Harvesting by the moon

Ascending moon

With the ascending moon, the picture of the rising and falling sap places the sap in the upper part of the plant. This is why the time counts as harvest time for everything that grows above ground, and for cut flowers.

The day type by crop

Lettuce, cabbage and kitchen herbs are harvested on a leaf day, tomatoes, beans, fruit and berries on a fruit day, flowers on a flower day, each in the morning. Pierre Masson harvests root vegetables such as carrots, beetroot and potatoes in the afternoon and in the descending moon; for storage he avoids leaf days, full moon and perigee. The page on planting shows the days with a descending moon.

Herbs around full moon

Tradition uses the full moon for harvesting herbs and medicinal plants, because essential oils and sugars are considered high then. Calendula flowers are picked at midday.

When full moon coincides with the moon’s perigee, Pierre Masson advises against harvesting flowers.

Hours to avoid

Lunar nodes, perigee, the occultation of a planet by the moon, planetary nodes and eclipses count as unfavourable in the biodynamic calendar, whatever the day type. The days from Good Friday until sunrise on Easter Sunday are added to these.

The list above gives such hours with their times. If fewer than two suitable hours remain free between 6 am and 9 pm, the day is left out of the list.