Learn How to Garden and Plant by the Moon's Phases
The Almanac Garden Planner - Use It Free for 7 Days!
Plan your 2025 garden with our award-winning Garden Planner.
Gardening by the Moon is an age-old practice that gardeners and farmers have used for hundreds of years. The Old Farmer’s Almanac includes the Moon phases in its planting calendars, and many old farmers swear it results in healthier, more productive gardens. Here’s how it works.
What Is Gardening by the Moon?
From what we are reading, many trend watchers are confused about Gardening by the Moon. No, it’s not about gardening at night or planting in your PJs!
The basic idea beyond this gardening pratice is that the cycles of the Moon affect plant growth. Just as the Moon’s gravitational pull causes tides to rise and fall, it also affects moisture in the soil.
Read Next
Seeds absorb more water during the full Moon and the new Moon when more moisture is pulled to the soil surface. This causes seeds to swell, resulting in greater germination and better-established plants.
Moon phase gardening considers two periods of the lunar cycle:
- The time between the new Moon and the full Moon (the waxing of the Moon) and
- the time between the full Moon and the new Moon (the waning of the Moon).
It’s considered best to plant certain types of plants during the waning of the Moon and other types during the waxing.
The Moon also impacts plant growth through geotropism—how plants grow in response to gravity. Roots grow downward in the direction of gravitational pull, and stems grow in the opposite direction (i.e., upwards). This behavior can be easily demonstrated with potted plants. Lay one on its side, and the stem will grow upwards. Or, consider a tulip bulb: if you plant the bulb incorrectly with the pointed end down, it will turn around and send its shoots upward, even though it’s in total darkness.
How to Plant by the Moon’s Phases
To plant by the Moon, follow these guidelines:
- Plant your annual flowers and fruit and vegetables that bear crops above ground (such as corn, tomatoes, watermelon, and zucchini) during the waxing of the Moon—from the day the Moon is new to the day it is full. As the moonlight increases night by night, plants are encouraged to grow leaves and stems.
- Plant flowering bulbs, biennial and perennial flowers, and vegetables that bear crops below ground (such as onions, carrots, and potatoes) during the waning of the Moon—from the day after it is full to the day before it is new again. As the moonlight decreases night by night, plants are encouraged to grow roots, tubers, and bulbs.
Dates for Planting by the Moon
The Old Farmer’s Almanac Spring Planting Calendar includes spring planting dates by the Moon phase for all popular food crops.
You could also calculate planting dates yourself by looking at our Moon Phase Calendar and the guidelines above, though this method won’t take your climate into account.
Best Days: The Zodiac Signs for Planting
If you came to this page looking for “Best Days,” this is a different approach. Best Days by the Moon is astrological. Gardening by the Moon is astronomical. Instead of depending on the Moon’s phase, Best Days consider the Moon’s position in the astrological zodiac.
For example, when the Moon is in Taurus, it is regarded as a good time to plant, transplant, or graft. Common gardening activities are associated with certain signs. Below are examples or go to the complete Best Days Timetable.
| Activity | Associated Signs |
|---|---|
| Plant, Transplant, or Graft | Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, or Taurus |
| Harvest | Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini, or Aquarius |
| Build/Fix Fences or Garden Beds | Capricorn |
| Control Insect Pests, Plow, or Weed | Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini, or Aquarius |
| Prune | Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius |
Find all of our planting tables in the annual edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac publication! Pick up a copy in our online store, on Amazon, or in retail shops near you.
Ready to grow? We have all the information to plant, grow, and harvest your favorite veggies, herbs, fruit, flowers, and shrubs in the Almanac’s free library of Growing Guides.
Do you garden by the Moon? Do you think the technique helps you grow better crops? Let us know in the comments!
Catherine Boeckmann
ADVERTISEMENT
I just got my physical copy of the old farmer's almanac. Haven't had one in about 20 years. I used to enjoy planting by the moon, and other things like when to prune if you want to promote growth or not. I can't find the plant by the moon chart in this years almanac.
Having this online is useful but I would like to use the copy I got in the mail today . Can someone please tell me which page it's on?
Hi Jane Anne,
Welcome back to the Almanac! Despite appearances to the contrary, our content and coverage evolves each year. It is always out goal to retail as many of the features that long-time readers love, while continually reaching out to new readers. It’s a bit of a juggling act, and we hope you find plenty to keep you entertained, and hopefully, coming back each year. In our 2025 issue. you’ll find info on Gardening by Moon Sign on p. 224, and the Best Days chart starting on p. 226. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for the informative article! I think it finally sunk in and is easier to comprehend now. I do wish the farmers almanac website listed flowers along with plants for planting days. I know perennial after new moon and annual before but exact dates would be great! Thanks again!
Good afternoon, I follow the moon as close as I possibly can when planting once Passover comes . I grow potatoes for my local open market and I have had the best luck as far as my potato plants coming up and yield. There is a few that makes its way to the surface because of planting just before the full moon, but the vast majority of my potatoes is still well under ground. Some have asked me why I always wait till Passover arrives, it's because the Hebrew calendar is the true calendar, and why I follow the moon it's because the Bible talks about the moon being for the marking of the times and the seasons, I've not read of the Bible speaking of the zodiac signs. Just thought I would share my thoughts and experiences with you, have a great evening.
You said here: https://www.almanac.com/plant/corn
to plant corn during the waning for best ears, and here you say plant in the waxing? Which is it? Or is it just more hubbalu winging it to get peoples data?
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We have expanded the entry on the corn growing-guide page to include the method discussed on this Gardening by the Moon page.
Different traditions (such as between families, generations, cultures, or locations) have arisen as to the best time to plant corn. Many lunar gardeners plant when the Moon is waxing to encourage vigorous, healthy growth; that is what we talk about on this page. However, according to another long-standing tradition, as mentioned on the corn growing-guide page, it is said that corn planted under a waning Moon grows more slowly but yields bigger ears. We have shared both methods on our Web site, but apologize for the confusion with the conflicting information. We hope that the revision will help to make things clearer for our readers.
Thanks again!
why is Libra not included on the
Astrological “Best Days” - Zodiac Signs for Planting
Libra is a bit tricky. According to some astrologers, it is a barren sign, while others say that it is semi-fruitful and can be a good sign to plant root crops, herbs, vines, and flowers. Our astrologer has listed the best signs for planting in general. Hope this helps!
I read in several other places before starting my garden that the third quarter (between the waning half-moon and new moon) is the worst time to plant anything, and that this is the best time to weed and fertilize. By this same advice the first quarter/new moon is the time to plant above-ground crops, and the full moon is when root vegetables should be planted. The exact days of these events are best but in-between days will suffice, although they're less-good the farther from new/full moon the day is. Beans and runners should be planted during the first-quarter moon. The rules presented here run along the same lines but are less precise. I used the above rules for my summer garden and they seemed to work well, but for my fall/winter garden none of my seeds germinated. Do the same guidelines apply for cold-weather gardens? It may be that I planted them too late in the season (November - it typically stays warm in the South well into Fall), as I wanted to finish harvesting my summer crops first, or the unusually cold weather discouraged them.
I wish the plant Dailey by the moon was easier to find 😇
