on was the phases of the moon, the zodiac and solar tables.  Your explanation hits it right on the head.


I wasn't folklore, it was a way of life for people who had nothing else to go on, and it worked for them.  I see no harm in planting by the moon or zodiac, although I know absolutely nothing about the zodiac except what my sign is.


I also think if anybody tried hunting and fishing by the solar table (fish and game forecast), they will see it appears to work too.  At least it does for me, and I'm not superstitious.   

[reliquary]

 
My family farmed extensively up through the 50s, as did most other folks in our area.  Some industry came in and the farming went mostly to backyard and truckpatch.  Most folks, in the olden days, planted by the signs. 
 
After looking into it for more than a few years, and still being a hobby gardener, I think that most of those beneficial signs corresponded with "average date of last killing frost" and "soil temperature",  moreso than whatever the zodiac might have influenced.

[smokehouserex]

 
 
  Hey jvs:
 
  I am not superstitious and I do not believe that a persons life is controled by certain cultlike beliefs that many look to in the stars/zodiac.
  I do know that the moon had a direct effect on the earth, tides and so forth. Many people do use the moon phases effectively for hunting and fishing. I was raised farming and working in the timber. I have seen lumber that was dark and the same type lumber that was clear, some old folks said that timber cut on the bright or dark moon caused it, I don't know, just saying...... also I have dug post holes for fence post and I know that sometimes when tamping the loose dirt back after setting the post in the hole, at times I wouldn't have enough dirt to fill the hole and sometimes there would be dirt left over, you can try this with just a hole and it works the same........
  I read an article about water absorption and moon phases,  the test was performed at a college, they placed a seed in a petri dish at different phases of the moon and found that water absorption on the new moon was a lot more than the other phases. They concluded that water absorption had a direct correlation to germanation of seeds and plants......    I'm not offering any of this as iron clad guarantee,  just what I've read and experienced.
  I do know that a hog, when they really had some fat on them, will render more lard sometimes than at other times and the meat cooks differently also, I've heard my mom mention this to dad so.........??
  Anyone can disagree if they like, it's OK by me.
  HM

[jvs]

I would no more disagree with your observations about the moon phases than you have disagreed about my observations about fish and game forecasts based on solar tables.

[keith44]

can't say either one of you are wrong, I've used phases for planting, hunting and harvesting off and on in the past.  More times than not it works.  My measure of it working is in the yields.  That is fewer failures to germinate than normally expected, better results hunting, and a bigger than planned for harvest.

[smokehouserex]

 
 
  Hey jvs:
 
  Another tid-bit, the "SOROS"  cycle,, is the climate cycle and is repeated every 6585 days or about 18 1/2 years the climate repeats itself,,  thats where the almanac gets it's long range weather forecast, the almanac is accurate about 66% of the time, by the way thats about equal to the metorologist accuracy. I thought that that was interestering.
  I always keep notes on planting dates and rainfall as well as harvest amounts in the almanac each year just for information, it works for me.
  I have found  that I can plant corn earlier than beans, squash cukes ect. and okra, for people who like it, it needs warm soil to germinate. I have even soaked seed in water the night before planting, especially okra.
  OK I'll leave it alone for now, but I do enjoy farming/gardening.
  Good growing, I ALWAYS say a prayer for a good harvest and blessing when I plant because He is the one who makes everything grow.
  HM
 
 
 

[charles p]

If you live in an area that receives rain about every 3rd day, you could predict that it will never ever rain again. and still be accurate 66% of the time.
 
As for seeds under the ground, soil temperature and moisture are most likely the two dominent factors contributing to germination of the seed.  After that you can add daylight and nutrients to temperature and moisture.

[reliquary]

 
Foxfire One has a good discussion of this topic.  The old mountain folks certainly believed in it.  I heard many similar tales from the old folks in East Texas. 
 
I'm still not sure about it.  The soil temp/moisture thing has worked for me. 

[smokehouserex]

 
 
  No doubt about it, as you have stated, the soil temp. and moisture definitely effects the seeds. I wasn't offering the almanac as the sure-fire/fool-proof, or only methods of growing. My older brother said that the best time to plant was when he had time, and of course soil temp ect. He was a good gardener.
  I responded to the OP yesterday in their posts, not trying to sell anybody on planting by the almanac, but if there is a interest I try to help by telling them the method that I use, if I can. Just like offering suggestions on reloading, shooting, gunwork ect. Sharing. That's what keeps things going, share and share alike. What works for me may not work for you. JMO
 
  reliquary:
 
  I too have seen the FF books I have 6 of them and do enjoy reading them. My dad was born in 1895, he and my mom both were raised in western NC and I have seen them use many of the old methods of doing things long before the people started to revive the "old ways: some things worked and some didn't. It is interesting to me that someone had enough insight to record this information in book form.  My dad was a Mountian Preacher and road a mule and traveled in a horse and wagon for a number of years, he also farmed. He used moon phases but not individual signs for planting and harvesting, as often as he could. Sometimes situations force us to do things outside of our plans, "the best laid plans of mice and men......
  HM
 
 
   

[Bugflipper]

I don't plant by the almanac, but I do plant when it is a full moon. It just so happens that the full moon in April is right after the last frost here. There are a lot of studies similar to what has already been posted. The moon's gravitational pull effects the water(tides of the oceans). A full moon is supposed to be the best gravitational pull to keep moisture near the surface. There is a lot more to seed germination than just moisture level. But what I do works for me, so I just keep doing it that way.