Now thats a handy little tool to have on hand.

Thanks for this site. Loads of information.

Sometimes the internet is like mining for gold... Thanks!

Way cool, thanks!

Would be nice to see what they had for the PNW last year. We had below freezing temperatures in early July.

Hogwash!! I'm a reader of the Almanac but if I plant things when they reconmend, I'd lose almost all my crop. It's best to follow the frost date for me. There is no way I could plant almost a MONTH before my last frost.

I have to start before last frost or else have a very short growing time before the killer heat moves in. But I've got lots of row covers and hot caps ready for nursing the plants through the first cold nights.

Here's another little gem I came across last night. Apparently tomatoes like to be transplanted when the moon is in Scorpio.

Here is a link that might be useful: Moon Sign Gardening

I agree with you Gtomato to plant almost a month early in our area would be sure disaster.

Hogwash! My home vegetable gardens go back over 60 years (excepting time for military service) and my experience departs from these recommendations on almost every issue.I love the Farmers' Almanac but take it for what it is; a nostalgic look at past America and past beliefs. If you want sound advice, google the many sources of good information from many state and private university web sites (Cornell, Ohio State, etc.) But like me, keep buying the Old Farmers Almanac. I would hate to see it's demise.

Scratching head in puzzlement:
a couple of people on the veggie forum say it's accurate for their zones.

Here is a link that might be useful: Same thread over yonder.

For most of the early dates our garden is either still frozen or the threat of frost makes it impractical to plant by the almanac. They need to reassess. Tomatoes in early April?

i believe they have a footnote saying that is the recommended date for starting seeds, which works, tomato-wise, if you are planting out at the end of May or early June.

Weird, the dates are correct for my area.
Remy

Found the Almanac to be correct quite by accident 30 yrs ago.
I planted corms of the Elephant Ear under a full mooon in spring, producing huge prolific plants.
I think it is safe to say that under the ASTRONOMICAL as opposed to astrological, plants are affected in different ways, gravitation pull and water being as powerful as it is. The link provided explained it fairly well on another page.

I am conviced that the Almanac gets as close as any long term forcasting venue can. They have generations of data compiled into a format generations have used for survival and livelyhood. Gotta remember it is a guide and reference manual not the Bible.
Besides the folklore and articles are informative and interesting.
Not much of the "old" ways left in America, heritage, to me, is something to savor in a way.

Much as I'd like to look at this as a reference guide, it recommends that I plant tomatoes before the last frost date for Seattle. I'm not convinced that's such a good idea. :)

"I am conviced that the Almanac gets as close as any long term forcasting venue can."

I would agree.

That is to say, no better than flipping a coin. :)

It's kind of unfortunate that some beginners in gardening might read some of the tips for planting out(mine was in April for tomato's...I don't even start my plants till' late March)and try to do it.

I enjoy FA for the bits of folklore and such but jeees.....

Mike

It looks fairly accurate for my area. But again, folks it is a 'guide'. It is not a substitute for common sense and checking the 10 day weather forecast. Every year is different. It is pretty cool to get an idea of some other veggies I have not planted to see what 'general' time frame is recommended.

Duane

Just curious but how many of you pay attention to the planting cycles (moon or whatever)/Farmer's Almanac?

I'd never really thought about it and don't think I've seen a Farmer's Almanac since I was ten years old. It's odd. To some it's mythology, to others it's the bible.

The reason I'm curious is that I was at one of the better wineries in Napa Valley last month and, well, they use it.

I don't know one way or the other as to whether it is hogwash, but considering that the moon has an effect on peoples behavior depending on its phase and that it also creates the tides keeps me from writing off planting by the moon completely.

Umm... I think everyone is missing the line on the webpage where it says... Boston, MA

Outdoor Planting Table for 2009

Boston, MA

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The best time to plant flowers and vegetables that bear crops above ground is during the light of the Moon; that is, blah, blah blah...

Some Farmer's Almanac suggestions are somewhat arbitrary... Esp. eggplant and peppers.

The Late planting date seemed about right -- about a week before traditional recommendations. The Garden Centres recommend the week after the May 24 long weekend for bedding plants etc. Most people plant well before then and many years replace plants from the stock garden centres have held back. Our last frost is 3 to 4 weeks after the warm weather and urge to plant arrives. A common strategy for direct seeding is plant early and hope. If we get a frost, we plant again. :)

I use both the gardening by moon phase site and FA together. So, take tomatoes..

According to the FA, planting dates in my zone are favorable from April 7th - 30th. Makes sense..

Also in FA, the moon is favorable from April 7th to 9th and then from the 24th to 30th.

Boogie over to the Gardening by Moon Phase site and for toms, it is suggested that they be planted while the moon is in Scorpio, Cancer, Pisces and Libra.

Back to FA..

April 4th - Cancer
April 11th and 12th - Libra
April 13th - Scorpio
April 22nd through 24th - Pisces

Ok, so it looks like these don't jive HOWEVER they say to set seed during the waxing of the moon a couple days before the full moon which would be the 7th - 9th (9th being the full moon). New moon is the 24th in case you were curious.

It may sound like hogwash to a lot of people but I set seed some days before the full moon and got nothing. Figured I screwed up. A couple days before the Full Moon.. BAM. Holy Seedlings. Coincidence? Perhaps..

So bottom line, I am shooting for the weekend of the 11th of April to transplant outside.

This is a school of thought that I have started getting into and I'm transplanting anyway so I figure, pay attention to what the moon is doing and take notes.

Did that make sense? I got side tracked with visitors ..

Try it and :) Happy Spring!

Erin

I checked it out and for kick-n-giggles put in the zip for where I lived for 14 yrs... Toms goin' in "Apr 7-30" (got a giggle from that)...One yr for my ds's bday, we built him a swing set. buried the legs....Had to dig down 1 1/2' to find ground that wasn't frozen solid, that would have been on April 20th.......Having several feet of snow isn't uncommon for that area into May..........

Just let me be clear, thank you for the link, this is in no way a slam, I enjoy the FA and gonna have to give that moon phase thing a try...........