Moon Cycle Farming

I have officially begun experimenting with gardening by the moon cycle. All I know is what I have read, but I understand that basics of it pretty well. The moon has a gravitational pull on the planet's water. When I was a kid I learned about the ocean tides in relation to the moon, but until recently I never thought about the effect of the moon on the groundwater and the rest of the water on earth.

What I have learned so far...

New Moon:
A time to maintain the garden. State of rest. Growth of plants is steady and stable. Plant damage is repaired. Time to cultivate, harvest, transplant, prune, till, add necessary ammendments.

WAXING - a time of increasing moonlight
From New Moon to Second 1/4 Moon:
Plant leafy crops and all gymnosperms - plants with seeds exposed on outer portion (greens, corn).
From Second 1/4 to Full Moon:
Plant angiosperms - plants with seeds enclosed in an ovary (beans, eggplant, squash).

Full Moon:
Do no planting. It is the apex of the above ground planting cycle. Seeds planted during waxing moon should be sprouting. A time of balanced growth and period when plants establish themselves. Soil preparation and ammendments can be done during this time. Harvesting is best done during full moon. Herbs and veggies are at peak flavor and nutrition.

WANING - a time of decreasing moonlight
From Full Moon to Third 1/4 Moon:
Gravitational effects drain moisture down through soil. Plant biennials, perennials, bulbs, root plants, trees, and shrubs.
Third 1/4 Moon to New Moon:
Garden Maintenance! Cultivate soil, weed, and remove unwanted plants. Prune. No planting. Timber cut during this time dries out better. Best time to weed because the weed seeds and roots will have a harder time reaching water.

If anyone has any information to add this, please do! I'm a beginner and have much learning to do.

Greyhound Bus

Today I'm going home! That's San Diego these days. I've been away for the past 3 months, hitch hiking up the coast of California into Oregon, then I took the bus to Texas and came to Missouri with my parents. I'm so ready to go back to San Diego and settle into a place for the winter, probably longer. Nothing excites me more right now than thinking about the garden that I started with my friends in Vista. It was nothing but a big flattened out piece of dirt with no top soil, and we have slowly been adding compost, manure, and straw to build up the soil so we can grow on it. When I left, we didn't have much besides herbs, succulents, and a few strawberries and spinach. Last I talked to my buddy Ricky, things are going really well there! So great to hear. A chicken coop was in the works when I left, so there could very well be chickens pecking around by now! All I want to do is find a place to camp nearby, wake up every morning to some raw breakfast, and bike over to the garden to work with my SD family. Nothing sounds better.

I'll be getting on the Greyhound bus at 1:45pm today, arriving in San Diego at 5:45am Wednesday... that's a long ass bus ride, but I'm ready for it! Brought a bunch of granola, bananas, whole grain graham crackers, organic peanut butter, and plenty of agua. It's a beautiful trip through the desert of the southwest, one of my favourite places. Bon voyage!

Crude: Texaco's Contamination in Ecuador

This is clip from the movie Crude talking about the contamination in Ecuador caused by Texaco. Watch the whole movie when you have time, it's very eye opening. All oil companies are shameful and heartless. The main thing you can do about this problem? Ride your bike, walk, or use public transportation. Every you time you skip using your car is a few less dollars for a big oil company and money is the only thing they listen to.

Etsy COUPON Code!

For all of you loyal blog readers, I have a coupon for you to use at my etsy store! The code is "BEETS" and it will give you a 10% discount on any order, just in time for your holiday shopping. Happy times!

How to Make GRANOLA

Homemade Granola

Ingredients:

4 cups Oats

1 cup Flax Seeds

1/2 cup Sliced Almonds

1/2 cup Honey

2 tbsp Blackstrap Molasses

1/4 cup Coconut Milk

2 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 cup Golden Raisins

1/2 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

Step 1 - In a bowl, mix the oats, flax seeds, and almonds together. In another bowl, mix together honey, molasses, coconut milk, and cinnamon.

Step 2 - Cook the syrup mixture on the stove for a few minutes so everything mixes together real nice.

Step 3 - Add the syrup to the dry stuffs and mix it all up.

Step 4 - Grease a pan with canola oil or coconut oil, whatever you prefer, and spread the granola evenly around the pan. I set the over to 295 and let it bake for about an hour. Every 15 minutes or so, shift the granola around the pan so it gets evenly baked.

Step 5 - When it's done, let it cool and put it back in a bowl to add the raisins and craisins to the mix. Now it's ready to eat!