Planting by the Moon — January 2011

The favourable sowing days in January 2011 are 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23 and 31. No sowing on 4 and 19 (New Moon — 4 January · Full Moon — 19 January).

What to sow when

Fruit
Days: 11 and 12

tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, courgettes, aubergine, beans, peas, sweetcorn, strawberries, fruit trees

Root
Days: 3, 22, 23 and 31

potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, beetroot, radishes, turnips, parsnips, celeriac, root parsley

Leaf
Days: 8, 9, 10 and 18

lettuce, salad leaves, spinach, cabbage, rocket, parsley, dill, basil, leeks, chard

Flower
Days: 6, 7, 16 and 17

broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, roses, lavender, sunflowers, bedding flowers, bulbs

Day by day

DayPhaseSignPartRatingTasks
1 Sat 9% Sagittarius · barren Fruit Maintenance day Harvest for storage Pruning Weeding Pest control
2 Sun 4% Sagittarius · barren Fruit Maintenance day Harvest for storage Pruning Weeding Pest control
3 Mon 1% Capricorn · fruitful Root Favourable for sowing Sow and plant root crops Harvest for storage Feeding and fertilising
4 Tue 0% Capricorn · fruitful Root Rest day — no sowing Weeding Working the soil Compost and preparation
5 Wed 1% Capricorn · fruitful Root Maintenance day Transplant and prick out Working the soil
6 Thu 5% Aquarius · barren Flower Favourable for sowing Sow flowers and flowering veg Transplant and prick out Weeding Pest control
7 Fri 10% Aquarius · barren Flower Favourable for sowing Sow flowers and flowering veg Transplant and prick out Weeding Pest control
8 Sat 16% Pisces · most fruitful Leaf Favourable for sowing Sow leafy greens Transplant and prick out Watering
9 Sun 23% Pisces · most fruitful Leaf Favourable for sowing Sow leafy greens Transplant and prick out Watering
10 Mon 32% Pisces · most fruitful Leaf Favourable for sowing Sow leafy greens Transplant and prick out Watering
11 Tue 41% Aries · barren Fruit Favourable for sowing Sow fruiting vegetables Grafting Watering Weeding Pest control
12 Wed 50% Aries · barren Fruit Favourable for sowing Sow fruiting vegetables Grafting Watering Weeding Pest control
13 Thu 60% Taurus · fruitful Root Maintenance day Transplant and prick out Working the soil
14 Fri 69% Taurus · fruitful Root Maintenance day Transplant and prick out Working the soil
15 Sat 78% Taurus · fruitful Root Maintenance day Transplant and prick out Working the soil
16 Sun 86% Gemini · barren Flower Favourable for sowing Sow flowers and flowering veg Transplant and prick out Weeding Pest control
17 Mon 93% Gemini · barren Flower Favourable for sowing Sow flowers and flowering veg Transplant and prick out Weeding Pest control
18 Tue 97% Cancer · most fruitful Leaf Favourable for sowing Sow leafy greens Transplant and prick out Watering
19 Wed 100% Cancer · most fruitful Leaf Rest day — no sowing Weeding Working the soil Compost and preparation
20 Thu 99% Leo · barren Fruit Maintenance day Harvest for storage Pruning Weeding Pest control
21 Fri 96% Leo · barren Fruit Maintenance day Harvest for storage Pruning Weeding Pest control
22 Sat 90% Virgo · barren Root Favourable for sowing Sow and plant root crops Harvest for storage Feeding and fertilising Weeding Pest control
23 Sun 82% Virgo · barren Root Favourable for sowing Sow and plant root crops Harvest for storage Feeding and fertilising Weeding Pest control
24 Mon 72% Libra · fruitful Flower Maintenance day Cutting flowers Pruning
25 Tue 62% Libra · fruitful Flower Maintenance day Cutting flowers Pruning
26 Wed 50% Scorpio · most fruitful Leaf Maintenance day Harvest for fresh use Feeding and fertilising Watering
27 Thu 39% Scorpio · most fruitful Leaf Maintenance day Harvest for fresh use Feeding and fertilising Watering
28 Fri 29% Sagittarius · barren Fruit Maintenance day Harvest for storage Pruning Weeding Pest control
29 Sat 20% Sagittarius · barren Fruit Maintenance day Harvest for storage Pruning Weeding Pest control
30 Sun 12% Sagittarius · barren Fruit Maintenance day Harvest for storage Pruning Weeding Pest control
31 Mon 7% Capricorn · fruitful Root Favourable for sowing Sow and plant root crops Harvest for storage Feeding and fertilising

Phase and sign are computed for 12:00 UTC on each day. The Moon changes sign every ~2.3 days — the exact moments are listed below.

The Moon changes sign

  • Sagittarius(Fire · Fruit)1 Jan, 01:26
  • Capricorn(Earth · Root)3 Jan, 07:41
  • Aquarius(Air · Flower)5 Jan, 16:10
  • Pisces(Water · Leaf)8 Jan, 03:01
  • Aries(Fire · Fruit)10 Jan, 15:24
  • Taurus(Earth · Root)13 Jan, 03:35
  • Gemini(Air · Flower)15 Jan, 13:24
  • Cancer(Water · Leaf)17 Jan, 19:30
  • Leo(Fire · Fruit)19 Jan, 22:15
  • Virgo(Earth · Root)21 Jan, 23:08
  • Libra(Air · Flower)23 Jan, 23:59
  • Scorpio(Water · Leaf)26 Jan, 02:16
  • Sagittarius(Fire · Fruit)28 Jan, 06:56
  • Capricorn(Earth · Root)30 Jan, 14:05

Times are UTC.

December 20102011February 2011
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Frequently asked questions

Which are the best days to sow in January 2011?

The favourable sowing and planting days in January 2011 are 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23 and 31 — the days on which the Moon's direction of travel and its zodiac sign agree under the traditional rule.

When should root crops be sown in January 2011?

Root crops (potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic) are traditionally sown under a waning Moon in an earth sign — in January 2011 that falls on 3, 22, 23 and 31.

Which are the rest days in January 2011?

Tradition treats the day of the new moon and the day of the full moon as days without sowing — in January 2011 those are 4 and 19 (New Moon — 4 January · Full Moon — 19 January). They suit weeding, soil work and composting instead.

How does a lunar planting calendar work?

Two rules combine. Under a waxing Moon (new → full) you sow the crops harvested above ground — fruiting, leafy and flowering plants. Under a waning Moon (full → new) you sow root crops. At the same time the zodiac sign holding the Moon decides which part of the plant is favoured: fire → fruit, earth → root, air → flower, water → leaf.

Is there scientific evidence for lunar planting?

No. The moon phase and its zodiac sign are astronomically computed and verifiable, but their link to plant growth is traditional practice, not agronomic advice. This page reproduces the rules exactly as the centuries-old farming almanacs apply them.

The moon phase and its zodiac sign are computed astronomically (tropical zodiac). The sowing rules are traditional practice taken from folk farming almanacs — they are not agronomic advice and have no scientific confirmation.