[Potiron]

Hi There,
        I would like to learn more about growing and sowing by phases of the moon.  I know there will be something about it on here somewhere, but I cant find it.   HELP :bounce:

[penance]

The only relevance the moon has is the relation to season.
Just plant/sow at recomended times/seasons and all will be fine.

[Minty]

There was an item on Country File a few weeks back about a guy who's whole farm was dictated by the moon and he was doing really well and had been doing for years and what he was saying made a lot of sence.

It might be worth checking BBC's i player to see if it's still online.

[compostqueen]

this is ancient stuff and very interesting I reckon.  They had one of the old estate gardeners on telly once showing how he did this, I think it might have been with Geoff H on Gardeners World. I think the old guy (didn't look his age if I remember right) was possibly Cornish  :?  (it was a long time ago   ) and he'd always gardened by the moon.  He was out planting in the dark     Recently on GW they visited a student trial and she concluded that her lunar veg had outperformed the others

You can buy a lunar planting diary so that you do it properly  

[happy chick]

I don't know anything about lunar gardening so if you can excuse me quoting my 'slice of organic life' book it says in there that the moon's gravitational pull supposedly affects the Earth's water table as well as our oceans.  Therefore the moon affects the amount of moisture present in the topsoil.

New moon to full moon (waxing) is when increased moisture is available and is therefore the best time to sow and plant.  Conversely, full moon to new moon (waning) is the time when the moisture content in the soil is declining and is therefore at its lowest.  During this period there is also less sap rising in trees/shrubs so this is the time to prune.

Not sure if i would subscribe to these theories but it would be interesting to give it a go and certainly learn more about the subject.  I'll see if I can google some sites as well!  

[penance]

The part about trees is certainly tosh.
Sap rises in spring to supply new growth, plain and simple as that.

[p00rstudent]

surely it depeneds on if the tree is dedious or not?

[penance]

Most coniferous will be putting on growth in thje spring as well.
It also makes no difference to pruning, the idea of trees bleeding to death is an old wives tale.

[Aidy]

Lunatic gardening has been talked on here in length, and proved it don't work. Stick to the instructions and watch mother nature.

[happy chick]

Cor, there's nowt like sitting on the fence is there!!!  I probably wouldn't bother too much with lunar gardening on a practical basis, myself, however that doesn't stop others being interested or wanting to find out more.  

I was unaware also that this forum was the definitive place of scientifically proving or otherwise dispelling the veracity of certain theories/ideas.  There you go! Apparently according to Aidy it don't work and why are we even bothering to talk about it?!

I'll tell you why, because some of us are open minded enough to accept we don't know everything and that there may be alternative methodologies out there which may work and may have worked for others, especially in our past. Until I see a properly researched scientific paper/article proving lunar gardening doesn't work then I'll remain open-minded and try to assist others in their quest for more knowledge  

[corynsboy]

The moon is there all the time.  If we could see it during daylight hours, and we sometimes can, more people would pay as much attention to it as they do the sun.

It's our closest planetary body.  It has a massive affect on the tides and by extension anything which contains water.  The earth is 3/5 covered in water and the moon manages to move all of it, all the time, twice a day.
Humans are about 90% water.  Plants are about the same or higher.  It must make a difference.

If we can plant a seed, or feed, or weed at a time during the moon's phases that will be most beneficial to the plant or have most impact on the weed without using chemicals that has got to be a good thing.  

The moon is something for nothing.  That's the allotment ethos.  I'll be testing it fully this year.  I've ordered my book from Amazon and I'm going to bio dynamically plant some crops the rest will be done when it is convenient for me.  My blog will chart the results of side by side testing.

Here is the bible for the biodynamic farmer and bee keeper.  £7 and one year.  What harm can it do?  I can canfirm that you will not be planting broad beans at midnight.  The planting and harvesting phases come in two weekly intervals so there is usually plenty of time it's just not always convenient as it doesn’t always happen at a weekend.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biodynamic-Sowing-Planting-Calendar-2009/dp/0863156541/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227703524&sr=8-1

[Aidy]

Cor, there's nowt like sitting on the fence is there!!!  I probably wouldn't bother too much with lunar gardening on a practical basis, myself, however that doesn't stop others being interested or wanting to find out more.  

I was unaware also that this forum was the definitive place of scientifically proving or otherwise dispelling the veracity of certain theories/ideas.  There you go! Apparently according to Aidy it don't work and why are we even bothering to talk about it?!

I'll tell you why, because some of us are open minded enough to accept we don't know everything and that there may be alternative methodologies out there which may work and may have worked for others, especially in our past. Until I see a properly researched scientific paper/article proving lunar gardening doesn't work then I'll remain open-minded and try to assist others in their quest for more knowledge  

Speak to little legs, he did it and proved it made no difference against the ones he planted as normal, I believe he tried to keep it as controlled as he could. Now if a respected forum member of the likes of little legs comes out with it, then that is good enough for me! Now for the science, and I qoute

I agree aidy, please not this subjetc again

quite simply, the moon has no effect on terrestrial plants, its gravity is there all the time regardless of the moons phase, it has no liquid metallic elements hence no magnetic field (and no atmosphere), and can only influence the sea for tides due to the immense mass of the seas also having gravity. The gravity of the moon, measured at the earths surface, is less than that of your shed next to the plot. You would have far more effect on the plants by moving a big rock about

the ancients planted by the moon simply because, along with the equinoxes and solstices, it indicated the seasons. What cant be seen from ancient monuments (which were part of the forcasting system for seasons) was there knowledge of weather and climate, which had a far greater import on their planting and reaping activities, and hence ultimately there own migration patterns.

dont waste your time with lunar phase planting, instead learn to calculate 'growing days' from meterological data

[happy chick]

For every little legs and Zak the Rabbit there'll be people out there who have the opposite opinion and like the idea of lunar gardening.

 I'm not saying lunar gardening is completely right or completly wrong; just allow people their own freedom to find out for themselves and come to their own conclusions.  

I abhor those who say that their opinion is the only right one.  I believe that there are many, many people out there who hold a lot of store in lunar gardening; that's their absolute right and their choice.  To rubbish their principles just because you're not convinced is neither fair nor open-minded.  

By all means have an opinion but admit that that is all it is and that your opinion is not the absolute, definitive truth on the subject.

[p00rstudent]

would that same sentiment then extend to notions such as racial hatered? for example should a person turn a blind eye or simply accept rasicst comments "because its their opinion and they are entitled to it" or should we not do better to try and stop rasict behavoir and say it is wrong.  albeit the rasist analogy is putting it to an extreme, but the point is their,

though i suppose a better anoalogy would the intellegent design/ creationism debate, is it so wrong to give factual arguments to challegene a person beliefs,

so with aide and little foot etc putting forth arguments that deny any benfit of lunar gardening, which is what they have done. then it is up to the individual reader to decide which arguments are more perswasive those for lunar gardening/bio dynamics or those against.

To say that its unfair to put forth crtisms of lunar gardening is in itself unfair.

[Pompey Spud]

All these theories are so lovely & warm until that nasty 'little scientist' proves them all wrong with fact. Doh!