July 2010 Notes

Mid winter is still a great time to be gardening. Even though growth above ground has slowed, under the soil there’s still lots of activity. Winter is a good time for planting deciduous plants and food crops like berries and citrus. It’s also a good time of the year to make compost.

	July  2010
What to Plant, When:Guide for temperate areas in SE Australia	Leaf Days: 3 – 6; 11 – 13; 21 – 22; 30 – 31 bok choi, cabbage, kale, celery, endive, mibuna, mizuna, orach, rocket, tat soi, lettuce, mustard, silverbeet, chard, spinach, chives, garlic chives, coriander, dill, parsley, rhubarb, clover Fruit Days: 6 – 8; 14 – 17; 23 – 25 Broad beans, mustard, peas, Root Days: 8 – 10; 16 – 18; 25 – 28 Asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke, beetroot, carrots, bunching onion, onion, radish, spring onion, shallot, potatoes Flower Days: 1 – 3; 10 – 12; 16 – 21; 28 – 30 Broccoli, borage, globe artichoke
Other Dates to note:Moon Descending Moon Ascending Full Moon/New Moon Nodes*: Perigee***: Apogee***:	1 – 10; 22 – 31 10 – 22 28/12 11, 24 13 29
Garden Tasks:Apply soil food Apply foliar food Mulch Transplant seedlings, plants, cuttings and prune Graft	3 – 6; 8 – 10; 25 – 28; 30 – 31 11 – 14; 21 -22 Anytime, but straw mulch can accentuate frosts 8 – 10; 25 – 28   10 – 12; 18 – 21

# Broccoli can be grown year round, apart from the hottest months. I prefer to plant through the colder months to avoid having the broccoli forming heads when the cabbage moth butterfly is active, in late spring and summer.

* Each month there are a couple of ‘node days’ when the sun and moon are in opposition. Many biodynamic gardeners choose not to plant on these days, or at least a couple of hours either side of the node.

** Perigee is the point where the moon is closest to the earth, so the influence of the moon is strongest. Apogee is the furthest point from the earth, so the opposite occurs.