Moon Planting Update

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We are about mid-season for the garden, seeing how I started seeds in February, so I just wanted to give you an update on my Moon Phase Gardening experiment. Check out my original post here: Following the Ancient Practice of Moon Gardening.

I tend to have a positive attitude when attacking any situation and I was very excited about this venture. This project was very personal and nostalgic for me.  

I remember the Farmer’s Almanac, well worn, laying around the house, and my grandfather taking me with him to the hardware store to get his seeds. Rows of galvanized, open-front bins, stacked on top of each other, filled with seeds of all colors. Black for watermelon, purple for green beans, yellow for corn and green for peas. There were speckled ones, round ones, and oval ones. The display was beautiful. There were galvanized scoops in the bins and paper lunch bags to fill with magical little seeds that will produce the summer’s bounty. There was a pencil, hanging from a string, that you would use to write what was in the bag and it would get weighed at the counter. 

Exterior of an old hardware store

There was no plastic in those days, so everything was in galvanized metal, copper, burlap or paper bags and glass jars. There were wooden shelves, bins and drawers filled with anything you could want. There were toys, bright red Radio Flyer wagons and sleds in the winter. They even had washing machines, no dryers (well they had clotheslines), and wood stoves. 

This store was my favorite place in the world. At that point, my world was pretty small, but even today, there are certain hardware stores, that are out in the country, where I have that same feeling.

Everybody knew my grandfather, so he would stop and talk while I wandered around the store. No one worried about kidnappers back then.  

Hardware stores in the 50’s were fascinating. Things hanging from the ceiling, stacked along the walls, plus shelves and shelves of items that mystified me. And, because we lived in the country, you would also find baby chicks, animal feed, straw, and any kind of homesteading equipment you can imagine. The smells were amazing.  

Interior of old hardware store

After chatting with his friends, my grandfather would come find me, take my hand and we would walk to the car. On the way home, he would tell me what seeds he bought, and what we were going to do when we got home.  

He would get behind a contraption that he made with a big wheel on the front and a triangular blade at the back and two handles that he would walk behind to make the rows. He had been an engineer, (not on a train), and he could make anything with metal or wood that was needed.  

Old horse drawn plow in overgrown garden

He would instruct me how far apart each seed needed to be, and I would follow him, placing the beautiful seeds as instructed. He would then go behind me, (I am sure now that he moved seeds as needed) and covered the rows with the lovely warm soil. 

So, after walking down Memory Lane, you can understand how excited I was for this project to be a success. 

Well…let’s just say that for me, this has not worked to my expectations. The reality is that for my area, the dates for planting my seedlings in the garden were too early. It was too cold, and they suffered. Although we did not have any frosts, we were close, and the ground stayed too cold to nurture my babies. Some just shriveled and died.  

My cabbage, broccoli and Brussel sprouts are doing well because they love cooler weather, so there have been some successes. 

Closeup of broccoli growing in a garden
Broccoli planted with moon in main garden!! Success! And my broccoli last year was a total failure! 

Each year, I divide up my plants and put them in groups of 3 – 5 in a few different locations to see what works best. I make a note of this so that I remember. Once I find the right spot, I try to plant in the general area the next year. It is always best to rotate your plants so that they are not in the exact spot every year, but if you are like me and have limited space, you may not have a choice. You just have to make sure that you feed them well to replace any nutrients they may have exhausted the year before. 

My kitchen garden has its own ecosystem as it traps sun and heat in the morning.  The same plants that shriveled and died due to cold in the main garden, are doing much better there. This proved my suspicions that I planted too early and even the plants in the kitchen garden could have benefitted from a couple more weeks being nurtured in the greenhouse. 

Eggplant in a garden
Eggplant in the kitchen garden, not planted with moon phase.
Pepper plants in the kitchen garden.
Peppers in the kitchen garden, not planted with moon phase.
Eggplant in garden
Eggplant in the main garden, planted with moon phase.
Pepper plant in a garden
Peppers in the main garden planted with moon phase.

So, would I recommend it? Well, I want to believe there are some mystical powers out there that we don’t yet know about, and I know that my grandfather swore by it, but for me, this year, it did not work. Now I may still reap some rewards, but when you put plants in the ground too early, they don’t grow, and if left too long in this state, they will become weak and then attract pests and diseases. Yep, it is survival of the fittest!  

What I did love about the concept was that there were specific dates that you had to meet. Left to my own, I tend to get busy and not get seeds planted when I want, so this strict schedule was great. So, maybe if I push the whole schedule back a month next year, it may work. Maybe I will use my old zip code in Pennsylvania to get a later start and still be following the moon’s cycle. Who knows? We will just have to wait and see.  

If you tried Moon Planting, let me know if it worked for you. 

Happy planting! 

Hi! I'm Marion

Hi! I'm Marion

…a wife, mom, spatial designer, vegan recipe developer, Bohemian spirit, and a Master Gardner in training. I’m on a journey to live an abundant life filled with joy and want to surround myself with the beauty of cottage gardens, to grow organic vegetables and fruits for the table, to prepare healthy, delicious meals for my family and to create a home that soothes us after a long day. I believe that anyone can find joy in their surroundings if given the right tools to envision their dreams. I hope that along our journey, you will find the skills to create the vision you want for your life.