Before I started the Blind Pig and The Acorn I never knew much about planting by the signs. I had heard folks talk about it, but it wasn’t something Granny and Pap ever did. The only thing they consulted the zodiac calendar for was making kraut.
They obviously believed there was something to the signs or they wouldn’t have worried about their kraut.
Some folks think following the signs for planting is participating in the occult. I don’t see it that way, nor does anyone I know who follows the signs. In fact most folks, including myself, believe the exact opposite referencing Genesis 1:4 and Ecclesiastes 3.
When it came to gardening, Pap was so busy with work, music, church, and coaching baseball that he had to plant whenever he had time and the weather was cooperating.
The first year I planted by the signs I kept it simple and tried to plant in the most fruitful sign of Cancer or under the crab as I heard an elderly lady phrase it. I saw a marked increase in the success of my garden that year.
The following year, with the success of my sign planted garden fresh on my mind, I became so involved in trying to follow the exact sign that I felt like I was playing a mean game of “Mother May I.” I was totally obsessed by the waxing and waning of the moon as well as trying to figure out which zodiac sign I should be planting under. My garden didn’t do as well that year and I didn’t have much fun either. I about drove myself crazy worrying about the signs instead of just working on growing a garden.
The theory behind planting by the signs in a nutshell is: You should plant above ground crops under a fruitful sign while the moon is waxing/increasing. You should plant below ground crops under a fruitful sign while the moon is waning/decreasing.
There are 12 zodiac signs which correspond to the position of the moon during the month. Each sign is represented by a symbol, a part of the human body, and an element of nature (fire, earth, water, air) and has distinct characteristics. For example, Leo-Lion-The Heart is fiery, dry and barren. While Cancer-Crab-The Breast is watery and fruitful.
After my mother may I year of being obsessed with following the exact sign, I decided to simplify my attempt at gardening by the signs by concentrating only on the zodiac sign like I did that very first year. Over the years, I’ve found the signs that work best for my garden are Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus, and Cancer. Those are the days I note monthly and provide free for Blind Pig readers during the growing season.
My favorite sign to plant under is Cancer (under the crab), but if it doesn’t work out to where I can plant under Cancer, I aim for Scorpio, Pisces, or Taurus.
Here’s the best planting signs for March 2026.
Taurus: good for all root crops and above ground crops 21, 22
Cancer: best for planting above ground and root crops 25, 26
Scorpio: best for flowers and above ground crops 6, 7, 8
Pisces: good for planting and transplanting above ground crops, trees and shrubbery 16, 17, 18
We still have a few of the old almanac style calendars left for 2026. You can find them here.
Tipper
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One busy summer day, I asked my Mother to help me make pickles the next day, which was a Saturday. She looked at her calendar and said, “no the signs is in the feet” (or whatever) and it’s not a good day to make them. I pointed to the date on the calendar and said, “the signs says it is Saturday and that’s my day off.” The pickles turned out great.
She did follow the signs as much as possible, especially when making kraut.
Spending the day receiving chemotherapy and a host of other meds. My nurses are sweethearts and top of the line. Took Wendy’s breakfast with me but so far it hasn’t sounded that great. I’ll just take it home and have it for supper if I choose not to eat while here. Lots of time to peruse gardening articles and look at plants/seeds to see just what I might want to plant in ’26. A dear friend, in a local garden club, told me they usually have c
Cherokee purple tomato plants at their spring sale. I’m doubly excited because she going to pull 3 for me yhe day of the sale so I’ll for certain get to try this variety. SOOOO EXCITED
My Grandma and great-grandma were sticklers about planting by the signs and they could grow anything. Always had big flourishing gardens. I do my best to continue planting by the signs, but have a smaller a smaller garden, mostly devoted to support my homegrown tomato sandwich habit.I do not claim to be near the gardeners my grandmothers were. I do agree with there shall be no other mayonnaise for my tomato sandwiches but Duke’s too! I have a rose garden, and the rose care doesn’t seem to align to planting, pruning or feeding by the signs.
I can’t say I plant by signs, because I honestly, don’t. However, I did plant a few times when others that do follow the signs said to plant certain crops. I had fully intended to plant everything by the signs last year, but time got the best of me, so I basically ended up planting things just to get them planted. I couldn’t tell the difference if it worked or not, because I failed each year to track all my plantings like I should have. I start out writing everything down, but then got so busy I neglected to keep up with my notes in the garden journal. The only thing I’ve noticed in all my years of gardening, is if I had to crowd my tomato plants together they seemed to produce more. My tomatoes also did much better in the ground as opposed to the ones I planted in raised beds. I also noticed cucumbers did seem to do better in raised beds and didn’t get those worms like they did when I planted them in the ground. My cabbage, beets, onions, radishes, and lettuces all did excellent in the raised beds. Other than that, I couldn’t say yay or nay about which grew better, planting by signs or just getting them in the ground.
I plant my tomatoes deep in the ground and not in a raised bed or bucket – I leave not much more than the leaves at the top of plant above ground. I also remember the old timers planting their field corn in deep furrows and filling in the furrow as it was plowed. The belief is anything under ground will have roots that help in dry weather. One other thing, I have started adding one or tablets of rolaids or tums in the bottom of the hole when setting out my tomatoes. I think powdered milk or others things that will add calcium would also work, I very seldom have a problem with end rot. Now if I could come up with a permanent solution for deer, I think lead poisoning dispersed through a gun barrel is the best remedy!
I don’t recall Daddy ever planting by the signs. Being so busy with farming he just planted when he thought we were done with the last frost and the soil was ready. Somehow, it always seemed to work out. He couldn’t wait to “turn that soil” as he would say.
The same way with my Daddy. Back when we depended on a large garden for the majority of our year round source of food, we always had plenty. I think rain, temperature of soil was more important to Daddy than the signs. A large 1-2 acre garden ( not including a field of feed corn) was my father in laws favorite hobby, along about the time the weather would begin warming up he would plant a few things in a small garden spot and call it his “frost garden.” He would say “ I know the frost will probably kill it but I couldn’t wait any longer.” Gosh, how I miss him and so many other family members!
Morning everyone. I never heard about planting by the signs til I found Blind Pig. It does make sense. Fishermen watch what the Moon does (my uncle was a fisherman). More murders happen on a full moon, crazy people were called Moon Babies in the old days. Astrology is watching what the planets are doing. The moon is the mother planet, nurturing, so it could mean good for growing. I just read to not plant on a Sunday no matter what sign it’s in. Too barren. Lunatic means crazy, insane. Luna means moon. Who knows. Me, I plant and see what my hot humid summer will kill. Then do it again next year. I guess I’m a stubborn Capricorn. Anna from Arkansas.
Thank you Tipper! I’ve screenshot tbe last paragraph and will attempt to use it this month for planting. I bought the Calender last year and looked at it twice thinking I had no clue what I was looking at; yet I hung it in the garden shed on the wall. And there it stayed till I threw it out last week when I starting to prep and clean for Spring, haha
Spring is in the air here in West Columbia, SC
Thank you, Tipper.
I would love to know how to plant by the signs. It’s a little confusing. Can you recommend a book about it? PawPaw Ridge Homestead on FB posted how to plant by watching the signs of nature in your area. That was interesting. Kind of like the plant your beets when the Dogwood bloom type of thing. Thanks Tipper!!
Regina I’m sure there are books about it but the only one I can think of is one of the Foxfire books. I think it’s the first one 🙂
Did anyone see the Blood Moon this morning? The sky was overcast where I live so I missed it!
Pray for our military, our country and Iran.
Everyone have a great day!
My Granny would have it no other way!
When we made big gardens in the past, we never planted according to the signs. We were like Pap, just too busy to wait for those times & got the seeds in the ground whenever we could. That may be why our gardens never did very well. 🙂 Wishing you a good day today!
Thanks for this post. It is timely. I have been turning my garden patch trying to beat the hot days. I have already planted 6 things that can take quite a bit of cold but still knowing it was early. I have to squeeze in cool season things as early as I can because they will be gone to flower when the hot days arrive. I planted sweet onions, Danvers carrots, Alaska English peas, Dwarf Siberian kale, Black-Seeded Simpson lettuce and Cherry Belle radishes. So far kale and lettuce have been most interested in growing. We are in Moderate drought here now but the southern half of the county is rated Severe. Some are forecasting a dry year, not off to a good start.
Tipper just when I thought I had things figured out for when to plant my beets carrots and turnips (I know I am late, but my health kept me from planting in February) I read your lovely simple explanation…see, my research online with the farmers almanac and with asking google the question to explain planting by the signs particularly root crops and it told me to plant when the moon was waning and went on to say that was from the first day after a full moon until a few days before a full moon, then another site said not to plant prior to the full moon….well, here in Oklahoma it was suppose to rain Sunday so I wanted to plant Saturday and of course health issues once again kept me from it…so I read some more on when to plant and then everything said start day after full moon which would be this Thursday however it is suppose to be raining all week and that would put me having to plant in mud–not a fan of that lol. Of course it did not rain Sunday or yesterday and as of now the sky does not look much like rain today either…..I did not plant by signs for my fall crop and my result was only one carrot one turnip and one beet–I planted golden beets and turnips and the one I got of each was so good I am now sold on them over the purple beet and white and purple turnip. your explanation albeit simple to understand tells me to wait until 21, 22,25,26 not this week after the full moon….you know what you are talking about so I think I will make the decision not to be perplexed and follow what you said—unless I get worried about it and plant this week ha I appreciate you sharing your wisdom along with your trials and errors explaining why you land on specific decisions about stuff.
I’d like to say thank you to everybody that’s prayed for me and my brother,thank you and God bless you very much, I’ll be traveling from Dahlonega to Gainesville to the heart center, today to see about getting some medication change been having some side effects, sore throat and swollen vocal cords, please continue to pray thank you and God bless you very much, praise God the local community helping place will be my transportation
Praying for you both!
It sounds very complicated to plant by the signs. I will just continue to plant flowers. ❣️Have a blessed day!
I am a strong believer in the signs. It definitely is good for planting. Also it works for the body too. I am Scorpio and the signs are in the loin. My daughter is Virgo the signs are in the bowels. Oh every month suit that person. I am a saved Christian and a strong Christian, not for Satan at all. Believe what you will. God gave us free choice.
I wrote before about my parents having light hearted arguments about planting by the signs. Mother wanted to, Daddy saying the only sign he went by was when the soil “got right.” He didn’t believe the big time farmer worried about “the signs.”
Yesterday I wrote about Food Lion and $6 (5.98) Dukes 30oz mayonnaise, this week’s Food Lion ad that starts tomorrow has it on sale for 3.98, I might need to stock up to get ready for tomato sandwich season, Ed, I thought Walmart would be cheaper than Food Lion but I hate going to Walmart and their self check outs. I order everything Walmart will ship for free or wait until my son is going and give him a list of some things I want. These arthritis knees and legs makes it hard to go anywhere now. I hang on to a buggy- cart for y’all Nawtherners, even if I only want one or two items.
just be careful about stocking up. i did once, with the big jars of duke’s, and one ended up going bad. true, it was in the pantry for years, but i had never heard of unopened mayo going bad!
I was joking, but I have bought some on sale before and had the dates run out. I am using a jar right now that has an expired date, I have not noticed a difference in taste and so far it has not made me sick. I have a neighbor that says the dates are nothing more than a way for the manufacturers to sell more of their products. I am careful about milk, one taste of sour milk convinced me!