How to: Read the Planting Calendar

This week, as a group, we took a look at this wonderful garden guide. At first glance, this calendar can be overwhelming. It is quite intense. To use a calendar like this one, you have to do some research. First off, the calendar is organized by month. When you find your designated month, you will be overwhelmed by the amount of columns and rows. The first two columns are pretty easy to digest. The first column has the numerical date (i.e. 17, 18, 19). The second column contains the day of the week (i.e. Friday, Saturday, etc...). Also, included in this calendar is a category for the moon phase. Use that column to figure out when to plant.

Biodynamic farming uses an immense amount of astrology. Therefore, knowing the different symbols for each zodiac would be quite useful. The calendar also includes a large section that is very colorful. This particular section includes times and which elements are at play. Each of these colors mean something specific to planting using biodynamics. The calendar also includes a lot of information on the planets and it includes a key, which makes the planetary symbols easy to read.

Although this may seem like a difficult feat, it will become easier. The more you practice and refer to the calendar, the easier it will become. At first, it was hard for my group-mates and I to decipher the calendar. But as we looked at it more, it became quite easy.

Tip: Take it one column at a time.

Good luck and happy planting!