How to garden with the Moon?

If you have a garden, you may know that the Moon has a significant effect on your plants, flowers, roots, fruits, and other vegetation. It all depends on the moon phases! It is not uncommon to garden with the moon and its cycle in mind by using the lunar calendar. But while this ancient practice has not been scientifically proven, people who practice it swear by it. So how do you garden with the moon?

Does the Moon have an impact on the garden?

In the ornamental garden, the orchard, or the vegetable garden, each day the Moon would favour certain types of activities with certain types of plants. Is the influence of the Moon on plants real? Is it necessary to know the ascending or descending movement of the Moon to garden well?

The theory of the influence of the lunar calendar on plants

The general public press, the gardening press, certain books, numerous specialists, and hundreds of Internet sites affirm that gardening with the Moon is imperative for every gardener. The effects on plants and various plants such as fruits, vegetables, or roots would be diverse and varied.
Depending on whether the moon is waning, gibbous, or waxing, the period is more favourable for sowing, planting, transplanting, pruning, cutting, or harvesting certain plants (and not others). So it's quite something to figure out, but where did the idea come from?
If we discard the less realistic theories such as the effects of the luminosity emitted by the Moon (which is far too weak), the most common and probable hypothesis would be that the Moon influences the masses of water that are present inside plants, just as it influences the masses of water in the seas and oceans, which creates the tides.

The reality of the Moon's influence on the garden

The problem is that many specialists and experts on plants, gardens, and nature, in general, have been speaking out for years to denounce the lack of foundation for the theory that the Moon has any influence on plants. By the way, it is interesting to note that the work on gardening with the Moon and the effects of the lunar calendar on plants has never been published in any scientific journal… nor submitted for review by other scientists in the field!
However, although gardening with the Moon phases is not a scientific practice, it remains an ancestral and traditional practice that convinces garden enthusiasts who believe in it. So if you still want to use the influence of the Moon phases and its lunar calendar to garden your plants and other flowers, here are some ideas.

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Using the lunar calendar or moon cycle for gardening

Gardening with the Moon is generally about waiting for the best day to garden. It all depends on the position and cycle of the moon, but also the different plants, roots, flowers, and other vegetation in your garden.
To use the Moon phases as a guide in your gardening activities, it is advisable to have a lunar calendar: this is a detailed planning of the Moon's cycle and its supposed influence on the Earth and especially on your seedlings, fruit trees, and other plants.
To consult the phase of the Moon in real-time can be done either via a lunar calendar in physical format (paper), or via a lunar calendar on the Internet (many sites exist), or by getting information via a connected device such as a weather station with lunar phase.
Gardeners who use the Moon phases as a guide also have at their disposal numerous information sites, forums, and other spaces of exchange to make the most of the lunar influence on the Earth and more precisely on their garden, their vegetable garden, their orchard, and their various plants.

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Can the Moon let you know when is flower day, fruit day, root day, or leaf day today?

Depending on the position of the Moon concerning the Sun and the Earth, the lunar calendar and the cycle of the Moon give indications on the best plants to garden each day.
For each type of plant, flower, fruit, or vegetable, there are days to be preferred. But beware… some days should be avoided for gardening! These are days that according to the lunar calendar are unfavourable. It is therefore recommended not to garden at all during this period: no sowing, no harvesting, nothing. This is the time of the new Moon, a pivotal period which links two cycles of the Moon.
Taking all these elements into account, according to each phase of the Moon, each crescent, each quarter… it can quickly become very time-consuming. But if you have time and want to take the Moon into account when gardening, it's best to get a lunar calendar and check out websites that are dedicated to moon phases. It could even help to let you know when to water indoor plants!

Although gardening according to the lunar calendar is based on the scientifically unproven theory of the moon's influence on plants, it is a common and well-known practice. If you want to get started, you'll have to follow the advice for all your trees, plants, and flowers! Sowing, harvesting… must be done according to the moon phases.