Planting by moon phases and zodiac signs
Here’s May’s information on planting by the phases of the
moon and signs of the zodiac. All times given are EDT for USDA planting zone
6b. Simply adjust for your time and planting zones.
Remember, a “garden” can be any size from a bucket to several
acres. Planting by the phases of the moon and signs of the zodiac just helps
your good garden grow better – no matter the size of your “good garden.”
The moon
May begins and ends with the moon in the
light phase. The light moon rules until the full moon appears at 5:42 p.m. EDT
on May 10 and then returns at 3:44 p.m. on May 25, continuing until full moon on
June 9 at 9:10 a.m.
The dark moon
then rules May 11 and until mid-afternoon on May 25, book-ended by light moon
days to begin and end the month.
“General Tips”
for dark- and light-moon activities are below and for veggies, it’s
above-ground producers in the light moon and below-ground producers when the
dark phase is in, preferably when fertile signs are in force.
The signs
Remember: Check
to see if the moon is in the light or dark phase (information above) before
proceeding with planting or other activities.
May begins with
the fertile sign Cancer (the breast) in force and the moon in the light phase,
but I will defer reviewing the fertile signs until later. Let’s start with
what’s up next – the killing sign Leo – and go from there through the month.
Killing signs:
No planting, transplanting, or dealing with things you want to thrive should
occur on these days. Reserve them for cultivating, cleaning out fencerows —
anything but planting: Leo (the heart), May 2-3, 29-30; and Aries (the head),
May 21-22. We are cursed with six
killing days in May, one of the greatest months for planting when we could
do without any which, of course, is impossible!
Flowering
days: These are “bloom days” and well suited for planting those
glorious flowers that will bloom for us all summer. And if we have too many
killing days, which we don’t want, we have lots of flowering days, which is
good. Here’s the breakdown:
Virgo (the
bowels) rules May 4-5 and 31; and Libra (the reins) is in force May 6-8, four a
total of six flowering days this
month!
Fertile days:
These are the most fertile signs in the zodiac. Here’s the breakdown as they
occur this month and the phase of the moon in which they appear:
As I mentioned above, the month begins
with Cancer (the breast) in force. It also rules on May 27-28 and like last
month, all with the light moon in force; Scorpio (the secrets), May 9-10, the 9th
with the light moon in force and the moon moving to the dark phase at 5:42 on
the 10th; Pisces (the feet),
May 18-20, dark moon; and Taurus (the neck), 23-24, both with the dark moon
ruling.
There are 10 days this month ruled by the four most fertile signs – Scorpio,
Pisces, Taurus and Cancer – five in the light moon (above-ground producers) and
five when the dark moon rules (below-ground producers). You can’t ask for a
better distribution than that!
Ideally, if the weather is cooperative
and the soil is dry, these would be the days on which to plant your entire
summer garden with possible exception of beans on the Gemini days.
Gemini days:
Gemini (the arms) rules May 25-26. This is the best sign for planting beans -
we Old Timers say they grow “long as your arm.” The moon moves to the light
phase in mid-afternoon on the 25th and then, of course, is there all
day on the 26th, so effectively 1.5 days.
And if you don’t
get them in the ground then, two great days follow with the very fertile sign
Cancer ruling and the moon firmly in the light phase. The best day for planting
beans is the 26, next is 27-28.
So-so days:
These aren’t particularly fertile nor destructive, just so-so. They appear in
this order (as they always do): Sagittarius (the thighs), May 11-13; Capricorn
(the knees), May 14-15; and Aquarius (the legs), May 16-17. Again, this month we
have seven days ruled by the so-so
signs. All of them are when the dark moon is in force and that makes them
perfect for making changes, too.
More about that
below.
May tips
Here are a few
general tips for activities other than planting:
>Pouring gravel: If you have gravel to
pour on a drive or roadway, do that when the light moon rules through most of May
10 and then beginning May 26 through all of June 8. The same applies for stones
on a garden path: Place them when the moon is in the light phase so they don’t
sink.
>If you’re
setting fence posts, do that in the
light of the moon so the posts don’t sink.
>If you’re
putting on a new shingle roof, do
that when the moon’s in the dark phase so that the shingles stick down and
don’t curl up on the ends.
>Making changes: We continue with lots
of perfect days for making changes
with the moon in the dark phase and the signs going out of the body beyond
anything that functions.
Those days are May 11-20, 10 perfect days, up
one from April. No need to break them down again since you have that above,
they encompass Sagittarius (thighs) on May 11 through the two Pisces (feet) days
on May 19-20. The moon is in the dark phase the entire time and the signs are
going out of the body beyond anything that functions.
If you are looking for perfect days to wean
animals or children, stop smoking, start a diet or exercise program, schedule
elective surgery – anything that requires a change – then these are your days!
