December 2024 Overview – Planting By The Signs

QUICK TAKES

Dec. 1-6, fertile signs for above-grounders, Sagittarius/thighs (1 day), Capricorn/knees (2), Aquarius/legs (3)

Dec. 7-8, Pisces/feet, VERY fertile, above-grounders

Dec. 9-10, Aries/head, killing sign, no planting

Dec. 11-12, VERY fertile, Taurus/neck, above-grounders

Dec. 13-14, Gemini/arms, pea/bean signs

Dec. 15, full/dark moon, 4:02 a.m. EST, below grounders thru most of Dec. 30

Dec. 15-16, VERY fertile, Cancer/breast, below-grounders

Dec. 17-19, Leo/heart, no planting, killing sign

Dec. 18, 20-21, Ember Days

Dec. 20-24, flowering signs,  Virgo/bowels (2) and Libra/reins (3)

Dec. 21, Winter Solstice, (first day of winter), 4:21 a.m.

Dec. 25-26, Scorpio/secrets, VERY fertile, below-grounders

Dec. 27-31, fertile, Sagittarius/thighs, Capricorn/knees

Dec. 30,  new/light moon, 5:27 p.m.

Jan. 1-2, 2025,  Aquarius/legs, above-grounders

DECEMBER OVERVIEW

MOON PHASES: December begins and ends with the moon in the  light phase, which is just the opposite of November when the dark moon was in force at the month’s beginning and ending. It moves from dark to light with the new moon arriving at 1:21 a.m. EST on Dec. 1 and then back to the dark phase with the full/dark moon at 4:02 a.m. EST on Dec. 15 where it remains until the new moon at 9:56 p.m. Jan. 2, 2025.

When the light moon is in force, plant above-ground producers and it’s below-ground producers when the dark moon rules.

Don’t plant when either of the killing signs, Aries and Leo, is in force or veggies when the flowering signs Virgo and Libra rule since they are bloom days.

Planting when the fertile signs rule is a viable alternative to the VERY fertile signs, which are Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus, and Cancer. The fertile ones – just a little below VERY fertile – are Sagittarius, Capricorn, and Aquarius.

If you can only utilize one aspect of the system for planting, I would suggest going with the moon phases but still completely avoid the killing signs Aries and Leo and the flowering signs Virgo and Libra for anything but flowers.

THE SIGNS: Check to see if the moon is in the light or dark phase (information above and on any calendar) before planting anywhere, or other moon-related activities. December begins with a fertile sign ruling, so that’s where we’ll start.

FERTILE DAYS: Sagittarius/thighs, Dec. 1, 27-28; Capricorn/knees, Dec. 2-3, 29-31; and Aquarius/legs, Dec. 4-6. There are 11 days in December ruled by these three signs.

VERY FERTILE DAYS: Pisces/feet, Dec. 7-8; Taurus/neck, Dec. 11-12; Cancer/breast, Dec. 15-16; and Scorpio/secrets, Dec. 25-26. There are eight days in December ruled by the four VERY fertile signs, and that’s the minimum down from 12 in November; four find the light moon ruling and four are in the dark moon.

       KILLING DAYS: No planting, transplanting, seeding, re-potting or dealing with things you want to thrive should occur on these days. Reserve them for anything but planting anywhere. No planting! Here’s when they rule: Aries/head, Dec. 9-10; and Leo/heart, Dec. 17-19. There are only five days ruled by the killing signs.

       BEAN/PEA DAYS: Gemini (the arms), the bean/pea sign, rules Dec. 13-14. Those of you in the southern climes mentioned early may be planting them, but not in the north!

FLOWERING DAYS: Dec. 20-21, Virgo/bowels; and Dec. 22-24, Libra/reins. There are five days ruled by the two flowering signs. No veggies on flowering days.

MAKING CHANGES: We had one day in November that was perfect for making changes, Nov. 30. That number is up to three full days, Dec. 27-29, and three-fourths of Dec. 30 before the moon moves to the light phase at 5:27 p.m.

Those days fit the formula perfectly: dark moon in force, signs going out of the body beyond anything that functions. In this case, Sagittarius/thighs and three-fourths of a Capricorn/knees day

Changes might include starting a diet or exercise program, stopping smoking or other unhealthy habits, weaning small children or animals, scheduling elective surgery or dental work – anything requiring us to do something differently from the way we are doing it now.

POURING GRAVEL: If you have gravel to pour on a drive or road on your farm, do that when the light moon rules, which is Dec. 1 through Dec. 14 with the moon moving to the dark phase at 4:02 a.m. on Dec 15.