Welcome to Suzanne Summer's gardening by the moon. Garden by the Moon helps you plan when to sow, plant,  water and harvest on a monthly and seasonal basis. Buy online now or buy direct from Suzanne at gardener@clear.net.nz

                                                           July                    

Taurus                  With the change in seasons imminent it's time to think retail and when the moon, at the beginning of the final quarter, on the 25th , moves into Taurus, what better part of the month to hit the shops. The Taurus moon is great to buy household items in so head off to the garden centre. Look for garden furniture, implements, garden art, punnets of plants, trees and shrubs. You name it – it'll be there! A word of warning though – don't go overboard it's only five months to Christmas!

Scorpio                      Scorpio rules the first quarter moon for the 2 ½ days from the 11th this month. If conditions are not too wet and muddy you will find this to be the best time this month to plant out new fruit trees and shrubs. Scorpio is one of the fertile water signs. A fixed sign, Scorpio has the characteristics of stubbornness and persistence and can inspire any plant which is not as sturdy and healthy as it could be to hang in, cling to life, and eventually flourish in your garden.
      

Sagittarius           Time for more garden maintenance when the moon, in its final quarter, swings into Gemini on the 27th. Prepare beds for Spring planting unless ground conditions are wet and muddy. Gemini, an air sign is great to work up your soil to aerate it but if you do this in wet muddy soil you will squish all the air out and make the soil worse not better. Check out and repair cold frames and other protection for plants as you will be needing them very shortly when you begin to set out less than hardy plants.          

Cancer                The moon leaves Gemini to come under the influence of Cancer on the 29th of the month. Close to the end of the final quarter this Cancer moon makes for ideal conditions to apply a mulch of organic compost on your freshly worked beds. When the moon is waxing all the goodness from the soil moves upwards through the plant's roots and conversely, when the moon is waning the movement is downwards into the soil and we apply our fertiliser – like breathing in and out! 

                  

 
Aquarius                         The moon attains fullness in the morning of the 18 th this month and in the afternoon it moves into the zodiac sign Aquarius. Great for harvesting! Strawberries, gooseberries, currants (black, red and white) will all be at their peak. Early plums will be ripe for picking as well. Bottle or preserve any surplus in syrup. Take a look in the orchard and check apples pears and apricots for fruit that needs thinning. This is one of the most rewarding times of the year when all the hard work seems worthwhile. 
                       
                 

Pisces                         With the warmer weather now in force you should take a look at your water and water systems when the moon moves into Pisces on the 21st of this month. Plants in containers will need constant attention as they will be imbibing more in these conditions. Containers are also jammed full of plants which will be compete for moisture to the detriment of the less vigorous if there is not plenty for all. Look for ways of collecting rainwater as natural water is so much better for plants.

Sagittarius                              When the moon finds itself in Sagittarius on the 13th of the month it's time for some garden maintenance. Look for suckers under trees and remove them. If they are shooting from the bottom of a grafted fruit tree they will be taking goodness that should be going up to ripening fruit. Cut them off as close to the the trunk or roots as possible for best results. Check paths and paving slabs for weeds poking up through the cracks and pour boiling water over them to kill them. 

Gardeners have been aware for centuries of the cyclic effects the moon has on the growth of plants. A few people (Culpeper for instance) were aware of the influence of the zodiac signs. Today this knowledge is undergoing a type of renaissance as people delve through old records and find that many ideas and techniques which had fallen into disuse have a place in today's way of life. Basically the trick is to sow and plant when the moon is both waxing and in a fertile sign and cultivate, weed and eradicate pests and diseases when the moon is waning and in a barren sign. This means that there is an optimal time in each lunar month to perform each type of gardening activity, sowing, planting, harvesting, seed collection etc. By following the phases of the moon and its progression through the zodiac signs it is possible work in harmony with nature to achieve maximum enjoyment from the garden.

The basic activities in the various phases of the moon are :-

New moon brings in an upsurge of energy so we sow, plant, and transplant annuals which produce above ground crops. We avoid harvesting as rot sets in more quickly and we mow and trim if growth is to be encouraged.

1st quarter - the sap is still rising so carry on with more or less the same activities as in the new moon.

Full moon sees a peak in electromagnetic energies - the sap begins to flow downwards towards the roots so it is a favourable time to plant anything for which good root growth is important. We also harvest at this time as there is less chance of rot setting in.

4th quarter - is the barren time of the lunar cycle so it is an optimum time to weed and cultivate as well as harvesting. It is not a good time to sow and plant although transplanting can begin about 3 days before the new moon arrives.

In addition to all this the moon is always in one of the 12 zodiac signs and this adds to the formula as it is better to sow and plant when the moon is in a fertile zodiac sign, harvest in a fire or air sign etc.

Other very important considerations are climate, soil temperature, and season not to mention the fact that each set of rules has its set of exceptions.