Centuries ago, as people started growing their own food they have come to the realisation that plant growth is closely linked to the cycles of the Sun and the Moon. The Sun giving us our seasons as it travels between the Southern and Northern hemisphere and the Moon giving us our months and weeks as it travels around the earth relative to the Sun.

It takes the Moon about 29 days (a lunar month) to circle the earth and this is the period between successive new moons. There are four stages of the Moon, each about 7 days in duration, giving us our weekly periods.

In general people are familiar with their personal sun sign, finding joy and excitement or a bit of anxiety glancing at the horoscope column of their favourite magazine or newspaper. Every month the moon travels through all 12 signs of the tropical zodiac (circle of animals) and spends just over two days in a sign. Due to their natural signification the signs give us certain days that will be more beneficial for specific garden activities within the waxing and waning cycle.

Each sign of the zodiac relates to one of the fundamental elements in nature and is classified as either being a fire, earth, air or water sign. When we look at a plant then the earth signs relate to the roots, the water signs to the leaves, air to flowers and fire to the fruit and seed.

I make use of the Tropical Zodiac, the division of the sky in 12 signs, with the first sign of Aries beginning when the Sun crosses the equator. This correlates with the movement of the Sun between the Northern and Southern hemispheres, giving us our four seasons. Plant growth depends on the overall weather conditions, the seasonal changes in temperature and day length that is determined by the position of the Sun and the Moon.