Luna Planting - In Tune with the Moon Discount

[hazelize_uk]

 Just been listening to our local radio about Luna planting and a new book that has been release by Michel Gros.  He is apparently a french gardener that has been using the biodynamic methods for over 30 years.  Anyone who is thinking of trying it out they have given a discount code to get free postage and it is also cheaper than amazon etc.

to order for £6.49 for the book and the calendar go to

www.findhornpress.com and on the second page of the checkout used the discount coupon code - POTTING

This deducts the postage charge so is a nice little bargain  :D  We are having a go with raised beds this year for some things so are planning to try out a couple of things using the calendar and some deliberately against the calendar to see if it makes any difference!

[hazelize_uk]

[Flighty]

I got given a copy recently and found it interesting to read but I won't be trying it out!
Good luck and do post to let us know how you get on.

[Eristic]

Don't waste your money.

[telboy]

Interesting topic & doesn't hurt to try.
Won't be paying out though, my diary tells me when it's waxing & waning.
8)

[OllieC]

Don't waste your money.

Can anyone point me towards a double blind test that even hints at it having a positive effect? I've always assumed that what happens is you wait a bit longer to sow stuff, so have a better chance of success due to not rushing in...

[ceres]

Toby Buckland did a trial for the January GW mag that's probably as close as you'll get to a lab trial.  He made 2 matching sunny plots and planted one according to the moon book and doing exactly the opposite in the other.  I can't copy the whole article here but - he grew 9 different crops and assessed each for germination rate, growing on and yield.  Overall peas and parsley did better in the moon bed.  The rest there was really no difference.  He started out sceptical but concedes there may be a grain of truth in the theory.  In favour, he thinks it helps with planning, is worth using for crops that are slow to germinate and is a good guide for improving the success of plants sown out of season.  Against, he says you need to be time-rich to do things when the book says so, it's prescriptive and takes away the freedom of gardening, it's complicated with the contrary forces at work.

[tonybloke]

check out 'a year at kew'  
also this
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=13516249

[OllieC]

Hmmm, sounds a bit flimsy to me... but hey, what do I know!

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=13516249

From the link above... doesn't "computing yield values as deviations from a moving average rather than as deviations from seasonal trends estimated by quadratic functions." translate as "rigging the data to get the result you want?". Not very objective really, is it?

[betula]

Pardon ???..............LOL ;D

[tonybloke]

Hmmm, sounds a bit flimsy to me... but hey, what do I know!

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=13516249

From the link above... doesn't "computing yield values as deviations from a moving average rather than as deviations from seasonal trends estimated by quadratic functions." translate as "rigging the data to get the result you want?".

not really!!

[Tee Gee]

I don't bother about this method I just use my diary and a calendar.

But for those of you who are interested I have researched it a bit and put it on my website along with current moon sizes;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Moon%20phases/Moon%20phases.htm

[asbean]

Instinct has always worked for me  :) :) :) :) :) :)

[Eristic]

and put it on my website along with current moon sizes;

The size of the moon is constant.

[Tee Gee]

The size of the moon is constant.

Sorry E wrong choice of words!  I meant the phases!

[Eristic]

;D

There is though, a general belief amoung lunar followers that the moon size varies with the lunar cycle giving rise to most of the modern myths that any effect it may have on germinating seeds varies dramatically during the month.

Remember folks. They are after your money.

[tonybloke]

the moon phase planting sketch goes back to before we had reliable calendars, no clocks , very little writing, etc. a full, or new moon is easy to remember as a planting date.
there is a school of thought about the germination rates of seed as affected by water up-take. water uptake in seeds varies with the lunar cycle (just like the tides) If it happens on a macro scale, it must happen on a micro scale.
there is a load of evidence about this subject, some on the net, but mostly published in journals. ;)

[star]

There are lots of success stories of moon planting/gardening. In fact there was a documentary the other night of a farmer who only sowed and harvested this way, he set up his fertilizer spreader (cow manure) and set off after dark as he said it was the right time to do it.

I just wish I had seen the whole programme :(

[Eristic]

he set up his fertilizer spreader (cow manure) and set off after dark as he said it was the right time to do it.

Arre Boy. Muckspreddin in dark so no un sees e do it.

Some people will do anything to get on the telly.

[vegmandan]

What I want to know is,these folk who follow this Lunar Planting stuff to the letter,what happens If on the perfect time and date (according to your charts)  you get to your plot and it's either flooded after 2 inches of rain or frozen solid after a really hard frost?

Do you still sow/plant regardless even if the ground is in no fit state? :'(

Or do you have to wait another 28 days? ???

[tonybloke]

Dan, if you really want to know, buy or borrow the book! ;)  ;D ;D ;D