Ancient Moon Gardening for Growth, Health and Harmony

by Kerry Galea

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The Essentials of Moon Harmony

The rhythm of the Moon gives us the rhythm of nature. We evolved with the Moon governing the ebb and flow of natural energy. Once in harmony with nature’s energy, it is surprising how easily we can take care of ourselves, our health, gardens, farms, pets, and animals. Being in this flow will increase ease with life, the beauty of your garden, the health of your animals, and productivity of your crops.

Always remember that we are part of nature. Not separate, not above. Stepping into a lived experience of that connection will help in quite amazing ways!

We can follow the Moon’s rhythm in beginning new endeavours, reduce what is no longer desired or needed, and gather goodwill and abundance. For our gardens, there are specific days each month which are perfect to plant and sow. Other days which are perfect to prune to increase growth and days that are perfect to prune to retard growth. And others to feed, weed, and harvest food. And there are certain days each month to harvest herbs for remedies, to treat animals, and to treat plants.

The ancients have been using it for a very long time. I will initially discuss using the Moon for the garden, then how to use it in our personal and business lives, then in gathering herbs for medicines and remedies, and finally pet and animal care.

We are nature!

How does it work?

The ancients continually refer to the waxing and waning Moon phases, and to the fertile and barren signs. They spend lots of time discussing these, but they leave out the details of how to apply these rules and seem to think that we already know! So much has been lost, and it’s probably due to the killing fields of the inquisition and so-called witch burnings where knowledge and understanding of natural lore was crushed. As an avid gardener and lover of history I had been gathering old knowledge even before I became enamoured with astrology. And since finding the ancient astrological principles, I have been experimenting and using Moon gardening for many years. This includes creating a Moon Gardening Calendar available online.

Basically, we need to pay attention to two rules: Moon phases which are waxing and waning, and Moon signs, which are either fertile or barren.

Moon Phase

Just after the New Moon, when the Moon is waxing and appearing to grow in size, the life force, or energy, is going into a growing phase. Thus, it is time to do all activities for growth which includes planting, sowing, taking cuttings, pruning to stimulate growth, and applying foliage fertilizer, treatments or poisons. Everything you give to a plant; it will readily absorb.

After the Full Moon, when the Moon appears to be shrinking in size, known as waning, the life force, or energy is going into the roots. In the waning Third Quarter, it’s time to plant root crops, prune to retard growth, have haircuts or hair colours (yes it works), harvest for storage, cultivate the ground and apply organic manure. In the Fourth Quarter you can do the same, but the difference is that no planting should take place.

I am going to go over this again in a little more detail. And it is important to think of it as a “cycle”. A never-ending cycle. The days of the Lunar month are divided into 3 days for the New Moon, a few days for the First Quarter waxing, then a few days for the Second Quarter waxing. At the culmination there are 3 days for the Full Moon, then a few days for the Third Quarter, and finally a few days for the Fourth Quarter, then it’s back to a New Moon. The Moon has her own sweet natural time, so nothing is regimented or controlled and does not fit in with normal calendars.

If you want to start slowly in using this system, keep it simple and forget about the quarters and simply use the waxing and waning Moon. When the Moon is waxing and getting visibly larger then is time to do all activities for growth which includes planting, pruning, and fertilising. And when the Moon is waning and getting visibly smaller, then it’s time to plant root crops, harvest for storage and weed. This is a good place for “newbies” to start living and learning about Moon harmony. Then you can start using the quarters, and then start using the signs.

Fertile or Barren Moon Signs

The idea of Fertile and Barren Moons has been used since humankind put pen to paper; and possibly before that. The Moon moves through each of the 12 zodiac signs and is in each sign for approximately 2 (and a bit) days.

Some of these signs are first best fertile; some are second best fertile (the ancients called them semi-fertile); and some are barren.

Please note that throughout my work I have changed the ancient term of semi-fertile, to second best fertile, which I think best describes it.

Planting, pruning, transplanting and spraying should be done in fertile Moons. This is the time that the plants actively growing and taking on nutrients. The first best fertile days are better than the second best fertile days and are preferred when planting or moving large or expensive plants, but for most basic planting tasks, I find that either day is good. When the Moon is in a barren sign, it is time to harvest for storage and to weed. The ancients did not call it barren for nothing! Plants are in a passive mode. They are barren.

- The first best fertile Moon signs are Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces.

- The second best fertile Moon signs are Taurus, Libra, and Capricorn.

- The barren Moon signs are Aries, Gemini, Virgo, Leo, Sagittarius, and Aquarius.

Some ancient authors labelled Capricorn as semi-barren, others argued about it along with Aquarius, and I welcome input on any research here. I use Capricorn as a second best Moon sign and for plants that are easy to grow, they grow well. But I always use first best for important, expensive or fussy plants. And I have found through experimenting in the garden that Aquarius is definitely barren.

Please note that Ancient Moon Gardening system is different to the Steiner model developed by Rudolph Steiner in the 1930s which uses Moon phase combined with the days that the Moon is in fire, earth, air and water signs. The Steiner theory is that the blossom, the fruit, the leaf and the root of the plant are each stimulated by a different Moon element: Fire signs for fruit, Earth for roots, Water for leaves and Air for flowers.

I followed the Steiner Biodynamic Moon gardening system many years ago, and like a good little Virgo, I did a few experiments. The results were clear that planting when the Moon was in hot dry Aries just does not work! And some plants give us both seeds crops and leaf crops, so it’s confusing when they should be planted. I also found that the Steiner method does not consider the days for pruning, spraying, weeding, and harvesting. And some of these are the jobs we spend the majority of our precious time on!

Since identifying these problems, I always follow the ancient idea of fertile and barren Moon signs and have had greater success than I ever had with the Steiner Moon system. However, bear in mind that the word “biodynamic” also encompasses soil conditioners, compost making, sustainable ideals and cropping techniques, all of which were designed to reanimate the natural forces of the earth. And they are all worth doing!

Using Phase and Sign with the New and Full Moon

New Moon

Do not do anything on the New or Full Moons, or on the days either side. These 3 days are what I call “Rest Days” and are an important part of any cycle. Put your feet up, or if as normally happens it is not possible to rest, at least be restful of body, mind and heart.

Planting at the New Moon it can lead to plants being in such a rush that they bolt to seed, and pruning at the New Moon can least to long straggly weak growth which is more likely to break. However, this is the best time to cut timber for building or firewood as it resists warping and dries quickly.

Waxing Fertile Moon

As soon as the Crescent Moon is visible and waxing in first and second quarter and in a fertile sign, then it’s action time - time to plant, sow, re-pot, transplant, graft, spray and feed. It’s also time to prune, tip-prune, take cuttings and dead head plants to encourage lush growth. For those that are extra keen to get the most out of your veggie patch, in the waxing fertile first quarter it is recommended to plant and sow leafy vegetables like silverbeet, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, asparagus, celery, asian greens and brussel sprouts. In the waxing fertile second quarter it’s best to plant and sow fruity type vegetables like tomatoes, beans, peas, zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin, capsicum, and squash.

Waxing Barren Moon

When the moon is waxing in first and second quarter and in a barren sign, it’s time to concentrate on maintenance and cleaning. You will be pleasantly surprised that big cleaning tasks can become easy. I only clean windows or do other big jobs at a waxing phase in a barren sign. They take less time with less effort!

Full Moon

The day before, the day of, and the day after a Full Moon are ideally rest days. Life does not always let this happen so at least be aware and become restful of body, mind and heart. Planting at the Full Moon can lead to distorted and twisted growth of plants and crops. Weird growth can begin at a Full Moon. But it’s also the best time for eating fresh produce as its vibrant and juicy. Cut flowers will last for ages. You can also harvest crops, oils and herbs for potency and taste, bearing in mind that you must be very, very, careful that they don’t spoil and go mouldy in storage.

Waning Fertile Moon

When the Moon is waning in the third quarter and in a fertile sign, it’s time to plant root crops like beetroot, parsnip, carrots, and potatoes. It’s also time to prune to retard growth. New foliage growth is limited, so the energy goes to the roots, and cut ends heal quickly with no die-back. It is also a great time to mow lawns, and cut hedges. Also perfect for haircuts, colours, shaving or waxing hair. Things stay in place. They slow down.

Waning Barren

When the Moon is waning and in a barren sign, harvest your crops for long term storage as loss through mould and mildew is reduced. Weeding, as well as dehorning or castrating stock, is ideal in the fourth quarter. What is removed… stays removed!

The most wonderful aspect of Moon gardening is that doing tasks at the right Moon time makes everything happen easily. When one is in harmony with the right task at the right time; then it really does take a lot less time and energy. And I like easy!

Handy Tips!

Your Ephemeris, or Solar Fire, will always tell you if the Moon is waxing or waning. But you can also tell by looking up at the Moon itself.

Look at the Moon and imagine that you want to grab hold with one hand. Put up each hand and decide which hand will curve and hold the most rounded side of the Moon. Here in the southern hemisphere, if it’s your left hand, then it’s a waxing and increasing in visible size. If it’s your right hand, then the Moon is waning and decreasing in visible size. The opposite applies in the northern hemisphere. If the Moon appears as a bowl or a bucket Moon, then you will not be able to tell if it’s waxing or waning, but ancient stories say that this means the Moon is full of water and it will soon rain! Don’t laugh; it’s true… most of the time.

You may need to find out where north, south, east and west are at night. Here in the southern hemisphere, the Moon will be a little more towards the northern part of the sky, especially in summer. See which side of the Moon is lit up. If its evening time and it’s lit up on the left-hand side then the Sun, which is the source of the light shining on the Moon, must be on that side. Since the Sun always sets in the west you know where west is.

Have you ever seen the whole Moon but only a part of it is glowing brightly? This is known as earthshine and is caused during a crescent moon when the sunlight reflects off the Earth and shines back on the Moon, and then shines back down to Earth where you can see it. So you will see the brilliant crescent and also the darker circle of the Moon showing a beautiful glow. The ancients saw it as the new moon resting in the arms of the old moon.

Let’s experiment! Let them bolt to seed.

img src="/im/in/faa2408_moon.jpg" class="infoimg fright" style="width: 35%; max-width: 300px; height: auto;" alt="Moon over mountain">As I told you earlier; if you plant or sow on the New Moon, plants will tend to bolt to seed. So why not take advantage of this, but only try this idea on a fertile New Moon. Try planting something like tomatoes as we are very interested in the seed because it’s the part of the plant we want to eat. We don’t want a lot of leaves. The problem is that if you do plant on the exact day of the New Moon, plants will tend to grow with long straggly weak branches. If you do this deliberately, plants will need careful staking and support. And tomatoes need lots of support even at their best!

When to weed

Weeding in the barren fourth quarter is ideal if you have a large area or a stubborn weed. This will ensure that the weeds re-growth is limited, and you have a much better chance of success if you keep at the weeds. And since you are in harmony with the Moon, the job will be sooooo much easier. It does work!

In reality, if you waited until barren fourth quarter for all weeding jobs, then the weeds would soon over-run the garden. A delightful gardener I met at a workshop said “pull out one weed a day and that gets rid of 365 of them”. So I suggest that you do you big weeding jobs in the barren 4th quarter, and nibble just a little on a frequent basis. I manage a whole garden with this idea.

One tree - two different times to prune!

Another advanced idea that you can use with moon in your garden, is to choose the times to prune. As I explained earlier, there are times to prune to encourage growth, as well as the times to retard growth. And guess what!….both can be used on the same tree!

Let’s say you have a fruit tree that is too big, and you want it reduce it in size so you can reach the fruit. So, cut out the big branches on the day perfect for “pruning to retard” growth. The growth will be healthy, but the new branches will have reduced vigor and will not grow as long. Then you wait till the perfect Moon day to “prune to encourage growth” to do the usual fruit tree pruning to encourage lateral growth.

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It is an ignorant man who gathers plants with no thought for the shape of the Moon.
Traditional African proverb

The lees be drawn from olive oil when the moon is waning
Varro 116-37 BCE

“Honey apples picked during a waning moon preserve a finer blush”
Horace 65-5 BCE

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Images:

1. Hands in soil: Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash.com
2. Moon Phases: Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
3. Moon over mountain: Photo by Sies Kranen on Unsplash.com

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First published in: FAA Journal, June 2024.

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Author: Kerry Galea

Kerry Galea is a professional Astrologer with over 20 years’ experience who specialises is the practical use of Astrology and how it can be used constructively for clients to live in the Now, to understand the Past and to prepare for the Future. She is an avid gardener using Moon Gardening techniques and publishes the Ancient Moon Gardening Calendar.

For more information visit her website www.kerrygalea.com.au