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Moon phases for gardeners

Garden almanac

The phase of the moon for every day of the month, with the four quarters that traditional moon planting is built on. Lunar sowing calendars are an old tradition in India and around the world. Here is the calendar, and an honest note on what the evidence says.

Tuesday, 27 October

Full moon

Lit
98%
Moon age
16.6 days
Fortnight
Krishna paksha

October 2026

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
  • Leafy
  • Fruiting
  • Root
  • Rest
Traditional moon planting · Full moon → last quarterRoot days

Sow and transplant root crops, bulbs, and perennials.

  • Carrot
  • radish
  • beetroot
  • onion
  • potato
  • ginger

Note: Amavasya and Purnima are marked on the day of the astronomical new and full moon in your time zone (IST in India). Vrat and festival dates follow the panchang, which usually goes by the tithi at sunrise, so they can fall a day apart.

Next principal phases

  1. Last quarter
  2. New moon
  3. First quarter
  4. Full moon
The tradition

The four quarters of moon planting

Moon planting splits each lunar month into four quarters. Crops that grow above ground are sown while the moon waxes, roots while it wanes, and the last quarter is kept for weeding and rest.

Leafy

New moon → first quarter

Sow leafy crops that make their seed outside a fruit.

  • Spinach (palak)
  • amaranth
  • coriander
  • fenugreek (methi)
  • lettuce
  • cabbage

Fruiting

First quarter → full moon

Sow crops that fruit above ground, with seed inside the fruit.

  • Tomato
  • brinjal
  • chilli
  • okra
  • beans
  • gourds

Root

Full moon → last quarter

Sow and transplant root crops, bulbs, and perennials.

  • Carrot
  • radish
  • beetroot
  • onion
  • potato
  • ginger

Rest

Last quarter → new moon

Skip sowing. Weed, prune, mulch, and prepare beds.

  • Weeding
  • pruning
  • mulching
  • turning compost
The evidence

Does planting by the moon work?

Probably not in any way you could measure in a garden. Extension services in the US describe moon planting as tradition with no scientific support, and we found no controlled trial showing that sowing by phase improves germination or yield. Moonlight is far too dim to feed photosynthesis, and the moon’s pull on soil water is tiny next to rain and irrigation.

Season and day lengthSoil temperature and moistureHealthy seed and drainage
Practical use

Use the moon as a rhythm, not a rule

If the calendar helps you plan, use it: a fortnightly cycle of sowing, transplanting, and weeding is a good habit whatever sets the beat. Just let the season and the soil decide first. Seed sown into cold or waterlogged soil fails in any phase.

  • Sow when the soil is warm enough for the crop and moist but not wet.
  • Water seedlings by soil moisture, not by the calendar.
  • Watch for damping-off in wet, crowded trays; see the plant disease symptom checker.

Frequently asked questions

Does planting by the moon work?
There is no good controlled evidence that sowing by moon phase changes germination or yield. University extension services treat it as tradition. Season, soil temperature, moisture, and day length have far larger, well-measured effects, so let those decide the date and use the moon calendar as a ritual or a planning rhythm if you enjoy it.
What are Amavasya and Purnima?
They are the Hindu calendar names for the new moon (Amavasya) and the full moon (Purnima). The fortnight from new to full moon is Shukla paksha, the bright or waxing half, and the fortnight from full to new moon is Krishna paksha, the dark or waning half. This calendar marks them on the day of the astronomical new and full moon; vrat and festival dates follow the panchang, which usually goes by the tithi at sunrise, so they can fall a day apart.
Why does the moon look different in the southern hemisphere?
Viewed from the southern hemisphere the moon is upside down compared with the northern view, so the lit side is mirrored: a waxing moon is lit on the left instead of the right. The phase and its date are the same everywhere.
Is moonlight bright enough to affect plant growth?
Not for photosynthesis. Even a full moon gives well under one lux, while daylight ranges from about ten thousand to over a hundred thousand lux, so moonlight adds nothing measurable to the light plants grow with.
Which time zone are the dates in?
The calendar uses your device’s time zone once the page loads, and Indian Standard Time before that. Phase times are calculated with standard astronomical formulas and are accurate to within a few minutes.

Sources

Phase times are computed with the lunar phase formulas in Jean Meeus’ Astronomical Algorithms (2nd ed., ch. 49) and checked against published eclipse and phase times. The planting quarters describe the folk practice, not a recommendation.

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