Phases and signs for May
Here is May’s Overview if you are planting your garden by the
phases of the moon and signs of the zodiac, and I certainly hope you are,
whether your “garden” is an acre or a few pots on the patio
Since it is impossible for me to write specifically about
every planting zone in the northern hemisphere, what you have before you is
information based on planting in Central Kentucky, which is Zone 6 or 7
depending on who’s map you reference.
Just do an internet search or look in a gardening book for “planting
zones” or “plant hardiness zones” and match up the colors with where you are
then adjust this information accordingly. You can’t, for instance, be planting
hot-weather-loving crops yet in Minnesota while we can in Kentucky!
The same goes for time zones. Times given here are Eastern
Daylight; simply adjust for where you are.
Caution: Don’t
plow if your ground is wet unless you want cloddy soil for the rest of the
summer. And, of course, don’t plant in wet ground – that’s like setting plants
or seeds in wet concrete!
Ember Days: May is
one of those months that has three Ember Days, May 18, 20 and 21. Ember Days
are super killing days when no planting should occur no matter what the phase
of the moon or sign of the zodiac. Consider them like Aries and Leo days – no planting!
If you have questions, comments or need clarification, don’t
hesitate to be in touch.
The moon
May begins and ends with the moon in the dark phase. The full
– or dark - moon rules until 3:29 p.m. EDT on May 6 when the new moon – or no
moon visible in the sky at first – comes to rule.
The light moon is then in force until the full moon returns
at 5:14 p.m. May 21. The dark moon then rules until the new moon returns at 11
p.m. June 4.
“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. See below, too, about another bunch of
great days for making changes.
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, indoors or out.
May begins with a very fertile sign in force, so that’s where
we will start, too.
Fertile signs: The
most fertile signs in the zodiac rule these days, in order of appearance this
month: Pisces (the feet), May 1-2, 28-29; Taurus (the neck), May 5-6; Cancer
(the breast), May 9-10; and Scorpio (the secrets), May 19. Nine days this month are ruled by the most fertile signs — Scorpio,
Pisces, Taurus and Cancer.
Extra info: Since
these are the absolute best signs to plant in, here’s how the moon phases match
up for you to decide what to plant. Dark
moon: May 1, 2, 5, 28-29, all days but May 5 are ruled by Pisces and it is
ruled by Taurus. Light moon: May
9-10 (Cancer); 19-20 (Scorpio). May 20, however and unfortunately, is an Ember
Day (see above for explanation) when no planting should occur.
The moon moves from dark to light in the mid-afternoon on May
6 with the fertile sign Taurus in force. You could conceivably plant
below-ground producers until lunch and then above-ground producers after
supper.
There are enough days ruled by fertile signs in May in both
phases of the moon to plant your entire garden, if the weather permits and the
ground is dry.
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: Aries (the head), May 3-4, 30-31; and Leo (the heart), May 11-13.
There are, unfortunately, SEVEN killing
days this month ruled by either Leo or Aries, and that is unfortunate for a
month so crucial for planting.
When coupled with the three Ember Days, that brings the total
of no-plant days to a whopping 10 – and that’s a third of the month.
So-so days: These
aren’t particularly fertile nor destructive, just so-so. And in a switch from
the last couple of months, all occur at the end of May in this order: Sagittarius
(the thighs), May 21-23; Capricorn (the knees), May 24-25; and Aquarius (the
legs), May 26-27. There are seven days
in May ruled by the three so-so signs.
All of these days - except May 21 when the moon moves from
the light to the dark phase late in the afternoon - are under the dark moon,
which makes them perfect for making changes, and when you include the four
Pisces (feet) days on May 1-2, 28-29, there are 10 perfect days this month. See more about that below.
Flowering days:
These are “bloom days” and well suited for planting flowers. It’s time now to
hit the garden centers in your area and plan to make your yard the envy of the
‘hood this summer! If you plant on these bloom days and take care of the
flowers, you will have a real show.
Virgo (the bowels), rules May 14-15; and Libra (the reins) is
in force May 16-18. There are five
flowering days this month. May 18, alas, is another of the three Ember Days
when no planting should occur so that reduces the number to four.
Gemini days:
Gemini (the arms) rules May 7-8. Gemini is the “bean sign” and well suited for
peas, too, but it’s too late for peas now since they prefer cool weather (unless
you are in a cool-weather location). But beans, now they love it hot. Both of
these days are with the light moon in force so if you want to get out your
first planting of beans and the danger of frost is in the past where you are,
then these are your days.
General tips
Here are a few general tips for activities other than
planting:
>If you have gravel to pour on a drive or roadway, do that
when the light moon rules beginning May 7 through all but the evening hours of May
21. 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.
>As mentioned above, there are 10 perfect days this month for making changes when the moon is in
the dark phase and the signs are going out of the body past anything that
functions. Those days are May 1-2 and then 22-29.
So, if you have changes to make like weaning babies or small
animals, scheduling elective surgery
– not emergency surgery since that usually can’t be “scheduled,” stopping
smoking, starting a diet or exercise program then you have a lot of
opportunities this month.
>If you are starting your own plants, remember: If the
grown plant produces above the ground, plant the seed and transplant to peat
pots when the moon is in the light phase and a fertile sign rules. The converse,
of course, is true for below-ground producers: dark phase/fertile sign.
Then when you plant in the garden follow the same formula. At
that point you’ve done all you can do to ensure success – coupled with good
gardening practices.
