| Tiny globules of light glimmer from the sheen of spring leaves and flowers. Their shimmers refract a darkening sky overhead, a horizon of clouds smudged with the gentle flecks of an approaching, ash-coloured storm.
Sydney has received an unusual drenching this spring.
The ordinarily warm, dry weather boasts an impeccable display of vibrant flora, and decorating the landscape from September to November are constellations of blossoms and young buds. Golden wattles (the national emblem) and jacarandas infuse the air with their pungent, sweet scents, while tulips herald the arrival of garden shows and flower festivals.
As the spring weather patterns seem to have changed, so too, it seems, have the horticultural practices of some gardeners. Of course, planting such staples as sweet potato, paw paw, beans carrots, capsicum and cauliflower, is still advised for this time of the year. Spring is also an excellent time to plant melons, cucumbers and beetroot, while carnations, amaranthus, nasturtiums and dichondra are all recommended from the flower range.
Yet more interesting among some gardeners is the growing trend of ‘moon gardening’ – that is, planting and gardening according to the phases of the moon, correlated by a lunar calendar (not a new practice, though, as even ancient societies employed the techniques of ‘lunar agriculture’.)
An explanation of moon gardening is less bewildering and far simpler than it might at first appear. The earth’s large bodies of water – including oceans, rivers, and groundwater – are controlled by the gravitational pull of the moon. So plants, consisting largely of fluid, and deriving their water source from the soil, are also of course, affected by these gravitational pulls.
The moon’s movement is divided into four quarters. The first quarter increasing is marked by the appearance of a New Moon (crescent moon), while the second quarter increasing sees the appearance of a Full Moon. The period from the Full Moon to the Third Quarter is called third quarter decreasing, and the last quarter is known as fourth quarter decreasing.
Each quarter provides different gardening benefits. ‘Lunar agriculture’ websites even specify what to plant when:
The gravitational pull of the moon is greater during the first and second quarters, and less during the third and fourth quarters. Seeds and crops planted during the first and second quarters can more easily take up water than those sown in the waning or decreasing phases. As a rule of thumb, plants with a lot of leaf area and/or requiring a lot of water during establishment (such as lettuce, spinach, brassicas etc) do better if planted during the first or second quarter, and root crops (eg: onions, carrots, garlic) trees and deep rooting shrubs which are tolerant to more dry conditions can be planted generally during the third quarter. The fourth quarter has the weakest gravitational pull and is generally used for cultivation, soil preparation, weeding, extermination of pests and noxious growths, and for starting worm farms and compost heaps.
Cited from Living Simply Will this trend continue? Gardeners agree that plant growth is, indeed, affected by the phases of the moon. It only remains to be seen whether ‘green thumbs’ will change their practices and become ‘moon thumbs.’
A guide for lunar gardening can be found here.
A diary of what to plant in Spring can also be found here.
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