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: Mother's Day, Sunday, May 9: New Moon, Tuesday, May 11
- Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Aries, Harvest, cultivate and control pests
- Keep snails from climbing into the canopy of citrus and other shrubs by attaching Copper Tape to the trunk about two feet off the ground. The Copper will not kill the snails, but it will halt the forward progress.
- Beneficial Nematodes are applied now to the soil around tomato plants to control the pupa stage of the Tomato Hornworm. This is the stage just before they emerge as an adult moth. The adult moth lays the eggs on the plant(s), which hatch into the large green worm with the horn-like structure on its tail.
Later in the Week
- Wednesday-Thursday: Moon in the sign of Gemini - Plant melons, weed, and cultivate
- A handheld cultivator is an ideal method of controlling weeds. They're available with a long or short handle.
- Melons, including pumpkins, are planted directly from seed into the open ground. They're best planted in groups of two to three seeds. The groupings are spaced two feet apart.
Other Things To-do
- The metal and name tags on roses should be loosened annually; otherwise, they girdle and kill the canes they are attached to eventually.
- It is not too late to plant Sunflowers from seed. Besides the giant edible seed varieties called 'Mammoth', there are many decorative varieties. 'Vanilla Ice' is an heirloom variety with cream-colored flowers with a chocolate brown center. 'Crimson Thriller' produces six-inch wide mahogany flowers. 'Teddy Bear' is a dwarf variety with double golden-yellow flowers.