I have been hearing so many people talking about how they planted a garden this year.  For the most part because they had time while at home due to the pandemic.  What you grew in the ground is not only driven by the time you have to look after it.  There are a number of factors that play a part.  Nutrient content (fertilizer), moisture content in the soil (Watering) and the MOON.  No I have not flown over the nest, the moon has a huge effect on gardening, especially when harvesting your crops.

Some people never do anything in their garden unless the moon permits, including planting and fertilizing, but I have not gotten to that extreme yet.  But when it comes to harvesting things that grow in the ground, especially potatoes, the moon is my guide.
I would never try to explain how it works, because it makes no sense to me at all.  How can a hunk of rock millions of miles away change a person’s mood, cause sauerkraut to make juice, or in this case, potatoes to rot?  I don’t know, but my skeptical grandfather proved it for me.  He always said harvesting by the moon was a joke and one year dug his potatoes as the moon was ‘waxing’ or filling.  That year he carried his rotten potatoes from the basement in a bucket.

So what are the rules?  To keep it simple, things that grow underground, root vegetables, should be harvested after the full moon, when it is ‘waning’ and not when it is filling or waxing.

Gardening by the Moon Phase

 

So, that means this weekend is the time to get the potatoes out of the ground for winter.  Unless you are up for digging them in November.

In many ways 2020 has been strange and also in the garden I found this year was a very odd one.  The dry conditions caused things to start slow, but then some vegetables really grew well.  I have had my best crop of kohlrabi in years for instance and in Queens County one gardener has a beet that can’t be beat.

Don’t beat around the bush — that’s one big beet

 

Here’s to a great harvest just in time to celebrate Thanksgiving the weekend.
Here is some potato themed music for you t enjoy as well.