Gardening by the signs thru Aug. 4

Welcome to weekend gardening. If you're planting anything this weekend according to the phases of the moon and signs of the zodiac, here's the information.

First, the moon is in the dark phase now and will remain there until Aug. 9 when the new moon comes into force at 11:08 EDT (adjust for your time zone accordingly). Until then be planting only those vegetables that produce beneath the ground.

According to the signs of the zodiac, today (Friday) and Saturday are ruled by Pisces (the feet), one of the four most fertile signs and great days for planting below-ground producers.

No planting, however, should be going on Aug. 1-2 when the sign moves to Aries (the head), one of the killing signs. You may participate in any gardening activity but planting.

Outstanding planting then returns Aug. 3-4 when the sign moves to Taurus (the neck), like Pisces another of the four most fertile signs.

Great planting days coming by week's end

Good afternoon fellow gardeners! Today and through most of Aug. 9 we find the dark moon in force, the full moon having officially arrived on Sunday night, July 25. Throughout this period you should be planting – if you are planting – only those veggies that produce beneath the ground, and that simply means that what you eat develops below the soil line.

According to the signs of the zodiac, today and Wednesday are ruled by Aquarius (the legs), one of the so-so signs, followed by three days under the influence of Pisces (the feet), one of the most fertile signs. The best days to plant this week will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 29-31, with the moon in the dark phase and the sign in Pisces.

Again, just be aware of first-frost date in whatever zone you're planting. You don't want to spend the time and money on something that's going to get zapped before it makes it to harvest.

Yours in good gardening!

Series of so-so signs begins today

Greetings gardeners! Today begins a series of so-so days according to the signs of the zodiac. But before I get into that let me tell you the moon is in the light phase now and will remain there until the full moon comes into force Sunday evening. Until then plant only those veggies that produce beneath the ground and then beginning Monday and until the next new moon late on Aug. 10, only those that produce beneath the ground.

According to the believers, there are three zodiac signs that are just so-so when it comes to planting. They are, in order as they're coming into force beginning today, Sagittarius (the thighs), Capricorn (the knees) and Aquarius (the legs. These signs will be in force though Wednesday, July 28. Veggies planted on these days should do okay, just not quite as good as those planted on fertile days.

The next days for truly outstanding planting, according to the signs of the zodiac, will be July 29-31 when the sign is in Pisces (the feet), one of the four most fertile signs.

Outstanding day to plant

If you have planting to do - from the flowerpot to a two-acre field - today is an outstanding day for it just as yesterday was and tomorrow will be. The sign is in Scorpio (the secrets) and the moon is in the light phase.

Scorpio is one of the four most fertile signs, the others being Pisces (the feet), Taurus (the neck) and Cancer (the breast). With the moon in the light phase, if you're planting vegetables your focus should be on those that produce above the ground like beans, corn, tomatoes, etc. Please remember what planting zone you're in, however. In many locations in the northern hemisphere it's too late to plant certain veggies because they won't have time to mature and produce before frost arrives in the fall.

Of course in the south where summer goes on and on, you can continue to plant and harvest.

Check your garden for the moisture level and never plant when the ground's wet or you'll regret if for the rest of the planting season!

Have a mah-velous day in the garden!

Great three days on tap!

Welcome to a new week in the garden - whatever form your "garden" may take. Today, Tuesday and Wednesday are outstanding days for anything that produces above the ground with the moon in the light phase and the sign in Scorpio (the secrets), one of the most productive signs.

Just remember to be aware of the growing zone you're in and how long it is until the average first frost. There's no need to plant things that aren't going to make it to maturity.

Flowering signs through Sunday

Good morning, fellow gardeners!

If you're even considering giving planting according to the phases of the moon and signs of the zodiac a try - and I hope you are - today, Saturday and Sunday, July 16-18, are outstanding ones for planting flowers. The moon is in the light phase and the sign today is in Virgo (the bowels) while Saturday and Sunday it's in Libra (the reins).

Both of these signs are known as the "blooming signs" and anything planted when one of these signs is in force should bloom and do so abundantly. So if you're planting flowers in your yard, patio containers, pots, window boxes or green house then these are your days.

Just so you can make plans, outstanding general planting for all vegetables that produce above the ground is on tap for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, July 19-21. Just be sure to consider the region where you're located to be sure there's enough growing season left for the veggies that enjoy summer conditions to reach maturity and harvest before cool weather arrives.

How to make your good garden even better!

Welcome gardeners around the world! Allow me to offer you a brief introduction to Planting by the Phases of the Moon and Signs of the Zodiac.

This site is devoted to helping you make your gardening efforts more successful by utilizing the phases of the moon and signs of the zodiac. And your "garden" can be an acre you raise to sell at a farmers market or roadside stand, some built-up planting beds in your backyard, a couple of pots on your apartment patio, flowers around the house - from roof gardens on high rises to open fields, if you're planting then simply doing so at the best time according to the phases and signs will help.

If you love gardening and planting - and if you didn't you wouldn't be reading this - then you want to get the most out of it whether it's vegetables or flowers. I invite you to give planting by the phases and signs a try, understanding that it can't hurt a thing and I truly believe it will help.

There are two major elements to this system: The moon and the signs of the zodiac. Simply put, when the moon's in the light phase – from new moon to full moon - you plant veggies that produce (that means what you eat) above the ground. That would be things like corn, tomatoes, beans, squash - what you eat develops above ground.

Conversely, if what you eat develops below the ground - like onions, potatoes, turnips – then you would plant in the dark phase of the moon, which is from the full moon until the next new moon. You can check out what phase the moon's in a variety of ways or, just to make this is simple as possible, I'll tell you each day along with whether or not the sign in force is an appropriate one for planting because there are some that are better than others.

Now the signs. This is a bit more complicated than the moon phases and that's why if you don't want to fully understand it then that's not necessary because I'll just tell you whether or not you should plant. Rather than "choke you to death" with this posting, let's just leave the signs element of it right there and I'll go into it in a bit more depth soon, perhaps based on your questions.

Now, let the conversation and questions begin. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. I know there are other sites similar to this, there are Almanacs, etc. I'm not saying mine is right and theirs is wrong, all I am saying is through reading, talking to others who religiously follow this system, and gardening myself I have found this works for me - and I'm offering it to help you, too.

A reader from Oklahoma called me the other day. He gave his name, where he was calling from and then said, "I've finally found something worth reading on the Internet - your column!" I was humbled and don't claim that's going to be the case for anyone else but just give it a look, give it a try and let's see how things go.

Now today, July 15: The moon is in the light phase (above-ground producers) and the sign is in Virgo (the bowels), one of the flowering signs. Today is a perfect day for planting flowers because Virgo and Libra (the reins) are flowering signs or "bloom days." These flowering signs will be in force through July 18. This period is okay for veggies, but not the greatest. Outstanding veggie days are coming July 19-21 when the sign moves to Scorpio (the secrets).