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: Waning Half begins Monday, February 9
- Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Scorpio - Prune
- All types of Crape Myrtles should be pruned at this time of year. Many gardeners forget that those round, brownish clusters are last year's dried flowers and need removing. Crape Myrtle does not self-shed the old flowers. After pruning, feed Crape Myrtle with an all-purpose fertilizer to promote healthy new growth. Crape Myrtles only bloom on the current year's growth.
Later in the Week
- Tuesday-Wednesday; Moon in the sign of Sagittarius - Cultivate weed and harvest
- Asparagus is harvested when the spears are six to seven inches long and more than half an inch wide.
Other Things To-do
- It's not too early to start seeds for tomatoes, peppers, squash, and other vegetables. Begin your seeds in pots indoors. The seedlings that germinate now will be ready to transplant into the open ground by mid-April. It's best to pre-moisten the soil before sowing, as dry soil is hard to wet and can shift seed placement.
- It is approaching the important 'Popcorn or Pink Bud Stage' for Peach and Nectarine trees. The final application of copper fungicide spray for Peach Leaf Curl should be made at this stage.