Planting by the Moon

planting by the moon cycle

-By Lindsay Brandon

My affinity for the Moon truly became an integral part of my belief system in my early teens.  I spent a lot of time in a forest close to my house and I clearly recall connecting with nature very deeply on my solo adventures into the woods.

I was mystified by the way the Moon controlled the tides, and knowing what I knew about the content of our bodies being mostly water, I thought surely it must have a strong effect on us as well. I started to purchase the farmers' almanac every year so that I could understand where we were in the moon cycle from month to month. I wanted to see if there was a direct effect on how I felt emotionally and how full the moon was. The more I read about the cycles of the moon the more I could see the patterns revealing within myself -how I could integrate the cycles into my life choices. It seemed like a no-brainer to extend this awareness into my relationship with plants and the natural world.

To garden by the moon is to take advantage of the flow of energy and the intensity of that flow at different stages throughout the lunar cycle.  For example, a seed is planted at a new moon, a new beginning, a fresh start. As the moon waxes (which means it’s going from new to full) the plant is in its most active stage of growth. The full moon is the best time to pick flowers and fruits or veg at the ultimate ripeness and taste.  And as the moon wanes from the full moon back to the new moon the plants' energy goes inward and is a good time for pruning, deadheading, and gathering seeds.

Getting metaphysical in the permaculture world can be controversial.  And that’s OK if it’s too woo-woo for some, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. 

Still to this day when major things happen in life I look to the moon.  It is said to start new adventures on the new moon, it may be quickly subsiding but if you take a new action as the moon is waning it may have a longer effect on life.  It hasn’t been a focus of mine to check and track these things - but just to notice,  as I notice the light of the beautiful moon‘s face every time I see it and revel in its beauty time and time again~