First quarter (new moon to first quarter)
Sow leafy crops and above-ground annuals whose seeds form outside the fruit: lettuce, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, celery, herbs. Transplant seedlings. Mow to encourage growth.
Gardening by the Moon
Planting calendar and guide to the four lunar quarters
Today, September 26, is in the second quarter (first quarter to full moon). Sow above-ground crops whose seeds form inside the fruit: beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, melons. Graft, repot and sow lawns.
September 2026 planting calendar
1
Root crops
2
Root crops
3
Root crops
4
Rest and tend
Last Quarter
5
Rest and tend
6
Rest and tend
7
Rest and tend
8
Rest and tend
9
Rest and tend
10
Rest and tend
11
Leafy crops
New Moon
12
Leafy crops
13
Leafy crops
14
Leafy crops
15
Leafy crops
16
Leafy crops
17
Leafy crops
18
Leafy crops
First Quarter
19
Fruiting crops
20
Fruiting crops
21
Fruiting crops
22
Fruiting crops
23
Fruiting crops
24
Fruiting crops
25
Fruiting crops
26
Fruiting crops
Full Moon
27
Root crops
28
Root crops
29
Root crops
30
Root crops
- Leafy crops · First quarter (new moon to first quarter)
- Fruiting crops · Second quarter (first quarter to full moon)
- Root crops · Third quarter (full moon to last quarter)
- Rest and tend · Fourth quarter (last quarter to new moon)
How gardening by the moon works
Gardening by the moon is the old practice of timing garden tasks to the lunar cycle. The traditional rule follows the four quarters:
- New moon to first quarter: sow and transplant leafy annuals and crops that bear seed outside the fruit, such as lettuce, spinach, cabbage, celery and grains.
- First quarter to full moon: sow crops that bear seed inside the fruit, such as beans, peas, peppers, tomatoes, squash and melons. Graft and repot.
- Full moon to last quarter: plant root crops, bulbs, perennials, biennials, trees and shrubs, such as carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic. Prune to slow growth.
- Last quarter to new moon: rest the soil. Weed, cultivate, harvest for storage, turn compost, and prune to discourage regrowth.
The idea is that the waxing moon draws growth upward and the waning moon draws it down into the roots. Controlled trials have not found a measurable effect of lunar phase on germination or yield, so treat it as a traditional rhythm rather than a guarantee. It still works well as a planning tool: it spreads sowing, tending and harvesting across the month and keeps you in the garden regularly. The calendar marks each day with its quarter and the tasks tradition assigns to it.
The four quarters at a glance
Second quarter (first quarter to full moon)
Sow above-ground crops whose seeds form inside the fruit: beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, melons. Graft, repot and sow lawns.
Third quarter (full moon to last quarter)
Plant root crops and anything that overwinters: carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, garlic, bulbs, perennials, trees and shrubs. Prune to slow growth.
Fourth quarter (last quarter to new moon)
Rest days for the soil: weed, cultivate, turn compost, harvest crops for storage, prune to discourage regrowth, prepare beds. Avoid sowing.
Quarters are assigned by the moon phase at midday UTC. When a phase changes within a few hours of midnight, the day's quarter can differ by one in some time zones.