Farmers’ Almanac Planting Calendar
Gardening by the Moon (according to the phases of the Moon) is an ancient concept and a fundamental part of the Farmers’ Almanac philosophy. For over 200 years, our print editions have included a Planting Calendar that uses phases and position of the Moon to predict the best times to perform specific gardening tasks. FA readers have long sworn by this method of managing their gardens and crops. Get All-Access to see the next 12 months and receive a copy of the Almanac shipped free!
Farmers’ Almanac Planting Calendar
The dates listed below are consistent across all growing zones. Please consider your regional weather and climate before following our suggestions. We also recommend that you talk with your local greenhouse or agricultural extension office to discover optimal windows of time within which you may use the dates below. Be sure to check out your frost dates and learn more about your plant hardiness zone. (which may have changed a bit when the zones were updated in 2024.)
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14th – 15th
Poor days for planting. Kill plant pests, spray, fertilize, do general farm work.
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16th – 17th
Set strawberry plants. Excellent for any vine crops such as beans, peas, and cucumbers. Good days for transplanting. Favorable time for planting late root crops.
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18th – 19th
Cut hay or do plowing on these barren days. Good harvest days.
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20th – 21st
Good days for transplanting. Good days for planting root crops.
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22nd – 23rd
Seeds planted now tend to rot in ground. Good harvest days.
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24th – 26th
Excellent for sowing seedbeds and flower gardens. First day is a good day for transplanting. First day is also best day for planting root crops. Last two days are when to plant tomatoes, beans, peppers, corn, cotton, and other aboveground crops on these most fruitful days.
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27th – 30th
Poor period for planting. Kill plant pests, clear fencerows, or clear land.
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1st – 3rd
Sow grains and forage crops. Plant flowers. Favorable for planting peas, beans, tomatoes, and other fall crops bearing aboveground.
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4th – 5th
Start seedbeds. Extra good for fall cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, mustard greens, and other leafy vegetables. Good for any aboveground crop that can be planted now.
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6th – 8th
Barren days, neither plant nor sow.
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9th – 10th
First day is when any aboveground crops that can be planted now will do well. Second day is a good day for planting beets, carrots, salsify, Irish potatoes, and other root crops.
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11th – 12th
Good days for killing weeds, briars, and other plant pests. Poor for planting.
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13th – 15th
Set strawberry plants. Good days for transplanting. Good days for planting beets, carrots, radishes, salsify, turnips, peanuts, and other root crops. Also good for vine crops.
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Farmers’ Almanac Gardening Terms Explained
Above ground crops: Crops that produce their yield above the soil (corn, peppers, squash, etc.)
Root Crops: Crops that produce their yield below the soil (potatoes, radishes, carrots, etc.)
Seedbeds: A bed of soil cultivated for planting seeds or seedlings before being transplanted.
Seedlings: Young plants—especially ones that grow from seeds (rather than from a cutting).
Transplanting: To uproot and replant a growing plant or an already well-established plant. (Transplanting suggestions are true for houseplants as well.)
The terms “Favorable,” “Good,” and “Best” are all considered beneficial days for planting. “Favorable” and “Good” mean the same thing. However, “Best” is considered the optimal day for planting seeds. Learn about the associations between zodiac signs and planting in our Zodiac Calendar.
Any questions? Let us know in the comments!
But how could a chunk of rock more than 200,000 miles away affect how plants on Earth grow?
Those who swear by this ancient growing method say the water in both the ground and in plants are affected by the gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon, just like ocean tides are. Just as the tides are highest during the new and full phases of the Moon, this theory holds, seeds, too, will absorb the most water during these times. Learn how Gardening by the Moon works.
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Tell us more about your experience in the comments below.
What can i do for water logged pepper plants
Hello! We’re reaching the end of a “barren period,” and I’ve got to get some transplants in the ground, it’s hot and they’ll bolt in pots. Can you spell out what you mean by “favorable for cultivating?”
Hi there everyone.im starting a pepper farm any tricks and idears. ?
How do I print the gardening by the moon calendar for each month
Hi Joan,
Easy: I make notes in a Calendar that I have when there’s a full moon, 1st quarter, new moon etc. I also keep track of when I plant etc. on the same calendar.
I need to plant a whole lawn after removing all the shrubs, probably 10k sq feet. When to plant, what to fertilize with how often to water?
We’re starting a flower garden at a local high school to get students more involved in extra curriculum activities to help increase school pride and academic achievements.
What an awesome idea! Happy planting!
Sounds supper fun for the kids and adults. Happy Planting and Growing.
I’ve been an avid flower gardener for 30+ years, as was my mother. She taught me to garden by the moon and I never deviate from that plan. My flower gardens are always beautiful and I get asked what my secret is. I always tell them above all, garden by the moon!
Happy planting season!
Wonderful! Happy gardening!!
Thank you – we’re so happy to have you here in our community!
Hi, what do I need to consider when I want to apply your gardening calendar to Europe (Portugal)? Is there anything I need to change?
Other than our weather forecasts just about everything should apply to you in the Northern Hemisphere! We love to hear that you are using us in Portugal. Happy Planting!
Why is the printed version of the 2025 almanac missing the gardening by the moon
Are you sure you have our Farmers’ Almanac? It’s orange and green and it does have the gardening by the moon calendar. Get your copy here: https://store.farmersalmanac.com/FARM/p-FA-25_GBALFARET25
Hiiiii!!! I am SO excited to be here. I am a 1st time “planter” / brand spanking new gardener. My granny was a virtual mother nature, but I never really had any love for plants until recently. 🙁 Foliage still does not do it for me, but fruits and veggies are my new best friends. Going simply on just what I remember seeing her do, I have been setting aside seeds from delicious fruits, etc. and putting them in labeled baggies. Well, now that I am in several hundreds of dollars on raised beds with covers, soil, food, I wanted to start planting (Houston, TX, BTW) – and see that my plants are already sprouting in the baggies!!! I’m very excited but a bit alarmed because I don’t know exactly what to do with them now (i.e., one to a hole)? Thanks to the Farmer’s Almanac (also remembered by granny’s planting) at least I think I know WHEN to plant ’em. 🙂 Any other 1st timer tips are ABSOLUTELY appreciated!!!
Hi Jaqi! We love hearing your excitement. It sounds like your granny raised you right with the Almanac 🙂 Please let us know what kinds of plants have started sprouting for you and we would be happy to share some tips for each! Best wishes, your friends at FA.
You’re so kind, thank you! I am growing cantaloupes, champagne tomatoes, Campari tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, guajillo chilies, cilantro, Russet potatoes, strawberries… oh, and I had an old onion with about a foot or more of growth, so I just stuck it into a corner of one of the beds. 🙂
I love this site. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. “Teach a man to fish …”. <3