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: New Moon, Monday, October 6Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Virgo - Harvest and cultivate   
  • Continue to harvest your summer vegetables and remove those plants that are finished producing. You can replant lettuce and any of the other leafy vegetables for fall and winter months. 

Later in the Week

• Wednesday/Thursday: Moon in the sign of Scorpio - Plant seasonal color 
  • If your summer color is spent or stressed, you can replace it now; otherwise, wait. There are plenty of other replanting opportunities this month. 

Other Things To-do

• Tulips need to be refrigerated for four to six weeks before planting. Also, remove any fruit from the refrigerator, as the natural occurring ethylene gas from the ripening fruit will damage the bulbs.
• Now is the time to prepare poinsettias to bloom this year. The plants are covered at dinnertime and removed 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 lights sources disrupts things hence the need to include the plant(s).