Planting by the Moon — December 2019

The favourable sowing days in December 2019 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 17, 18, 28, 29, 30 and 31. No sowing on 12 and 26 (Full Moon — 12 December · New Moon — 26 December).

What to sow when

Fruit
Days: 6 and 7

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

Root
Days: 17 and 18

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

Leaf
Days: 3, 4, 5 and 31

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

Flower
Days: 1, 2, 11, 28, 29 and 30

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

Day by day

DayPhaseSignPartRatingTasks
1 Sun 25% Aquarius · barren Flower Favourable for sowing Sow flowers and flowering veg Transplant and prick out Weeding Pest control
2 Mon 34% Aquarius · barren Flower Favourable for sowing Sow flowers and flowering veg Transplant and prick out Weeding Pest control
3 Tue 43% Pisces · most fruitful Leaf Favourable for sowing Sow leafy greens Transplant and prick out Watering
4 Wed 52% Pisces · most fruitful Leaf Favourable for sowing Sow leafy greens Transplant and prick out Watering
5 Thu 62% Pisces · most fruitful Leaf Favourable for sowing Sow leafy greens Transplant and prick out Watering
6 Fri 71% Aries · barren Fruit Favourable for sowing Sow fruiting vegetables Grafting Watering Weeding Pest control
7 Sat 79% Aries · barren Fruit Favourable for sowing Sow fruiting vegetables Grafting Watering Weeding Pest control
8 Sun 86% Taurus · fruitful Root Maintenance day Transplant and prick out Working the soil
9 Mon 92% Taurus · fruitful Root Maintenance day Transplant and prick out Working the soil
10 Tue 97% Taurus · fruitful Root Maintenance day Transplant and prick out Working the soil
11 Wed 99% Gemini · barren Flower Favourable for sowing Sow flowers and flowering veg Transplant and prick out Weeding Pest control
12 Thu 100% Gemini · barren Flower Rest day — no sowing Weeding Working the soil Compost and preparation
13 Fri 98% Cancer · most fruitful Leaf Maintenance day Harvest for fresh use Feeding and fertilising Watering
14 Sat 94% Cancer · most fruitful Leaf Maintenance day Harvest for fresh use Feeding and fertilising Watering
15 Sun 87% Leo · barren Fruit Maintenance day Harvest for storage Pruning Weeding Pest control
16 Mon 79% Leo · barren Fruit Maintenance day Harvest for storage Pruning Weeding Pest control
17 Tue 69% Virgo · barren Root Favourable for sowing Sow and plant root crops Harvest for storage Feeding and fertilising Weeding Pest control
18 Wed 58% Virgo · barren Root Favourable for sowing Sow and plant root crops Harvest for storage Feeding and fertilising Weeding Pest control
19 Thu 46% Libra · fruitful Flower Maintenance day Cutting flowers Pruning
20 Fri 35% Libra · fruitful Flower Maintenance day Cutting flowers Pruning
21 Sat 25% Libra · fruitful Flower Maintenance day Cutting flowers Pruning
22 Sun 16% Scorpio · most fruitful Leaf Maintenance day Harvest for fresh use Feeding and fertilising Watering
23 Mon 9% Scorpio · most fruitful Leaf Maintenance day Harvest for fresh use Feeding and fertilising Watering
24 Tue 3% Sagittarius · barren Fruit Maintenance day Harvest for storage Pruning Weeding Pest control
25 Wed 1% Sagittarius · barren Fruit Maintenance day Harvest for storage Pruning Weeding Pest control
26 Thu 0% Capricorn · fruitful Root Rest day — no sowing Weeding Working the soil Compost and preparation
27 Fri 2% Capricorn · fruitful Root Maintenance day Transplant and prick out Working the soil
28 Sat 6% Aquarius · barren Flower Favourable for sowing Sow flowers and flowering veg Transplant and prick out Weeding Pest control
29 Sun 11% Aquarius · barren Flower Favourable for sowing Sow flowers and flowering veg Transplant and prick out Weeding Pest control
30 Mon 18% Aquarius · barren Flower Favourable for sowing Sow flowers and flowering veg Transplant and prick out Weeding Pest control
31 Tue 26% Pisces · most fruitful Leaf Favourable for sowing Sow leafy greens Transplant and prick out Watering

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

  • Pisces(Water · Leaf)3 Dec, 07:19
  • Aries(Fire · Fruit)5 Dec, 19:50
  • Taurus(Earth · Root)8 Dec, 07:31
  • Gemini(Air · Flower)10 Dec, 16:50
  • Cancer(Water · Leaf)12 Dec, 23:25
  • Leo(Fire · Fruit)15 Dec, 03:54
  • Virgo(Earth · Root)17 Dec, 07:12
  • Libra(Air · Flower)19 Dec, 10:05
  • Scorpio(Water · Leaf)21 Dec, 13:03
  • Sagittarius(Fire · Fruit)23 Dec, 16:39
  • Capricorn(Earth · Root)25 Dec, 21:47
  • Aquarius(Air · Flower)28 Dec, 05:23
  • Pisces(Water · Leaf)30 Dec, 15:47

Times are UTC.

November 20192019January 2020
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Frequently asked questions

Which are the best days to sow in December 2019?

The favourable sowing and planting days in December 2019 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 17, 18, 28, 29, 30 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 December 2019?

Root crops (potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic) are traditionally sown under a waning Moon in an earth sign — in December 2019 that falls on 17 and 18.

Which are the rest days in December 2019?

Tradition treats the day of the new moon and the day of the full moon as days without sowing — in December 2019 those are 12 and 26 (Full Moon — 12 December · New Moon — 26 December). 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.