Cancer, Leo, Gemini, Libra ....

Or, if planting outside in the moonlight doesn’t appeal to you, you can plant by Astrological (Zodiac) Sign.  Back in the long-ago day, the stars were important to people and assisted them for planting their crops, guiding travelers on water and land, as well as a way of telling time.  (And, just so we are clear on the difference – To Astronomers, the zodiac constellations serve as reference points when studying the universe. To Astrologers, the zodiac constellations were/are signs that influence(d) the behavior and day to day lives of people.) 

Planting by the moon phases is actually pretty straight forward. You plant aboveground crops when the moon is waxing from New to Full. Root crops, when the moon is waning from Full to New. However, gardening by Astrological signs is a bit more complicated. 

So, first of all, you need to know where you are in the stars – fertile sign or barren. The Fertile Signs are Water and Earth; Barren Signs are Air and Fire.  Then proceed, weather permitting (I mean, if you’re under 5 feet of snow during Capricorn, I wouldn’t go out planting things).

Cancer - June 22 to July 22 – water - plant above ground crops, prune, graft, plant seed, and plant root crops. It's also the best time to water since plants take it up more easily in a water sign.

Pisces - February 20 to March 20 – water - transplant or sow seed for good root growth.  Plant root crops and/or fertilize.

Scorpio - October 23 to November 22 - water - plant seed for spring growth, graft, prune or plant root crops

Taurus - April 21 to May 21 – earth - transplant for hardy plants, sow seed, plant root crops or prune to limit growth.

Virgo - August 23 to September 23 - earth - till, cultivate, turn compost heaps; garden pests and weeds are most susceptible.

Capricorn - December 22 to January 20 – earth - prune for strong growth, graft, plant seeds, plant bulbs, tubers and rhizomes.

Leo - July 23 to August 23 – fire - prune to shape shrubs, cultivate and till the soil, weed or control pests.

Aries - March 21 to April 20 – fire - destroy weeds and pests, till and cultivate, prune to limit growth, harvest crops.

Sagittarius - November 23 to December 23 - fire - till and cultivate, plant onions, weed, or harvest crops.

Gemini - May 21 to June 21 - air - cultivate and till, harvest herbs and root crops, or weed.

Aquarius - January 21 to February 19 - air - cultivate and till, weed, or harvest crops for long-term storage.

Libra - September 23 to October 22 - air - plant annual flowers, plant vines, flowers picked in this sign last longest and plants pruned now will keep their shape longer

(Although the three signs in Air are classified as barren, you can plant annual flowers in Libra, herbs during Gemini, and hybrids during Aquarius.)

So, this being Scorpio, get out there and plant spring flower seeds and potatoes!

Take care.