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: Easter is Sunday, April 9, and 4th Quarter begins on Thursday, April 13
  • Thursday, April 6: Full Moon, aka the Pink Moon:
• • Saturday-Wednesday: Moon in the sign of Scorpio/Capricorn - Plant tomatoes, and root crops, prune and fertilize 
    • When selecting your tomato plants, be different and bold by planting a new variety you have never grown. It may be the next favorite for years to come. 
    • April is the month to switch from the winter fertilizer on all shade-loving plants to Azalea, Camellia, and Rhododendron Food. For those in containers I'd use Osmocote. Oxmocote is a time-release fertilizer so you make two applications per year, four months apart.

Later in the Week

• You can make Petunia plants drought-tolerant or water-wise by not over-watering them early on. Instead, after the initial watering, don't water again until they start to flag or wilt, then water thoroughly. You'll be surprised at how little water they require when watered in this manner.

Other Things To-do

• Beneficial Nematodes are applied to the soil around apple and pear trees to prevent wormy fruit this summer. The worm is the larva stage of the Coddling Moth that overwinters in the ground. In May, Coddling Moth traps are hung in the trees to monitor the activity of those that fly in. 
• It's not too late to start pole or bush beans from seed. They are best started in peat or plastic pots. With the weather warming up, place the pots outside where they get indirect or morning sun.