Planting by the planets

We are trying our best to be the busy ants this summer, and not the lazy grasshopper. Mary and Phil, the previous owners of the farm, left us in great shape, and much of what we do on a daily basis is maintaining their hard work. As some of you may not know I have farming in my blood, but not so much dirt under my nails. However, being the scientist that I am, I hit the books and honed in on a few "styles" of farming to guide us through at least this first year.

My first resource was our local Seattle Tilth, which provided us with a basic calendar of what to plant when living here in the Pacific Northwest. But I ended up feeling a bit overwhelmed at the start of each month staring down a list of all these plants that I could put in the ground, so I looked up the philosophy of Biodynamics. Okay, for those of you who know this philosophy I can see you nodding your heads, and for those of you who do not know what I am talking about, try to suspend your disbelief while I explain.

Biodynamics is a way of planting, growing, and reaping according to the allignment of the Moon, Sun, and all the planets. They classify all plants into four categories: Leaf, Flower, Fruit, and Root. And there is a calendar published that tells you when to plant each type of plant by the hour. (yes I just wrote hour) Being the curious scientist, I just had to try out a combo of both the Tilth's general suggestions on types of plants with the Biodynamic calendar of specifically when to put them in the ground. Here are some of the results: Peas sprouting after 7 days, and rutabaga after two weeks in the ground.