Link to Farmer's Almanac picture here

Yesterday, May 15, the Moon entered the Earth's shadow and a blood lunar eclipse was visible, mostly in South America. Apart from being a beautiful natural event to watch, I am mentioning this to you because I have learned from my parents, and also my grandparents, that the moon phases have an impact on our plants and gardens. This has to do with the ebb and flow of the tides. Just as with the oceans and seas, the moon affects the moisture in the soil. The gravitational energy helps the germination process and you can witness better sprouting of your seeds. The light of the moon also stimulates the growth of the leaves. Once the full moon is over, the light decreases, and the energy is focused on the roots: that is your moment to plant bulbs or roots, such as potatoes or carrots.

Ancient civilizations already relied on Almanacs based on astronomical, meteorological, and agricultural data. Here is the basic calculation I was taught and that I have been using when gardening and also when having a haircut too!

The lunar year starts on March 1. This year, 2022, the base of the calculation is 27. Each year, the number 11 is added to the previous base number. And once the total exceeds 30, the latter is deducted. So in 2023, the base of the moon cycles is 27 + 11 = 38. Since 38 > 30, 30 will be deducted from the total, which makes the lunar base 8 for 2023. Let's come back to 2022. Now that the base has been established, we count the number of months since March, since this is the first month of the lunar year. We are now in May, which means we will add 3 to the base number. Then we add the number of the current day. In numbers: 27 (moon base number) + 3 (number of months since March) + 16 (today's date) = 46, which means today is day number 16 (46 - 30) of the moon cycle. How do we differentiate the stages of the moon cycle? It's simple. The first 5 days are favorable to seed and plant. Then come 5 other days where the energy will be focused underground. Then 4 days for seeding, and 4 to let the sprouts rest. 3 and 3, 2 and 2, 1 and 1. And then it's a new moon cycle.

Happy gardening!