Success Stories

We love to hear people’s success stories and their enthusiasm for the Moon Gardening Calendar.

This is one of our favourites, from Rose Nolan (via email, 2013):

I work in two different nurseries and take the opportunity where I can to talk to people about the moon planting.

It is amazing how many people do plant by the moon – enough that I believe we have a noticeable difference in customer numbers through the doors. I have taken the (Moon Gardening Calendar) chart into work a couple of times to show people how it works and directed them to your website. Those that currently plant by the moon swear by it and a lot of others that don’t do it themselves know of others who believe it works but just haven’t got around to looking into it themselves. A girl that I work with pots up on my advice now and she has noticed a huge difference and that it just over the last 5 to 6 months.

The biggest difference that I noticed initially was in the gardens that I had previously persisted with planting pansies only to find that year after year I would lose most of them in two particular areas. When I planted by the moon the first time, I did not lose a single plant where I previously had constant losses. The plants thrived and flowered better than they had ever done before. I ruled out other factors as I have always used seaweed when planting and used the same fertiliser as the last 4 years, so there appeared to be no other explanation for the difference.

I feel that I am a bit better organised as I push myself to get gardens prepared ready to plant on the first days possible. I have “cheated” with bulbs a couple of times when unable to finish planting a packet (eg. 50 pack of Daffodils or Dutch Iris). I put them into a pot of potting mix so they are at least absorbing the moisture etc to start, and then plant them properly over the next day or so.

Last year planted some Blue Ixia at completely the wrong time and three weeks later they had not even moved – no shoots, no roots, nothing. I planted the rest of the packet at exactly the right time and the best of them had one inch shoots after 3 days!!!! And the others had all sprouted beautifully. It now feels wrong to plant at the wrong time.

I have been following the pruning as well – clipped a few pieces of rosemary off for a roast at the wrong time and those shoots have not recovered at all and have even gone slightly yellow. Whereas the rest of my rosemary hedge was clipped at the right time and has continued to rocket away leaving the other bits extremely noticeable.

I have also deadheaded and trimmed roses at the high growth time with another late autumn flush of flowers in mind. I also try to make sure that I feed all my new seedlings each month at the right time. What was an impulse buy has now become a way of life. My bosses and sister that I work with think I am a bit silly at times as I have been known to take the moon gardening a little too literally. In mid-August last year on a beautiful clear dead-calm frosty night, I put my little miner’s lamp on as I was absolutely determined to finish a couple more sections of a garden on the very last “right day to plant”. I rugged up with a parka and two pair of trackies – not even feeling the cold – and continued planting until just after 10pm. It was a gorgeous night with the almost full moon. Thank you for clarification on the full moon differences – I will be sure to sneak in the extra day or two of planting where possible.

Thank you again.

Regards, Rose Nolan (2013)