Moon Gazing and Gardening by the Moon in October 2023
Preparing for Winter and a Lunar Eclipse
Full Moon Moments: Hunter's Moon and Seed Fall Moon
The names for this Full Moon relate to the preparations for winter in the Northern Hemisphere and, since all endings contain the seeds of the next cycle, there are essential preparations for Spring.
Hunter's Moon is the Anglo-Saxon name for this Full Moon as this is when people prepared for the coming winter - hunting for what they needed and then processing and preserving all the meat.
Seed Fall Moon is another name because seeds are ready; vegetables and flowers that were left on the plant to ripen fully are at their fattest and can be gathered for their seeds. Birds and other animals know this too and you will already have had significant competition from them. Whether they are for eating directly or to be kept for sowing next year seeds and nuts must be processed to sort those that are sound from any that have been nibbled or become too wet.
- The Seed Fall Full Moon is on Saturday 28 October at 9:24 pm BST. There will also be a Partial Lunar Eclipse.
In this blog, I use British Summer Time (BST) for the time of the Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse. This is where the Earth Pathways Diary is rooted in the Earth.
You will see the Lunar Eclipse from the UK (weather permitting)
A Lunar Eclipse can only happen at the Full Moon, and can only be seen from places where the moment of Full Moon is at night. At its peak at 9:24 pm BST this eclipse will cover a part of the Moon and therefore this is called a Partial Eclipse. The duration of the eclipse is 1 hour 17 minutes so you should be able to start seeing the eclipse from 38 minutes before the peak - at 8:46 pm BST - and until 38 minutes after the peak - at 10:02 pm BST.
At the Full Moon the Moon and Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth with the whole face of the Moon reflecting the light of the Sun visible from Earth. However, if the Moon is close enough to pass through the cone of the Earth’s shadow, some of the Moon is dark for a while - we get to see a Lunar Eclipse.
Celebrating the Seed Fall Moon
Wrap warmly and gather outside with others to celebrate our bounty; we also appreciate the leaves and seeds falling, to be a blanket for the Earth, and winter shelter for insects and small animals. Share food and be grateful for what you are able to have from the Earth to sustain you all.
Golden October by Helen Hallows
Gardening by the moon for the coming lunar month
The clocks go forward on Sunday 29 October 2023 so further times are expressed as GMT.
| Full Moon | Third Quarter | New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | |||||
| 28 Oct 9:24 pm | 5 Nov 8:36 am | 13 Nov 9:27 am | 20 Nov 10:49 am | 27 Nov 9:16 am |
On the day of the Full Moon: Saturday 28 Oct
Where you still have plants, harvest all parts of the plant that are above ground as this delivers optimum flavour. It also delivers maximum potency for healing herbs and teas. Record - draw the places - where plants are still growing. Successful growing relies - or gains power - from what you can remember from year to year so this is one of my favourite things to add to my journal.
Waning Moon Full Moon to the Third Quarter: 29 Sept to Sunday 5 Nov
Root growth is favoured in the week after the Full Moon. So this is good for planting perennial plants that need to be well rooted, for dividing bulbs and planting bulbs, and transplanting plants. The soil is now cold but is probably not frozen so you should plant and transplant trees this week.
Waning Moon Third Quarter to the New Moon: 6 Nov to Monday 13 Nov
This is considered a resting period for plants, for slow growth.
Harvest below-ground crops now if you plan to store them as they will last better. Gather in any remaining root and bulb crops.
Prune plants that should re-grow slowly like hedges or lawns and leave fallen branches and leaf litter for small animals and insects. This is the best time to clear weeds that are outcompeting your preferred plants. Mulch everything.
Waxing Moon New Moon to the First Quarter: 14 Nov to Monday 20 Nov
From the remaining plants, harvest parts of the plant that are above ground - especially if you intend to preserve it in any way. You can sow plants that produce fruit above ground - try out baby leaf plants that you can grow under cover and sow leaf plants that will overwinter including cereals, grains, and flowers. Sow green manure crops that are intended to provide ground protection.
Prune vines and trees to increase fruiting.
Waxing Moon First Quarter to the Full Moon: 21 Nov to Monday 27 Nov
If you have a way to place seeds that will not be very wet, sow and plant plants that will fruit above ground and overwinter in your area. This includes flowers.
Grafting takes best in the two days before the Full Moon.
