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: Monday, November 13, New Moon
- Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Scorpio - Prune
- It's okay to prune large shade trees, such as Mulberry and Sycamores, before the leaves drop. You minimize the clean-up.
- Also, apricots should be pruned now before the rainy season begins. With wet winters, the open pruning wounds are an entry point for later problems.
Later in the Week
- A fall application of Copper Sulphate is crucial in controlling Peach Leaf Curl and 'Shot-Hole' Fungus with Plums, Peaches, and Nectarines. It is applied when 50% of the leaves have fallen off the trees. Best done sooner than later as the rainy season is about to begin.
Other Things To-do
- You can ripen green tomatoes off the vine with a simple ripening chamber. All you'll need is a cardboard or plastic container that has a lid. The tomatoes are placed on a pad of newspaper so they do not touch one another, and then cover the fruits with another layer of newspaper and the box. The chamber traps the escaping Ethylene gas, ripening the tomatoes. You should check the tomatoes every five to seven days, removing those that have turned color.
- Spinach, Lettuce, Chard, and other leafy vegetables can be planted in rectangular containers instead of in the ground. You can now extend the homegrown vegetable season during the rainy season.
- I'd gather and bag the fallen leaves while they're still dry to use in my compost pile next summer. The leaves are an excellent component (brown) to mix with grass clippings.