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: Fall Equinox, Tuesday, September 22
- Saturday-Monday: Moon in the sign of Capricorn
- Daffodils are graded based on the number of flowers they will produce. Other bulbs are graded by size, usually measured in centimeters. A Jumbo Daffodil bulb typically produces three to four flowers, while a #1 bulb yields two to three flowers, and a #3 bulb usually produces one flower.
Later in the Week
- Monday-Tuesday: Moon in the sign of Aquarius - Plant onions
- Red, Brown, Yellow, and White Onion Sets are available for planting. An onion set is not a seedling; it is a small, partially grown onion bulb that was produced the previous season, cured, and sold dormant. Once planted, it quickly resumes growth. An onion plant (or transplant) is a young first-year seedling, typically sold bare-root or in a cell pack.
- Friday: Moon in the sign of Pisces - Best planting days of the month
- As the days grow shorter, plant trees and shrubs in the fall as soon as possible.
Other Things To-do
- Pumpkins are ready for harvest when their foliage turns yellow. At this point, stop watering them and let the plants die naturally. Halloween is still weeks away, so you can either leave the pumpkins in the patch or move them to a shady location until you’re ready to carve them.
- Now is the perfect time to trim or remove all the brown leaves from your Bearded Iris. It’s also a great time to plant new varieties, since they have just arrived at your favorite garden center.
- Even if your vegetable crops are declining, it’s important to keep your garden weeded. If you don’t, the unwanted vegetation will go to seed and return next year to plague you.