Planting by the Signs
A Basic Primer, part 1
Some basics in understanding how to plant by the signs is to understand how the Moon moves through the sky. It moves into a new sign approximately every two and half days. Each sign is connected to the parts of the human body (this is considered Rulership), is barren, fruitful or semi-fruitful, is connected to one of the four elements, and is either masculine or feminine.
If all you can keep in your head is what each sign is in connection to its barrenness or fruitfulness will be immensely helpful.
Now that you have that chart its important to understand the Moon phases and how they affect the plants, seeding, cultivation, and even soil preparation. The Moon has four phases known as quarters when it comes to discussing planting by the signs.
Moon Phases
1st Quarter - 7 day period of the lunar month starting with the new moon. In almanacs and on calendars it is usually depicted as a full circle dark colored moon.
2nd Quarter- 7 day period following the 1st quarter and goes until the full moon. It is usually depicted as a colored in crescent moon.
3rd Quarter- 7 day period of the lunar month starting with the full moon. It is depicted with a full circle empty moon shape.
4th quarter- 7 day period leading to the new moon. It is usually depicted as an empty crescent moon shape.
During the 1st and 2nd quarter is what is referred to as the Light of the Moon. Those 14 days of the month are when the moon is growing stronger. It is also referred to as the waxing moons. This is the time of the month that gardeners will focus on above ground growth plants.
During the 3rd and 4th quarters the moon is referred to as the Dark of the Moon. This is the 14 day period between the full moon leading to the new moon. The moon is also referred to as waning during this period. Gardeners will focus on root crops or plants that need to develop a deep root system.
Planting tips under the Phases
During the first quarter of the moon you will focus on planting things that will seed outside of the fruit. During the second quarter of the moon the focus is on plants that seed inside the fruit. The 3rd quarter is best for root crops or plants that need a developed root system.
Here is a small chart to give you an easier idea (once you understand the theory it will be easy to determine under which moon phase to plant what crop).
So how do you figure out what sign the moon happens to be in on any particular day? The easiest answer is get a good almanac. The almanac will have the calendar with the sign the moon is in for the time zone that it was created in. So there is a little math you may have to do if you aren't in the exact time zone as the almanac calendar is written in. Even if you live in the eastern time zone but the almanac time is set to the Boston time zone and you live in Knoxville Tennessee the sun will rise at a slightly different time than that of Boston. So you have to make an adjustment for the longitude of where you live. I am using the example provided in the book Raising with the Moon by Jack R. Pyle and Taylor Reese.
"As an example: The Time given in the almanac for their calculations is for Greenwich, England, or 0 degrees longitude. If you live in Peoria, Illinois, you must determine the degree of longitude for that city. Peoria is 89 and half degrees west of 0 degrees. Multiply this figure (89 and a half) by four, and that is the difference in time (minutes). If you live west of the longitude where the almanac calculations are made, you add this amount of time to the time given; subtract it is you live east of it. In this example 4 x 89.5=358. Each hour has only sixty minutes, so the difference here is 5 hours and 58 minutes, to be added to the time given in the almanac, because Peoria is west of Greenwich, England."
The math can sometimes get a little confusing. I am sure there is probably an app for your phone, or a website that will figure out the math for you. I don't know one off the top of my head, but if you do know one please comment below with that information! It would be immensely helpful!
Okay so for a part 1 of a primer I think this is quite a lot of information to absorb at first. Once you know what phase the moon is in, and what sign the moon is in (following the chart above) you will be able to start using this traditional method of planting and get in tune with Lunar, Solar, and Earthly powers!
I plan on doing a series of these posts examining planting by the signs more in depth. Be sure to follow, share and comment!
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