Astrology Planting Guide: The Original Organic Garden.

This astrological planting guide gives you the best times to perform various gardening tasks. Some knowledge of astrology is necessary to make use of this information, but if you don't want to go to all the effort, I can construct a complete, personalized annual gardening schedule for you.

Just contact me with information about your location, crop(s), and climate. Or you can visit my Astrology website to learn more about what I do. This customized gardening calendar costs 39 USD for the entire year.

Experienced organic gardeners know that the key to a good crop and a healthy garden is to till the ground thoroughly. Astrologically, the best time to do this is on a Saturn day (yes, this means Saturday, anytime after sunrise) and/or during a Saturn planetary hour. This is because Saturn rules the ground and the soil, so working with Saturnian energies will make the soil more fertile and healthier.

Instead of using chemical fertilizer, try working with Jupiter, the planet of plenty, instead. You could work on a Jupiter day (Thursday), or during a Jupiter planetary hour. For best results, however, you want to start at a time of day when the Ascendant is strong, as well as the Moon.

The astrological texts emphasize that cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) are key for sowing, because we are looking for fast growth, and cardinal signs are fast. No stubbornly dormant seeds here!

Having the Moon, its ruler, the Ascendant, and its ruler in cardinal signs will be most helpful. The mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces) are a good second choice. Also, the Ascendant and its ruler should be strongly placed (by sign and location), and the Moon should have plenty of light. It is nice, too, if we can choose a Jupiter day (Thursday), or a Jupiter hour.

If the Moon or any of the other key points are in fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), aspects from planets in water signs will help stop the seeds from drying out before they germinate.

However, legumes such as peas should be planted under a waning, slow-moving Moon, or else they will keep producing flowers, but no pods!

Just as cardinal signs are good for most plant sowing, trees benefit from lots of fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius). This is the case because we want the trees to grow strong and big, and to live for a long time. Slow and steady wins the race here! Moon in Taurus is especially nice, as it is the sign of the Moon's exaltation. Aspects from a strong Venus or Jupiter are most helpful.

Saturn or Jupiter in the Ascendant are very good, though this is only helpful when the planets are strong. I would not put the current Saturn in Leo (Saturn in Leo is in the sign of its detriment, so quite malefic) on the Ascendant! The tree might not survive the onslaught of heavy Saturnian energy. But a nice Saturn in fixed Aquarius would be quite beneficial.