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

                                    June

Sagittarius                    Sagittarius is in charge of the moon on the 23rd this month just after the Summer/Winter solstice. Sagittarius is a patron of travel, so, spend some time planning your next holiday. Those in the Northern hemisphere will probably be looking to spend time in the sun.and those further South may be looking for the crispness of snow and ice. Wherever you go you will see unusual plants, different methods of gardening, unfamiliar weather conditions etc. Enrich your gardening knowledge. Observe and learn.

Cancer                      The day after the new moon is born it falls under the influence of Cancer on the13th. Not much to be sown now but sweet peas are one of the few seeds which can cope with the current ground temperatures. They have very hard skins you can get them to germinate faster by either soaking them in warm water before sowing or, by cutting a small piece out of the skin with a sharp knife. This should be taken opposite the “eye” of the seed. If you sow now you probably don't need to do either of these though.  

Virgo                           The 17th of the month shows in the zodiac sign Virgo. At this time of the year, in most areas anyway, there is not a great deal of activity going on in the garden but there are still maintenance chores to be done. Enjoy the feel of weak wintery sun on your back and the soothing swish of the rake as you pile up leaves up ready for the compost heap. By now you will be able to see the bare boned structure of your garden so begin thinking about which areas you may wish to alter or reconstruct.

Aquarius                       A week after the Winter solstice the moon swings into Aquarius on the 28th. Well you may not have noticed the days lengthening much at this stage but once we have passed the solstice it's fun think about the arrival of Spring and plan for the busy season. What we can do, to prepare for Spring's arrival, in this Aquarius moon, is to check, clean, sharpen and oil all our equipment and when that is done Aquarius will help us choose any “garden gadgets” needed so off to the garden centre for some retail therapy.

Pisces                          Just before it moves into the fourth quarter the moon finds itself in one of the three water signs, Pisces on the 3rd this month. Root vegetables may be planted now but this may work better when the moon is ruled by Capricorn later in the month. Give the garden a good watering and apply liquid plant fertilisers. When the moon is waning the soil will take in fertilisers more easily ready for when, after new moon, the sap begins to rise again and the plants imbibe the fertilisers.

Gemini                             Close to the end of the fourth quarter. The moon finds itself under the influence of Gemini on the 10th. Time for another round of garden maintenance. Mow the lawns and clip hedges and edges and topiary shrubs. Apply a layer of straw under the strawberries to keep the fruit off the ground. Net strawberries and other soft fruits to deter birds. If your apple, pear, plum or apricot trees have prolific crops this year they may need to be thinned. This will ensure that the ripened fruit will be of better quality.

Capricorn                                The moon attains fullness as it moves into Capricorn this month on the 26th . Plant your Autumn flowering bulbs such as crocus, cyclamen and nerines. Leeks and a late crop of potatoes can be planted in the vegetable garden and harvest early potatoes if they are ready. Swedes may be sown now and can be left in the ground and used as needed over Winter. Swedes are from the same family as cabbages and as such should not be grown in the same ground for two years running.

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.