Planting by the Signs: Part Four
In all but the most southern regions of North America, the growing season has come to an end. But for those in zones such as 8,9 or 10, or those of you that have a greenhouse, a tunnel, or even a cold frame, you might be able to keep those cool weather crops going all year round. These are things like leafy greens and beets, turnips, carrots, parsnips, cabbage and the like.
We have a stretch of good root crop planting days on the 9th,10th and 11th in Libra (great for planting flower bulbs, by the way) and the 12th and 13th in Scorpio.
After the new moon on the 13th, your above ground cool weather crops can go in on the 16th-17th in Capricorn, the 20th–22nd in Pisces, and the 25th -26th in Taurus.
We have the full Beaver moon in Gemini on the 27th this month, named that because it once was the time of year for hunting beavers. It is also known as the frost moon. After that, there are two more good planting days this month, the 29th-30th when the moon is waning in Cancer. If you haven’t gotten your garlic in and your ground isn’t frozen yet, these are two great days to do it.
What does the Planting By the Signs Calendar offer us in the off season?
Once you’ve become familiar with the system, you’ll discover that it offers guidance on other things besides gardening. November is typically a busy month in the kitchen, so it’s useful to know that food preservation is best done in the waning moon, or the two weeks following a full moon. So if you’re going to be canning, freezing, drying, or even fermenting, best days for that would be up until the 13th, and after the 27th.
The moon calendar is also useful as a guide for baking. As a general rule, bake in the waxing moon in one of the fruitful signs, especially if it’s something like bread that needs to rise. But if the rising isn’t a big concern, then the moon phase is less important than the sign. For fancy cookies, cakes or pastries that you want to look pretty, such as for a festive holiday meal, bake in Libra because Libra is associated with beauty, much in the same way that it’s a good flower planting sign.
The other good baking signs are
- Cancer
- Scorpio
- Pisces
- Taurus
- Capricorn
- Aries–even though it is not a fruitful sign
Remember that if you join as part of The Good Dirt Supporters membership tier inside The ALMANAC, our online membership platform, you’ll be able to download and print a Planting By the Signs Calendar for every month. Just click here to join us any time!
Resource: Raising With the Moon - The Complete Guide to Gardening and Living by the Signs of the Moon
