A Guide To Planting With The Moon Signs

Ever wonder why some gardens seem to flourish effortlessly while others struggle to thrive? What if I told you that the answer lies not just in the soil or the sun, but also in the alignment of the moon?

Moon gardening is as ancient as agriculture itself.

It dates back thousands of years to the Babylonians, followed by the Greeks and Romans. They found crop success by witnessing the effects of the moon’s movement through the phases and signs.

Many cultures around the world have relied on the lunar cycles to tell them when to sow seeds, cultivate the land, and harvest for the best yield.

Moon gardening is a practice steeped in tradition and mystery, yet grounded in the powerful rhythms of nature.

Want to learn how to use the lunar secrets to turn your garden into an abundant oasis of vitality and growth?

This post holds all you need to know — the phases of the moon, the signs of the moon, and how to easily put them together for the best (and most magical) gardening results.

(Download the moon gardening cheat sheets in the Moon Signs section for easy reference!)

THE MOON AND EARTH’S WATERS

As the gravitational pull of the moon affects Earth’s tides, it also affects its water table.

The strongest point of the gravitational pull (highest tides and highest water table) is during the new and full moon phases.

Plants are about 95% water. The sea itself is 96.5% water (the rest salt and minerals), so basically — plants are like baby oceans!

Humans are about 70% water, but molecularly (the percentage of water molecules in the body, compared to the total number of molecules) we are 99% water!

Since the moon directly influences large bodies of water, the tiny bodies of water (aka all the beings of Earth — plants, animals, humans) will also be affected.

Any life here on Earth begins with a seed that must have water to survive and be nourished, like the mother’s womb. Without water, the seed will not germinate but stay in a dormant state or become barren.

Everything is a mirror in this world. Observing the cycles and symbology in nature helps you understand the great mysteries of life (including yourself).

THE MOON PHASES

The moon’s cycle is 29.5 days and will pass through all 4 phases and 12 signs during this lunar month.

During the waxing phase, the light increases and is symbolic of our own growth (especially if we’ve seeded an intention). This is also true for the plants we sow.

Everything in this universe is simply a different frequency of light (or vibration). We can use the natural rhythms of light and frequency to support our personal quests and to enhance the beauty of our gardens.

Here are the key points for each phase.

FIRST QUARTER PHASE: New moon and waxing crescent

Good for planting, especially root crops and leafy greens.
Avoid planting on the exact day of the New Moon as there’s no light.

second QUARTER PHASE: waxing gibbous and full moon

Good for planting anything as the gravitational pull and light increase to it’s max.
Ideal for planting crops with a shorter growing season.

third QUARTER PHASE: full moon and waning gibbous

Good for planting since the light of the moon is still strong, especially root crops, trees, berries, shrubs, and perennials.
Propagate perennials from cuttings
Harvest crops

fourth QUARTER PHASE: waning crescent to NEW moon

Weed, prune, work the soil, add amendments (compost, nutrients, etc)
Propagate or graft plants
Plant things during this phase that you want to limit their size
Garden maintenance and clean up
Rest and enjoy your space!

Key takeaways:

The first three phases are best for planting.
The fourth phase is ideal for garden chores and clean up.

MOON SIGNS

Each of the 12 signs are supportive for different activities in the garden.

Some are best for sowing seeds to give your plant babies the best chance of germination, healthy growth, and plentiful fruit or flowers.

Others assist in weeding, cutting back plants you don’t want to grow (eg. invasives), or harvesting for long-term storage to help prevent premature rot.

KEYNOTES

Water signs are the most fertile, followed by Earth signs — best for planting/transplanting.
Fire signs are the most barren, followed by Air signs — best for weeding, harvesting, clean up.
The most fertile signs best for overall planting are: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, and Taurus.
Capricorn and Libra are fair planting signs — Capricorn is better for root crops and hardy plants. Libra is better for flowers and aromatics.

Download the moon gardening cheat sheets below so you can save or print them for easy reference!

SIGNS

ELEMENTS

HOW TO PUT THE PHASES AND SIGNS TOGETHER

Make your planting plan in 5 easy steps:

CHOOSE YOUR GARDEN PLANTING TIMELINE
You might have the entire month of May, or you may only have a week available. Either way, you can still pick the most supportive days to plant.
Record your time frame.
LOOK AT YOUR MOON CALENDAR
Now you’ll need to find the phases and signs of the moon.
For this, you can either get my free online astro calendar HERE, or you can refer to astro-seek HERE.
RECORD THE MOON PHASES
Find the phases for your planting time frame and record them.
(Ex. May 7th to 14th: new moon to first quarter moon)
RECORD THE MOON SIGNS
Find the moon signs for your available planting days and record them.
(Ex. May 7th/8th: Taurus, May 9th/10th: Gemini, May 11th/12th: Cancer, May 13th/14th: Leo)
MAKE YOUR PLAN
Now match both the phase and sign for your ideal planting plan or other garden activities.
EXAMPLE PLAN
PHASE: My chosen week (May 7th to 14th) is the first quarter moon phase — one of the three ideal planting weeks.
SIGNS: I will avoid planting on May 7th, the official new moon due to lack of light.
Taurus and Cancer are fertile planting signs so I will sow my seeds on May 8th, 11th, or 12th.
Gemini and Leo are barren signs so I will weed and do garden clean up on May 9th, 10th, 13th, 14th, or before May 7th when the moon is waning.

KEYS TO MOON GARDENING (A REVIEW)

Plant during the first three phases
- New moon – first quarter (aka waxing crescent)
- First quarter – full moon (aka waxing gibbous)
- Full moon – third quarter (aka waning gibbous)
Harvest, weed, prune, and clean up during the fourth phase
- Third quarter – new moon (aka waning crescent)
- If you must plant here, use a fertile sign
Plant during fertile signs (mostly water/earth) and maintain during barren signs (mostly air/fire)