Tips on growing your vegetables in tune with the moon in May
By moon_grower
15 comments
The crops are growing but so are the weeds! Hoeing them off as small seedlings makes the job a lot easier than waiting until they have their roots down! Hoeing is best done on a dry day so the weeds don’t have a chance to recover. Don’t forget to sharpen your hoe before you start and to sharpen it regularly whilst you are hoeing. Perennial weeds like dandelion and dock will need to have their roots dug out to prevent re-growth.
Remember to hoe on the correct day for the type of vegetable you are working with Excellent days for hoeing leaves would be 1, 9 and 28 May. Whilst hoeing around flower plants is best done on 17 and 26 May.
Thin out your carrots and parsnips on a root day, I know it is tempting to leave them all in our to thin lightly but you will get a better crop if you thin them well. If possible thin your carrots on a windy day!
If you are sowing seed when the ground is very dry water the seed drill well before sowing the seed then just water lightly after sowing.
Roots: prepare the ground/sow seed on 5 – 6, 14 – 16 and 23 – 25. Beetroot, carrots, parsnip, potatoes, radish, salsify, spring onions and summer turnip can all be sown in the open ground.
Fruits: prepare the ground/sow seed on 12 – 13, 21 – 22 and 31. French beans, runner beans and peas can be sown in the open ground. Courgette, marrow, pumpkin/squash and sweet corn can all be sown under protection; these really don’t like starting off in the cold and, as you only grow a few of each plant, it is well worth starting them off in pots. Sweet corn does not like its roots disturbed so if possible plant in a pot that is biodegradable. The following are ready for their final home: aubergine, peppers (sweet and Chilli), cucumber and tomatoes. This can be the vegetable border, a grow bag or a large pot.
Leaves: prepare the ground/sow seed on 1 – 2, 9 – 11, 18 – 19 and 27 – 29. Cabbage, celery, chicory, kohlrabi, lettuce and salad greens, leeks, parsley, Swiss chard and spinach can be sown in the open ground. If you started your Brussels sprouts, leeks, celery and summer cabbages under protection now is the time to be planting them out. With leeks a good rule of thumb is to get the seedling about as thick as a pencil. Dib a hole about six inches deep using something like a spade handle and drop the seedling in. Water well and allow the soil to fall back in naturally.
Flowers: prepare the ground on 7 – 8, 18 and 26. Globe artichoke, broccoli, Calabrese and cauliflowers can be sown outdoors. The seedlings of broccoli, cauliflower and Calabrese also need planting out now.
Harvest your root vegetables from 18 – 19 and 21 – 28 May when the Moon is descending, the best days to harvest are between 21 – 24 May.
Harvest all other vegetables on 2, 4 – 16, 29 and 31 May when the Moon is ascending, the best harvesting days are 2 and 5 – 7 (before noon).
No work or harvesting should be done in the garden on 3 ascending node, 17 descending node, 20 perigee and 30 ascending node.
3 May, 2010
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Comments
I've got a book with a very clear calendar which makes it all simplicity itself.
3 May, 2010
Thank you again for your info - it is appreciated!!
4 May, 2010
You are welcome Geniusscuffy
4 May, 2010
Hi, I'm interested and intrigued to know why more wind is better for thinning out carrots - is there a reason given in the moon calendar?
14 May, 2010
Hi Weeding nope the wind keeps the dreaded carrot root fly way!
15 May, 2010
Oh I see, and have you found that growing marigolds with carrots helps too?
Btw, if you do happen to have a good recipe for rhubarb fool I'd be very grateful, Moon. I was interested in the long rhubarb conversation following a question from I think it was Balcony?
15 May, 2010
Hi Weeding no marigolds don't help carrots what does is growing them between two rows of onions. I'll PM you with a rhubarb fool recipe.
16 May, 2010
ta!
16 May, 2010
You say no work should be done on the 17th, well I did quite a bit today! I was digging in the compost on one of the plots you can see in my new blog. I'd spread it out on Saturday but didn't have time to dig it in so I did it today. I'll do the other half plot tomorrow.
I also earthed up a few rows of spuds. Last week a lot of potatoes were cut down by the two nights of frost we had. Fortunately Gerry's had hardly come through the soil & by chance he had earthed them up on Tuesday morning so the frosts we had on Tuesday & Wednesday didn't affect his!
17 May, 2010
Hi Balcony - obviously it is your choice... if you grow by the moon you did not do any work in your veg garden today. Himself got on an weeded and sorted things in our main, alpine/woodland plant garden, I was in the office - sigh...
17 May, 2010
I am trying to plant by the moon, but don't find it easy to fully understand. I am also using the biodynamic method, as far as I can. I assume that I must sow, plant and harvest on the respective correct moon day? I sowed my runner beans on the correct day, but have missed out planting them in the garden on the correct day. By my calculations I now have to wait until the 31 May to do this? What book do you advise is the easiest to understand? Thanks Moongrower
27 May, 2010
Hi Lovemyveg
Sorry ben seriously busy today...Bulbaholic (aka Mr Mb) did flag this up to me. Yes if you want to grow by the moon you will need to wait until Monday 31 May to plant out your runner beans.
I'll send you a pm with info on the book I use as I do not wish to advertise on the site.
27 May, 2010
It would be good to have the info on the simplest to understand book. I did buy one last year, but found it rather difficult to understand. My running beans have been hanging around ready to plant out and are desperate to get clinging onto something, they are waving their arms in the air presently. Thanks again
29 May, 2010
See my pm to you re book... your beans only have to wait until Monday and you can plant out.
29 May, 2010
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How do you manage to keep all those dates in your head? Or do you write them down in a notebook & carry it around with you?? Remembering what things to do/not to do during such & such a phase of the Moon must be difficult. Like most people I do things whenever possible - it's bad enough wondering if we'll have frost or rain or a strong,cold NE wind, whether the soil is too dry/wet for such & such a crop let alone the current phase of the Moon!
3 May, 2010