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Post by Quettalee on Apr 13, 2006 8:36:46 GMT -5
Being raised as a farm gurl, I am not totally ignorant when it comes to when to plant, how to plant, what to plant, and so on. After all, we raised corn, soy beans, and tobacco to sell and we also had a garden each year that always filled two deep freezers, fed all the farm hands, supplied my teachers, bus drivers, and mailpersons with all the fresh veggies I could haul around on any given day, and offered a nice succulent variety to sell at my roadside stand--when there was time. Heck, the garden beside the house was a big as two football fields! When I visited Mom last month, she sent home clippings of everything she could find the strength to gather complete with instructions about the moon & when to plant my collection. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I don't have any soil suitable for growing any vegetables. I took everything she gave me & brought it home to #2 daughter. If anyone can make anything grow, she would be the one. It makes me sad that the two of them never got to hook up--it would be a gardening match made in Heaven. Mom asked me last night on the phone if I knew it was a full pink moon coming up & I said no. She went on to explain, so I thought it would be a good place to start this thread. (Inez is Mom's name; hence, "Inez's Almanac) That woman could make anything grow & was able to garden up until this year. She isn't even going to have her beloved rose bushes. Anyway, I love to read the Almanac. So much good info in there about everything! I want to garden like Mom. This thread is for her.
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Post by Quettalee on Apr 13, 2006 8:40:19 GMT -5
The Moon will be full on April 13, and while it will not look pink in color, it has been known to many as the full pink Moon. This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month’s celestial body include the full sprouting grass moon; the egg Moon; and among coastal tribes the full fish Moon, because this is the time that shad swim upstream to spawn.
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Post by gams on Apr 14, 2006 7:01:25 GMT -5
This is too cool a thread, MG. It'll be one of my favorites, I'm sure. Looking forward to reading all the info your wise Mom and the almanac has to offer.
The Full Pink moon; funny, I just mentioned this on the other board right before you posted it here. I've heard it called that, but didn't know the reason.
And Daughter Number Two - I love to see kids of any age interested in gardening. It's a lost interest among many of the "younger generation"; I hope she keeps at it. A trick for vegie gardening in poor soils - try containers instead. I've seen tomatoes grown in garbage cans and big Rubbermaid containers, and a lettuce patch in a wheelbarrow. Just make sure there are drainage holes. A sure-fire get-it-to-grow vegie are radishes - they are extremely fast growing; ready to harvest in no time, don't need great soil or a large space.
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katmandu
Kenin
kenin
Don't Mess With Me, I Bite! =D
Posts: 2,803
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Post by katmandu on Apr 14, 2006 7:20:12 GMT -5
You're right Gams, nice thread, I'll look forward to checking it out in future, even though I wouldn't call myself the worlds greatest garderner.
Had a brief stint some years ago, planted Tomatoes and Strawberries, both of which were fantastic, 100% better then what you buy in the shops, only kept it going for about two or three seasons though.
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Post by Quettalee on Apr 14, 2006 7:35:34 GMT -5
I was hoping you would have an interest here & offer up lots of helpful advice & hints; although it's kinda "twilight-zone-ish" you posting about the full pink moon over there. Did you offer up the same explanation? Hoping my sources are good. It's the on line Almanac, so I'm thinking I'm in the clear. I tried tomatoes in containers the first year I was here. The lady next door is elderly & lives alone. She always has to get her two cents in whenever we are outside doing anything, so by the time I actually had little yellow blooms, she had moved the plants from my "pots" to her garden & promised to supply me with all the tomatoes I could eat. Not a big deal. I have had ample amounts of tomatoes every year since. It drives #2 crazy when she is outside trying to garden because Helen always steals her glory. I tell her to be patient & listen & learn as much as she can. She always humors Helen & is usually the one who ends up sitting back & watching while Helen takes over. She really is a good child. Anyway, Mom says this is a planting weekend. Good for root veggies & leafy stuff. Just don't go into Monday & Tuesday; those are barren days and not good for planting anything. Number two is off on a weekend camping excursion & I have to work Saturday night--looks like that basket full of seed packets that she has been waving at me for weeks will just have to wait!
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Post by Quettalee on Apr 14, 2006 7:48:54 GMT -5
Hey Katman! You snuck in on me. Join in anytime; the more the merrier! If the tomatoes & berries were so good, why did you stop?
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Post by Quettalee on Apr 14, 2006 7:57:02 GMT -5
The Meaning of Full Moon Names Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. There was some variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names. Since the lunar month is only 29 days long on the average, the full Moon dates shift from year to year. Here is the Farmers Almanac's list of the full Moon names. • Full Wolf Moon - January Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January's full Moon. Sometimes it was also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Some called it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied that name to the next Moon. • Full Snow Moon - February Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east most often called February's full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult. • Full Worm - March Moon As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon of winter. • Full Pink Moon - April This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month's celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn. • Full Flower Moon - May In most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. Thus, the name of this Moon. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon, or the Milk Moon. • Full Strawberry Moon - June This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. Also because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry! • The Full Buck Moon - July July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. Another name for this month's Moon was the Full Hay Moon. • Full Sturgeon Moon - August The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon. • Full Harvest Moon - September This is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice the chief Indian staples are now ready for gathering. • Full Hunter's Moon - October With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can easily see fox and the animals which have come out to glean. • Full Beaver Moon - November This was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for winter. It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon. • The Full Cold Moon; or the Full Long Nights Moon - December During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. It is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.
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Post by Joxcee on Apr 14, 2006 19:26:28 GMT -5
Hey Q ... I've come across a new gardening technique where you don't even break up the ground to grow a garden. It's called [url=www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&rls=GGLD%2CGGLD%3A2004-35%2CGGLD%3Aen&q=%22Lasagna+Gardening%22]"Lasagna Gardening"[/url][/font] .
I have the following books:
I see that Patricia Lanza has another book, called:
I see she has a website as well:
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Post by Quettalee on Apr 15, 2006 7:17:40 GMT -5
Too cool, Jox. Have you actually done this? I read a bunch, but I like this site best--the organic part caught my eye: Thank you!
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katmandu
Kenin
kenin
Don't Mess With Me, I Bite! =D
Posts: 2,803
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Post by katmandu on Apr 15, 2006 7:44:21 GMT -5
Hey Katman! You snuck in on me. Join in anytime; the more the merrier! If the tomatoes & berries were so good, why did you stop? Ummm, good question MG, wish I had an equally good answer, but I just stopped for no particular reason, silly me, sheesh those Tomatoes were fantastic, and the Strawberries weren't half bad either.
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Post by Joxcee on Apr 15, 2006 19:57:37 GMT -5
Too cool, Jox. Have you actually done this?
No, not yet. My mother raises a garden every summer. My brother-in-law or cousin usually breaks the ground for her. I got the books for two reasons: 1) To see if she'd be interested in giving it a try sometime should no one be around to break up the garden spot for her, and 2) For when she's gone and I decide to grow a garden to keep her memory alive.
Since she's still alive, and she likes weeding and tilling, and is still capable of doing it, the books are sitting on a shelf collecting dust. My brother-in-law also raises a garden, and since we're all within yelling distance of one another, I reap the abundance of their gardens . . . so I've never tried raising my own. If I ever do though, I will be doing this "Lasagna Gardening" technique, because I don't want to have to do a lot of weeding or having to borrow/buy a tiller and learn how to use it. I think I'll call it the "Lazy Gardening" style.
You're very welcome.
I too saw that site. I figured the organic part would jump out at you. You might be able to find the books at the library. Then you'll know whether or not you want to spend $10 per book on them.
You can also try out Googles new book search engine to see what pops up. It's a good way to browse through books before buying.
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Post by Joxcee on Apr 15, 2006 21:40:38 GMT -5
Amazon lets you have a peek into a few of their books, and all three have this option:
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Post by gams on Apr 16, 2006 23:49:35 GMT -5
I am about the laziest gardener I know; plant it and forget about it. "Fend for yourself and don't come begging to me for water." But I do like to play in the dirt, and get a kind of morbid satisfaction out of yanking out weeds by their roots, so I will continue on in the old-style way.
I've done aspects of that lasagna gardening before though, but not actually on purpose. Some of the best tomatoes, and most interesting looking squash - vines so huge they threatened to swallow the yard, house, and take over the neighborhood - have sprouted from my compost pile.
I do do the newspaper layering purposefully, laying down thick layers of it, and spreading mulch over the top. I do it to kill the grass though, when I am laying out a new bed if I don't feel like waiting for Hubs to get around to tilling for me. It works as a great decomposable weed barrier too, and I just plant my shrubs or flowers through it.
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Post by Joxcee on Apr 17, 2006 1:20:27 GMT -5
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Post by Quettalee on Apr 17, 2006 4:56:50 GMT -5
Helen (next door) "made me" use black trash bags the first year I was here in the front-of-the-house beds. I like the newspaper (& of course that's what Mom always used) much better because it is Earth-friendly. Thanks for sharing, ladies!
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Post by Joxcee on Apr 17, 2006 17:40:43 GMT -5
You're very welcome Q ...
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Post by gams on Apr 30, 2006 9:24:20 GMT -5
We have a nice rain falling here this morning - one that started last night.
What's the almanac have to say about drought this year, I wonder? It's been so terribly dry for so long, I hope this year will be different.
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Post by Quettalee on May 1, 2006 8:04:50 GMT -5
In a Kansas newspaper:
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Post by Quettalee on May 1, 2006 8:22:36 GMT -5
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Post by Quettalee on May 2, 2006 7:58:55 GMT -5
How Lunar Agriculture works: The movement of the moon has a connection with the rising and falling of the tides, but all water is affected by the movement of the moon, not just large bodies of water such as rivers and seas. Both the sun and moon affect our waters through their magnetic pull but although the sun is much bigger than the moon, the moon is much closer to earth and so, its pull is greater. As well as controlling the large and small bodies of water on the Earth, the moon affects the water within it. When water is rising during the waxing or increasing moon, seeds sown and crops planted can more easily take up water than those sown in the waning or decreasing phase. So, we plant crops that thrive in dry conditions during the waning phase and above ground crops that needs lots of water during the waxing phase. One of the twelve signs of the Zodiac dominates each day, and each sign appears at least once a month for a period of approximately 2.5 days. The twelve signs are each ruled by a planet, each of which also contributes (in a lesser way than the moon) to the effect not only on the rise and fall of water, but also on the tides in the air, or lunar winds. We may not be able to feel these winds, but they have an effect on our weather. To go over the general principles again: As the full moon draws close in the phase of the waxing or increasing moon, fluids are drawn upwards. As the new moon draws close, in the waning or decreasing phase, fluids flow to the roots systems. In general we plant after the new moon in the first and second quarter increasing for leafy crops with shallow root systems, but during the third quarter decreasing for root crops and those with well-developed root systems such as trees. The fourth quarter decreasing phase is used for cultivation, soil preparation, weeding, extermination of pests and noxious growths, and for starting worm farms and compost heaps.
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