PLANTING BY THE MOON + SIGNS - March

QUICK TAKES

>March 1-2: No planting, killing sign Aries/head rules

>March 3-4: VERY fertile, Taurus/neck, above-grounders

>March 5-6: Gemini/arms, pea-bean sign

>March 7-8: VERY fertile, Cancer/breast, above-grounders

>March 9: Daylight Saving Time begins, 2 a.m. Beginning the 9th, all times given are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

>March 9-11: No planting, killing sign Leo/heart rules

>March 12-16: flowering signs, Virgo/bowels (2) and Libra/reins (3)

>March 12, 14-15: Ember Days, see more below.

>March 14: Full/dark moon comes to rule, 2:55 a.m. EDT, below-grounders

>March 17-18: VERY fertile, Scorpio/secrets, below-grounders

>Make changes: March 19 through March 27, nine perfect days, see more below

>March 20: Vernal Equinox, 5:01 a.m., Spring begins!

>March 19-25: Fertile, Sagittarius/thighs, Capricorn/knees, Aquarius/legs, below-grounders

>March 26-27: VERY fertile, Pisces/feet, below-grounders

>March 28-29: No planting, killing sign Aries/head rules

>March 29: New/light moon comes to rule, 6:58 a.m., above-grounders until full moon on April 12, 8:22 p.m.

>March 30-31: VERY fertile, Taurus/neck , above-grounders

 EARLY SEEDING FOR TRANSPLANTS

 Before the March Overview: for those of you wanting to get an early start on growing transplants for your warm-weather garden, the first dates are upon us. For above-grounders like the ever-popular tomato – March 3-4, Taurus/neck, and 7-8, Cancer/breast will be perfect to seed them indoors or in a greenhouse. All four days are under very fertile signs with the light moon ruling.

 The next perfect days won’t be until March 30-31 with the moon back in the light phase and the sign in Pisces/feet. Typically, the transplants won’t be ready for the garden for six weeks at a minimum. That puts the early ones at the middle of April, which is statistically before the danger of the last killing frost has past.

 MARCH OVERVIEW

 MOON PHASES: March begins with the moon in the light phase where it continues until the full moon at 2:55 a.m. EDT March 14. The new/light moon returns March 29, 6:58 a.m.

 When the light moon is in force, plant above-ground producers and it’s below-ground producers when the dark moon rules.

 Don’t plant when either of the killing signs, Aries and Leo, is in force or veggies when the flowering signs Virgo and Libra rule since they are bloom days.

 Planting when the fertile signs rule is a viable alternative to the VERY fertile signs, which are Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus, and Cancer. The fertile ones – just a little below VERY fertile - are Sagittarius, Capricorn, and Aquarius.

 If you can only utilize one aspect of the system for planting, I would suggest going with the moon phases but still completely avoid the killing signs Aries and Leo and the flowering signs Virgo and Libra for anything but flowers.

 THE SIGNS: Check to see if the moon is in the light or dark phase (information above and on any calendar) before planting anywhere, or other moon-related activities. Since March – like February - begins with killing days ruling, that’s where we will begin.

 KILLING DAYS: Aries/head, March 1-2, 28-29; Leo/heart, March 9-11. There are seven days ruled by the two killing signs during March. No planting when they are in force.

 VERY FERTILE DAYS: Taurus/neck, March 3-4, 30-31, above-grounders; Cancer/breast, March 7-8, above-grounders; Scorpio/secrets, March 17-18, below-grounders; and Pisces/feet, March 26-27, below-grounders. March has four days ruled by the VERY fertile signs under the dark moon for below-grounders, and six with the light moon in force for above-grounders.

 PEA/BEAN DAYS: Gemini/arms, March 5-6. What happens if other veggies are planted on Gemini days? They will, of course, grow. They just don’t produce as abundantly.

 FLOWERING DAYS: Virgo/bowels, 12-13; and Libra/reins, March 14-16.

 FERTILE DAYS: Sagittarius/thighs, March 19-21; Capricorn/knees, March 22-23; and Aquarius/legs, March 24-25. There are nine days in March ruled by these three signs, all with the dark moon ruling.

 MAKING CHANGES: We have nine complete days to make changes in March! They are March 19-27 with the signs going out of the body beyond anything that functions, specifically Sagittarius/thighs, Capricorn/knees, Aquarius/legs, and Pisces/feet.

 Changes might include starting a diet or exercise program, stopping smoking or other unhealthy habits, weaning small children or animals, scheduling elective surgery or dental work – anything requiring us to do something differently from the way we are doing it now.

 POURING GRAVEL: If you have gravel to pour on a drive or road on your farm, do that while the light moon rules, which is through March 13. After that I would recommend waiting until the new moon on March 29 through most of April 12.