Malabar by the Moon
Gardening by the Moon
In honor of Lunar New Year, we want to share a vegetable garden planning technique passed down through the ages that seems to guarantee success in the vegetable garden.
It may sound like hippy nonsense, but the first gardeners used the phases of the moon to guide their future generations in successful gardening. That information was passed down through practice, and now exists as an organized chart in the 2020 Old Farmer’s Almanac; moon dates are shown alongside frost dates in a free planting calendar based on zipcode (linked at the end of the article). Why not experiment with some age old wisdom for this year’s veggie harvest? Plant your Red Malabar Spinach and other transplants by the moon!
Geotropism
Geotropism is the relationship between the force of gravity and plant growth. Turn a potted plant or a sprouting bulb sideways and it will turn it’s growth upward toward the sky; underneath the soil, its roots will turn to align themselves with the direction of gravity. As the moon controls the ocean tides it also influenced the water in the ground and plants.
Many gardeners agree that the phases of the moon—and the effectual manipulation of gravity—can be used to their advantage when starting the vegetable garden. For example, when the moon is new, tides are high, and so is ground water. A high level of moisture encourages seeds to sprout. It is said that root vegetables such as potatoes and onions do better when planted during a weaning moon.
Don’t take our word for it— gardening by the moon is The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s philosophy. Their website has more information on the science and method of planting vegetables by the lunar phases and positions.
For exact planting dates
Enter your Richmond, Rosenberg, Sugar Land, Katy, or Fulshear zip code on the site linked below.
For details on all the vegetables you can grow this spring, see our plant variety lists—tomatoes, eggplants, squash, watermelon, and more!