Planting by the Light of the Moon

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Posted by @Sharon on
Aunt Bett said, "Listen to the moon. It'll tell you when to plant." I think she was real close to being right.

It was nearly dark when she sent me on my way home. She lived on the main road and I lived just a little way up the holler that ran along beside her house.

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"Don't you be runnin' now, and don't be scared! That moon will light your way. You be up early, littl'un; the moon's risin' and it says it's time to plant beans."

I never doubted a word she said. I figured if the moon ever talked to anybody, it would be to Aunt Bett. She was the smartest woman in the whole world and I was determined to learn everything she knew, especially the secrets the moon shared with her.  It never occured to me that the moon might one day talk to me.

Here I am right on the edge of old, and I'm still listening to the moon because it's time to plant again. Aunt Bett, my mom's aunt, had a streak of Cherokee running through her ancestors and she had learned their ways when it came to planting. What I didn't know at that time was that planting by the moon had been in practice long before the Cherokees appeared in the Appalachian mountains of southeast Kentucky.  I don't think Aunt Bett knew that either. She just knew what worked for her.

I'm not scientific enough to fully explain the reasoning behind it, neither was Aunt Bett. I believe it has something to do with the moon's light or maybe its gravitational pull on moisture in the soil and in the plant. What I know for sure is that it has worked for many people for many, many years.

Plant root crops during the waning of the moon

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I grew up knowing that during the waning of the moon, if we planted root crops - those vegetables that produced below the ground - we'd have a cellar full of root vegetables come winter. And I knew too, that all vegetables that produced above ground should be planted before the moon was full. That's the rule, Aunt Bett said.

Plant above ground plants when the moon is waxing

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So let's take a look at the calendar and your climate. If you can plant as early as April in your zone, let's see when we'll have a full moon in 2012 and we'll go from there:

Full Moon – April 6
Last Quarter – April 13
New Moon – April 21
First Quarter – April 29

Starting with April 6 and moving forward, the moon is waning for a week or two, and depending on the weather, it's a good time to plant potatoes. Don't wait till April 21, because the new moon is then on its upward swing and the sap is swinging upward as well, following the light of the moon. That is a good time, though, to plant beans.

Aunt Bett always said that during the light (waxing) of the Moon, sap flows heavy, filling plants up to the top with new life. Whatever is planted during that time will produce heavily too, but all above ground. Maybe it's beans, maybe tomatoes, maybe a cucumber vine or two; they will all grow and bloom and feed us well if planted just before the new moon. She also said if you plant potatoes at that time, they'll be really pretty all summer long with lots of flowers and lush leaves. It's when digging time comes that you'll find nothing below ground. All the energy went to the top of the potato plant, following the light of the moon.

"And flowers.  Well chile, it's the moon that pulls them right up to follow the sun."

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Now if you think I just said the same thing over and over again, you're right. Aunt Bett must have thought I wouldn't remember if she told me only once. And every time she taught me that lesson, she taught it in a different way.

"You reckon it's time to plant the corn, littl'un? You better go check to see if the moon's on the rise."

"If the moon holds you up in its cradle, it's time to plant tomatoes. If it spills you out like coffee from a cup, it's time to plant potatoes."

"When the light's goin' down, plant root crops. When light's coming up, plant top crops."

Even as I stand here on the edge of being very old, I'm still listening. 

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"Listen to the moon, Child, it won't ever lead you wrong." 

I wish for you the very best gardening season.

~*~

All photos of vegetables are by courtesy of Wikimedia Creative Commons, GNU license.

 
Comments and Discussion
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Always good to hear from Aunt Bett by SongofJoy Apr 9, 2012 11:54 AM 6
Waxing and Waning by threegardeners Apr 9, 2012 9:46 AM 13
Planting by the moon by vic Apr 6, 2012 2:37 PM 23

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