PLANTING BY THE MOON + SIGNS - February

QUICK TAKES

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

>Feb. 3-5: VERY fertile, Taurus/neck , above-grounders

>Feb. 6-7: Gemini/arms, pea-bean sign

>Feb. 8-9: Cancer/breast, above-grounders

>Feb. 12: Full/dark moon comes to rule, below-grounders

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

>Feb. 17-19: VERY fertile, Scorpio/secrets, VERY fertile

>Make changes: Feb. 20 through most of Feb. 27

>Feb. 20-26: Fertile, Sagittarius/thighs, Capricorn/knees, Aquarius/legs, below-grounders

>Feb. 27: New/light moon comes to rule, 7:45 p.m. above-grounders

>Feb. 27-28: VERY fertile, Pisces/feet; below-grounders on 27th, above-grounders on 28th through March 13

FEBRUARY OVERVIEW

MOON PHASES: February begins with the moon in the light phase where it continues until the full moon at 8:53 a.m. Feb. 12. The new/light moon returns Feb. 27, 7:45 p.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.

KILLING DAYS: Aries/head, Feb. 1-2; Leo/heart, Feb. 10-11.

VERY FERTILE DAYS: Taurus/neck, Feb. 3-5, above-grounders; Cancer/breast, Feb. 8-9, above-grounders; Scorpio/secrets, Feb. 17-19, below-grounders; and Pisces/feet, Feb. 27-28 with most of 27th with light moon ruling and the 28th under the dark moon. February has four days under the dark moon for below-grounders and six with the light moon in force for above-grounders.

PEA/BEAN DAYS: Feb. 6-7, snow peas before Washington’s birthday on Feb. 22.

FLOWERING DAYS: Virgo/bowels, Feb. 12-14, Libra/reins, Feb. 15-16.

FERTILE DAYS: Sagittarius/thighs, Feb. 20-21; Capricorn/knees, Feb. 22-24; and Aquarius/legs, Feb. 25-26. There are seven days in February ruled by these three signs, all with the dark moon ruling.

PLANTING PEAS: The best days for planting them will be Feb. 6-7 when the moon is in the light phase and the sign is in Gemini/the arms.

MAKING CHANGES: We have almost eight complete days to make changes! They are from Feb. 20 until 7:45 p.m. on Feb. 27: dark moon in force, signs going out of the body beyond anything that functions. They are Sagittarius/thighs, Capricorn/knees, Aquarius/legs day, Pisces/feet.

Changes might include starting a diet or exercise program, stopping smoking or other unhealthy habits – anything requiring us to do something differently from the way we are doing it now. Even changes in the garden!

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 most of Feb. 11. After then wait until the new moon on Feb. 28-March 13.