Planting by Moon Signs

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Planting by Moon Signs	By Connie Townsend, HCMG
Have you ever wondered why Easter Sunday wanders around the calendar? Why can’t be a certain date as Christmas is? Many of you probably remember learning this back in your church-training days, but I had to ask my pastor. Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Solstice. Isn’t that a mouthful!
Now, you may ask, what in the world does that have to do with veggie gardening? I remember while growing up in Iowa, that Mother said the potatoes HAD to be planted on Good Friday. It didn’t matter if that occurred in March or April or if the wind was blowing out of the northwest at 40 mph; THAT WAS THE DAY! What led me to think about this are the moon signs for planting veggies. All root crops (such as potatoes) should be planted on the full moon or right after it. So, I began to wonder if Good Friday is always in a full moon stage. It is! I planted my potatoes this year in the full moon at the end of February; we’ll see how they do. One year I was just terribly behind in planting and didn’t get them planted until Good Friday which was in April. The plants were some of the most gorgeous I’d ever had, but the potatoes themselves were not. April is a little late for planting potatoes in Texas.
Does planting by moon sign really work or make any difference? Many people believe strongly in them, others are somewhat skeptical. My thought is: what can it hurt? People have been using them for thousands of years, so there must be some element of accuracy to them.
So what gets planted when? During a first quarter moon, plant plants that mature with the edible part growing above ground that form seeds on the outside of the plant. Examples are lettuce, broccoli, and cabbage. During the second quarter moon, plant plants that mature with the edible part growing above ground that form seeds on the inside of the plant, examples being tomatoes, beans, and peas. During the third quarter moon, plant plants with the edible part growing below ground. The fourth quarter moon is not good for planting.