Moon gazing in August 2024

Nourishing

Gardens can start to look a bit tired in August, so regularly feeding and watering your plants makes a real difference. You can easily make an effective plant food from stinging nettles – just fill a large bucket with lots of chopped nettles, cover with water (and a lid as they get very smelly!). After two weeks, strain the liquid and dilute it 1:10 with water for either a root drench (use during the descending moon fortnight) or foliar spray (use during the ascending moon fortnight).

Planting

The descending moon this month is from the 1st – 14th. Afternoons and evenings during these two weeks offer the optimum time for planting, as the roots will connect much quicker to the soil.

The best days to plant out/tend any flowering plants or autumn bulbs are the 1st, 2nd and 12th.

Plant out/tend to any leafy crops on the 4th, 13th or 14th. These are also good days to take softwood cuttings of herbs like sage and rosemary to encourage speedy rooting.

Transplant rooted strawberry runners into new beds on the afternoons of the 5th, 6th or 7th. You can also use these days to summer prune any fruit trees or bushes.

Plant out/tend to any root crops on the 9th, 10th or 11th

Sowing

There are still some seeds you can sow this month and sowing them the week before the full moon ensures a quick and strong germination.

Sow hardy annual flowers (like calendula, forget-me-nots, or cornflowers) on the 12th for an early summer show next year. You can also sow green manures like phacelia or mustard on any bare patches of soil.

Sow hardy leaf crops like lettuce, chard, rocket, spinach, corn salad or winter cabbage on the 13th, 14th or morning of the 15th.

Sow quick growing root crops like turnips, kohl rabi or radish on the 18th or 19th.

Harvesting

All being well you should have plenty to harvest in your veg garden this month. Mornings in the ascending moon fortnight (15th – 28th) offer the best times to harvest crops for processing, drying or storing, as they’ll be at their most vital.

The best day for harvesting leafy crops like cabbage or herbs for processing/drying is on the mornings of the 15th and 23rd.

Harvest fruit crops like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, runner beans, courgettes and berries on 16th, 17th, 24th and 25th.

Harvest root crops like potatoes, garlic, onions and beetroot on the 18th, 19th, 26th and 27th

The best morning to cut flowers for drying is on 20th but if it’s raining, you can always use a fruit day instead.

August is THE seed collecting month! Always let the seeds ripen on the plants and collect them when they’re dry, ideally in ascending moon on the appropriate day i.e. collect flowering plant seeds on flower days, leafy plants on leaf days etc. Give your harvested seeds plenty of time to dry out thoroughly before storing them in labelled paper envelopes in a cool, dark place.

Don’t forget to leave some seeds in your garden for the birds though, they simply love teasels, thistles, rosehips and sunflowers. You could even plan to grow a patch just for the birds next year.

If you have questions for me that relate to my blog - Moon and growing related - please send them to me using the Earth Pathways contact page. I would also like to direct curious readers to the UK Biodynamic Association website.

Thank you for joining me on this growing journey.

Claire Hattersley

For Moon Gazing in July 2024....