Out of curiosity I have just received the 2007 diary/almanac for
planting by phases of the moon. The allotmenteer in the recent
television series seemed to think there was a definite advantage to
growing and sowing etc by the phases of the moon.
Thought I'd give it a go in 2007
New book starts in October 2006 so should be fun and MIGHT remind me to
do jobs that I keep putting off until
a) the seedlings are long and drawn for want of planting out
or
b) the seedlings go into the soil a bit too early and I lose them all



Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In reply to Janet Tweedy ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

Out of curiosity I have just received the 2007 diary/almanac for
planting by phases of the moon. The allotmenteer in the recent
television series seemed to think there was a definite advantage to
growing and sowing etc by the phases of the moon.
Thought I'd give it a go in 2007
New book starts in October 2006 so should be fun and MIGHT remind me
to do jobs that I keep putting off until
a) the seedlings are long and drawn for want of planting out
or
b) the seedlings go into the soil a bit too early and I lose them all

"Late crop spuds should be planted on Good Friday" is an adage by which I
have had much success with spuds. Good Friday occurs by dint of cunning
calculation by the church, and I believe that phases of the moon might have
something to do with that, so perhaps there is some truth in it all?

Janet Tweedy wrote:
Out of curiosity I have just received the 2007 diary/almanac for
planting by phases of the moon. The allotmenteer in the recent
television series seemed to think there was a definite advantage to
growing and sowing etc by the phases of the moon.
Thought I'd give it a go in 2007
New book starts in October 2006 so should be fun and MIGHT remind me to
do jobs that I keep putting off until
a) the seedlings are long and drawn for want of planting out
or
b) the seedlings go into the soil a bit too early and I lose them all

This has always been a baffling thing for me too. I have followed to
the closest time when to plant seeds but never seedlings simply because
the book cannot see my seedlings and which stage they are at. I try to
be approximative - but for the seeds I try to follow to the day not the
hour on some occasion. I really didn't feel like getting up at 2.15 am
on a tuesday night to plant my peas !! This year's broadbeans were much
more civilized - the recommended time was 6pm )

In article , Uncle Marvo
writes

"Late crop spuds should be planted on Good Friday" is an adage by which I
have had much success with spuds. Good Friday occurs by dint of cunning
calculation by the church, and I believe that phases of the moon might have
something to do with that, so perhaps there is some truth in it all?





Well it will be one way to get a bit of order into my gardening list of
things to do!

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Janet Tweedy wrote:
Out of curiosity I have just received the 2007 diary/almanac for
planting by phases of the moon. The allotmenteer in the recent
television series seemed to think there was a definite advantage to
growing and sowing etc by the phases of the moon.
Thought I'd give it a go in 2007

There is a marginal advantage to digging the veg garden by moonlight.
You won't break the dormancy on quite so many of the perrenial long
lived seeds in the ground that way. Show them some strong sunlight
while you dig and they will grow.

New book starts in October 2006 so should be fun and MIGHT remind me to
do jobs that I keep putting off until
a) the seedlings are long and drawn for want of planting out
or
b) the seedlings go into the soil a bit too early and I lose them all

I would be a lot more inclined to base planting time on the local
weather.

If you insist on planting at say "full moon" (or any other specific
lunar phase) you are stuck with either planting 2 weeks too early (and
risk see everything lost to a late frost) or two weeks too late getting
a poor crop.

Regards,
Martin Brown

Martin Brown wrote:
[...]
I would be a lot more inclined to base planting time on the local
weather.

If you insist on planting at say "full moon" (or any other specific
lunar phase) you are stuck with either planting 2 weeks too early (and
risk see everything lost to a late frost) or two weeks too late getting
a poor crop.

Not that two weeks either way usually makes a big difference, but I
think you're right: these ideas may simply date from times when people
didn't have calendars, and couldn't have read them if they had. I can't
imagine any mechanism by which the moon would significantly affect
plant growth*. But the idea's proponents are persistently keen on it: I
prefer to remain cautiously open-minded about it till there have been
lots of good experiments.

*(And I'm always fascinated to think that people who reject religions
which have been carefully thought out by first-class minds over
hundreds of years can be tempted by primitive superstitions and such.)

--
Mike.

In article om,
"Martin Brown" writes:
| Janet Tweedy wrote:
| Out of curiosity I have just received the 2007 diary/almanac for
| planting by phases of the moon. The allotmenteer in the recent
| television series seemed to think there was a definite advantage to
| growing and sowing etc by the phases of the moon.
| Thought I'd give it a go in 2007
|
| If you insist on planting at say "full moon" (or any other specific
| lunar phase) you are stuck with either planting 2 weeks too early (and
| risk see everything lost to a late frost) or two weeks too late getting
| a poor crop.

The mistake people make is to use the wrong moon, because they are
thinking geocentrically. Thus comfrey, which is a herb governed by
Saturn, should be planted when Titan is waxing.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Mike Lyle wrote:
Not that two weeks either way usually makes a big difference, but I
think you're right: these ideas may simply date from times when people
didn't have calendars, and couldn't have read them if they had. I can't
imagine any mechanism by which the moon would significantly affect
plant growth*.

I'm surprised at you. It has nothing to do with prehistoric calendars -
there are significant scientific explanations and proof that it does
work. It's not complicated - it works like photoperiodism works and the
effect of the light of the moon as well as it's effect on water, sap
rising and tides. There's been lots of good experiments: thousands of
years of planting by the moon in my region. I myself is influenced by
the moon every months )

*(And I'm always fascinated to think that people who reject religions
which have been carefully thought out by first-class minds over
hundreds of years can be tempted by primitive superstitions and such.)

Religions carefully thought out by first class minds?! LOL!!! You're
jocking aren't you )

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
*(And I'm always fascinated to think that people who reject religions
which have been carefully thought out by first-class minds over
hundreds of years can be tempted by primitive superstitions and such.)
--
Mike.


Don't get me started on religion :-() ! Personally I think religious belief,
planting by the phase of the moon, the tooth fairy and Santa Claus are all
of a similar ilk and are all equally dismissible.
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

David (in Normandy) wrote:
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
*(And I'm always fascinated to think that people who reject religions
which have been carefully thought out by first-class minds over
hundreds of years can be tempted by primitive superstitions and such.)
--
Mike.


Don't get me started on religion :-() ! Personally I think religious belief,
planting by the phase of the moon, the tooth fairy and Santa Claus are all
of a similar ilk and are all equally dismissible.

Not the tooth fairy, surely. Really ? burst bubble

In reply to La Puce ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

David (in Normandy) wrote:
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
*(And I'm always fascinated to think that people who reject
religions which have been carefully thought out by first-class
minds over hundreds of years can be tempted by primitive
superstitions and such.) --
Mike.


Don't get me started on religion :-() ! Personally I think religious
belief, planting by the phase of the moon, the tooth fairy and Santa
Claus are all of a similar ilk and are all equally dismissible.

Not the tooth fairy, surely. Really ? burst bubble

I wasn't too bothered about that, but *Santa* *Claus*?

A fairy just died.

"Uncle Marvo" wrote in message
...
In reply to La Puce ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

David (in Normandy) wrote:
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
*(And I'm always fascinated to think that people who reject
religions which have been carefully thought out by first-class
minds over hundreds of years can be tempted by primitive
superstitions and such.) --
Mike.


Don't get me started on religion :-() ! Personally I think religious
belief, planting by the phase of the moon, the tooth fairy and Santa
Claus are all of a similar ilk and are all equally dismissible.

Not the tooth fairy, surely. Really ? burst bubble

I wasn't too bothered about that, but *Santa* *Claus*?

A fairy just died.


Sorry Puce and Uncle! I was only kidding (about the tooth fairy and Santa
anyway!)
They really *do* exist - there are old documents, many hundreds of years old
that say they exist - and there are lots of believers around the world too -
they can't all be wrong can they?
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

In article , "David (in
Normandy)" writes

Don't get me started on religion :-() ! Personally I think religious belief,
planting by the phase of the moon, the tooth fairy and Santa Claus are all
of a similar ilk and are all equally dismissible.


Oh well I think I'll give it a go for one year, it won't be too life
destroying if things don't go too right but it would be nice to bring a
bit of order to my planting and sowing. My gardening tends to be more of
the ilk of going down the garden with the compost, then seeing a few
weeds, then perhaps taking a few cuttings and tying stuff up that I
actually nearly trip over, etc etc.............

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

The mistake people make is to use the wrong moon, because they are
thinking geocentrically. Thus comfrey, which is a herb governed by
Saturn, should be planted when Titan is waxing.


Ah but how would I know? Thank goodness I've got the book now to tell me
the dates
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

David (in Normandy) wrote:
Sorry Puce and Uncle! I was only kidding (about the tooth fairy and Santa
anyway!)
They really *do* exist - there are old documents, many hundreds of years old
that say they exist - and there are lots of believers around the world too -
they can't all be wrong can they?

Off course not. Though I'm not 100% sure about the tooth fairy because
there wasn't any tooth fairy around when I was a kid. There was 'une
petite souris'. La petite souris came to take the tooth from under our
pillow and leaved a coin. See. But don't tell anyone about that. That
*is* really a secret puts back foil hat on