Plant or sow, by the Moon
Of 29 lunar days, the tradition favours 20 for this and discourages 5. The lunar day turns at moonrise, so a calendar date usually spans two of them — which is why a date can be good for part of the day and not the rest.
Favourable lunar days for plant or sow
- Lunar day 3
- The tradition counts this a good day for sowing and planting, especially fast-growing crops with edible above-ground parts.
- Lunar day 4
- The tradition regards the fourth lunar day as excellent for sowing and planting.
- Lunar day 5
- The tradition favours planting on this day, saying seedlings take root especially well.
- Lunar day 6
- The tradition holds that plants set out on this day grow quickly and fruit richly, though fruit trees are excepted.
- Lunar day 7
- The tradition recommends planting and transplanting on the seventh lunar day.
- Lunar day 9
- The tradition supports planting on this day, particularly crops with edible above-ground parts.
- Lunar day 10
- The tradition names the tenth lunar day as suitable for planting and sowing, especially root vegetables and cabbages.
- Lunar day 11
- The tradition favours planting on this day, above all crops with edible above-ground parts.
- Lunar day 12
- The tradition treats the twelfth lunar day as good for sowing and planting a wide range of crops.
- Lunar day 13
- The tradition recommends sowing and planting on the thirteenth lunar day.
- Lunar day 14
- The tradition counts this a good day for planting along with soil work and harvesting.
- Lunar day 17
- The tradition calls this a favourable day for planting and sowing, though the same passage also adds a caution about planting.
- Lunar day 18
- The tradition favours sowing and planting root crops on this day.
- Lunar day 20
- The tradition lists planting among the suitable works for the twentieth lunar day.
- Lunar day 22
- The tradition regards this as a strong day for sowing and planting root crops and bulbs.
- Lunar day 23
- The tradition supports planting underground crops on the twenty-third lunar day.
- Lunar day 24
- The tradition holds the twenty-fourth lunar day to be good for planting and sowing.
- Lunar day 25
- The tradition calls this an ideal day for sowing and planting root crops.
- Lunar day 27
- The tradition recommends sowing and planting below-ground crops on this day.
- Lunar day 28
- The tradition names the twenty-eighth lunar day as a time to sow and plant.
Lunar days to avoid
- Lunar day 1
- The tradition holds that the first lunar day is not suited to planting or sowing, favouring garden clearing instead.
- Lunar day 2
- The tradition advises postponing planting and sowing on this day, though it does allow setting out shrubs and trees.
- Lunar day 8
- The tradition warns against planting on this day, apart from sowing cabbages and greens.
- Lunar day 16
- The tradition says planting should be avoided on the sixteenth lunar day.
- Lunar day 29
- The tradition considers the twenty-ninth lunar day a poor time for planting.
What this is, and is not
Inherited material, quoted as received. Checked against the tradition's own named authorities, these readings contradict each other on all 29 lunar days — so treat the guidance as a custom worth knowing, not a finding. The astronomy underneath it is exact: MoonIQ computes which lunar day you are in, and the minute it turns, for your own location.