Basic Lunar Gardening Concepts:

Lunar Phases (about 29.5 days)

The ancients considered lunar phases for sowing or planting. Lunar Phases

• The Moon is waxing from the New Moon to the Full Moon. This period is conducive to soil work, treatments (plant-based of course!), transplanting, planting, and sowing fruit vegetables. Vegetables harvested in a waxing moon keep better.
• It is waning from the Full Moon to the New Moon. This period is suitable for sowing what doesn’t need to seed (salads, spinach, onions). It’s also the ideal time for soil work, harvesting (enhanced flavor), or pruning trees and shrubs whose growth you want to limit.

Lunar Cycle (about 26 days)

Biodynamic work shows a seemingly more significant influence of lunar cycles on plants.

The lunar cycle describes the Moon's trajectory in the sky:

• It is said to be ascending (or rising) when its trajectory is higher from one day to the next. The sap rises in the plant. This period is suitable for sowing, planting bulbs, grafting, or harvesting fruits and vegetables for fresh consumption.
• Conversely, it's descending when its trajectory is lower from one day to the next. The sap descends into the roots. It's time to plant, transplant, cut, layer, prune, work the soil, and add organic matter.

*To determine if the moon is ascending or descending: observe its position in the sky relative to a fixed point (the top of a tree, a hill…) at a given time. Observe its position the next day but 2 hours later: if the moon is higher, it’s ascending; if it’s lower, it’s descending

Special Days

• Avoid sowing on new moon days.
• If the Moon is at apogee, avoid sowing.
• If the Moon is at perigee (especially after the Full Moon), it’s a risky situation for plants susceptible to cryptogamic diseases. This enhanced lunar activity can develop such diseases. Therefore, it’s advisable to carry out plant-based spray treatments (for instance, horsetail decoction on the soil for tomatoes to prevent mildew). It’s also a good sowing day, except for plants susceptible to cryptogamic diseases.
• If there’s an unfavorable day (lunar node), avoid gardening.

The Moon and Zodiac Signs

The moon orbits the earth in 27 days, so it passes in front of each of the twelve zodiac constellations.

Thus, three zodiac signs are associated with different elements:

• To earth constellations, (Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn) we associate root vegetables (garlic, beetroot, carrot, turnip, shallot, onion, radish, potato) as well as bulb flowers.
• To air constellations (Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius) correspond flower vegetables as well as annual and perennial flowers, flowering trees and shrubs, or aromatic and medicinal plants whose flowers are harvested.
• To water constellations (Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio) correspond leaf vegetables (artichoke, celery, chicory, cabbages, watercress, spinach, lettuce, leek) and aromatic and medicinal plants whose foliage is harvested.
• To fire constellations (Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius) we associate fruit plants (eggplant, cereals, cucumber, squash, bean, strawberry, raspberry, bean, melon, chili, pea, pumpkin, tomatoes) and fruit trees.

This way of gardening according to the moon and zodiac constellations is an ancient practice that has been observed and followed by many over centuries, aiming to harmonize the gardening activities with the natural rhythms of the celestial bodies.