With the new moon in Taurus last week, the primary planting windows for flower, leaf and seed crops fall in quick succession from the 11th - 18th, making this week the busiest for planting in May. Being the final month of Autumn, it’s time to make the most of current soil temperatures and daylight hours before they rapidly decrease from now until the Winter Solstice in June.
Other than planting out winter crops and spring flowers, May is a great time to shift our attention to tasks like seed saving, storing and preserving, soil amelioration and composting; jobs that are all well suited to the waning weeks of the lunar cycle after the full moon on the 23rd.
With Samhain falling on the 31st/1st earlier this month, we are reminded that much of the natural world is rapidly slowing down and entering its major cycle of death and rebirth. Samhain provides us with a window of time to finish off our final garden tasks of the annual cycle, to bid farewell to the gardening year that was and to slow right down in preparation for the darkest time of the year fast approaching.
As always, planting windows and dates follow the sidereal system.
Happy gardening!