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: 4th Quarter begins on Saturday, January 14: Martin Luther King Weekend
- Saturday-Wednesday: Moon in the sign of Libra - Prune, transplant, and fertilize
- Another wet weekend will limit outdoor activities
- It would help if you pruned your roses before transplanting them. It makes the job easier. Also, do not be concerned about finding an outside bud. Prune your roses back to a uniform height, then come back in three to four weeks and select the proper outside bud.
- Saturday-Wednesday: Moon in the sign of Libra - Prune, transplant, and fertilize
Later in the Week
- Primroses, Primulas, Iceland Poppies, Pansies, and Violas are just a few of the winter color varieties available today at your favorite garden center. Planted now, they will continue blooming into the early spring months.
Other Things To-do
- If you have not done so, clean up and dispose of any summer vegetable plants. By now, they should be pretty ugly looking. Also, it's not too early to start this year's soil preparation by spreading a one to two-inch layer of animal manure over the fallow soil. Let the winter rains leach the salts out, and then in March, rototill it under with the rest of your soil amendments.
- And finally, this is an excellent time to plant perennial vegetables like Asparagus, Rhubarb, Artichokes, Horseradish, and others. Your favorite garden center has a good selection now.