Gardening by the Moon Weekend To-Do
An idea as old as agriculture, based both folklore and superstition but there are scientific ideas to back it up.
- Lunar Phase: Full Moon, Monday, October 6
- Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Pisces - Best all planting day of the Month
- When planting tulips, daffodils, and other fall bulbs, remember to add Bulb Food. Bulb Food is specially formulated for spring and fall flowering bulbs. Depending on the bulb's size, apply one teaspoon or tablespoon of fertilizer at the bottom of each hole, then cover it with soil. After the next spring's flowering, apply a second dose of Bulb Food.
- Tulips must be refrigerated for four to six weeks before planting. Many arrive pre-chilled, but you should check the packaging to confirm. Also, remove any fruit from the refrigerator, as the natural Ethylene Gas emitted by ripening fruit can damage the bulbs.
Later in the Week
- Monday -Tuesday; Moon in the sign of Aries - Harvest for seed saving
- You should save the seed from heirloom or open-pollinated edible and non-edible herbaceous plants for next year. These varieties will closely resemble this year's plants. All other varieties are unpredictable in the next generation.
- Continue harvesting your summer vegetables and remove the plants that have finished producing. You can replant lettuce and other leafy vegetables for the fall and winter months.
- Wednesday-Thursday: Moon in the sign of Taurus - Plant and transplant for root growth
- The window for transplanting in woody ornamentals is opening, but only if the weather cools down. It would be best to wait until next month, after Daylight Saving Time has ended.
- The growing season is ending, so you shouldn't expect any new growth this year.
Other Things To-do
- Now is the time to prepare your previous year's poinsettia to bloom again this year. The plants are covered at dinnertime and uncovered at breakfast for the next six weeks. A cardboard box or tomato cage covered with a black plastic trash bag works well. The indirect light from street, flood, and incandescent sources can disrupt the process, so covering the plant is necessary for the plant to rebloom.
- Shredded leaves will compost much faster than whole ones. You can rent a shredder, but a lawn mower with a bag works just as well.