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

                                    February

Gemini                      When the moon moves into Gemini on the 4th this month gather neighbourhood friends around and indulge in a “talk fest”. The Gemini moon is great for holding gatherings and meetings. Ideas can be exchanged about the future of your neighbourhood in a friendly atmosphere and friendly negotiations between neighbours on subjects such as communal fences can be instigated. Action can come later and talk is just fine right now so make the most of the Gemini moon.

Libra                       The 2nd of the month sees the third quarter moon arrive in the air sign, Libra. Best time to harvest this month. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and aubergines are ripening right now and are crying out to be turned into pickles, chutneys and sauces. Remove flowers that are beginning to wilt and shrivel but save to let seeds form on your very best plants that you will wish to propagate next season. You may also want to swap seeds with other keen gardeners who are also seed savers. 

Scorpio                       After the moon leaves Libra it finds itself, still in the third quarter, under the influence of Scorpio. It's a good idea to take cuttings from fuchsias and pelegaroniums now so that they have time to get their roots established and growing before Winter strikes. Strawberry runners can be taken and potted up for a good start in Spring. Again, looking ahead to Spring, plant early flowering bulbs such as grape hyacinths and crocuses to herald the beginning of warmer weather.

Pisces                          Pisces rules the first quarter moon from the 14th this month. Sow the next round of salad vegetables and Winter brassicas. It's also a good idea to sow hardy annuals, bi-annuals, perennials to over Winter and get away to an early start in Spring. Some of the seeds you sow may be really tiny and it can become dificult to see when you sow into open ground. Mix them with something you can see such as flour or talcum powder to make the task easier. Some plants you can leave to self seed where they are.

Aquarius                           The Christmas and New Year holidays are just a fading memory now and the next excitement for gardeners in the Northern hemisphere is the arrival of Spring and the warmer weather. Take advantage the gregarious nature of the Aquarius moon when it arrives on the 5th and make contact with garden clubs and seed swapping groups. There are people around who specialise in collecting unusual seeds so before you make your plans for next year's gardening season find out what is really out there. 

Aries                                   By the time the moon moves to Aries on the 17th you will have done all your research and will be ready to plan your garden for the new season ahead. Analyse the photos you took last Summer and make decisions re colour form and fragrance. Study the results of your research on seed collectors as well as commercial seed catalogues and place orders for new seeds. Take advantage of the fact that the trees are bare and you are looking at the basic structure of your garden which should help the decision making.

Cancer                              The 23rd of the month sees the third quarter moon fall under the influence of Cancer. If you really want to feel a bit closer to Spring like sow a few tomato seeds and put them in your hot water cupboard or a similar warm area and let them germinate. When they germinate they need to be put in a closed in porch or on a warm window sill during the day time. It is wise not to plant tomatoes in the same place every year but if you do have a favorite place for them then change the soil.   

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.