Monday 4th November

Monday 4th November
The moon deepens into Scorpio, drawing cosmic forces of light to the Earth as a trine forms between the Sun and Saturn, each positioned 120 degrees apart in the zodiac. A couple of days ago, a flower day was influenced by a water trine, but today the roles reverse, with the afternoon embodying the qualities of a flower day and overruling Scorpio’s water element. In the garden, the morning is an ideal time for transplanting hedges, which provide essential habitats, boundaries, and a comforting presence. In the afternoon, it’s perfect for collecting flower seeds or creating a bouquet that reflects the autumnal colors now gracing the landscape.

Sunday 3rd November

Sunday 3rd November
Today, the moon transitions from the constellation of Libra to Scorpio, shifting us from the element of air to water. This transition brings a deepening intensity, offering opportunities for transformation. In the garden, it’s an ideal time to harvest salads and make use of greenhouses to keep them growing in cooler climates. As growth slows down with the approach of winter, it’s a perfect moment to catch up on garden maintenance—gathering vegetation to add to the compost pile, which will enrich the soil for next season.

Saturday 2nd November

Saturday 2nd November
The moon rises in the constellation of Libra, making it an excellent time to socialize with friends and family, as well as to tend to the flowers in our garden. We might sow sweet peas for germination in the spring or tend to flowers that can be cut back. While Libra rules the moon today, we should also consider a trine that brings water qualities to the morning: Mercury in Scorpio aligns exactly 120 degrees from Mars in Cancer. This aspect brings a watery influence to the first part of the day, making it suitable for working with leafy vegetables, though it may slightly dampen the airy, floral qualities we typically associate with Libra.

Thursday 31st October

Thursday 31st October
The moon rises in Virgo, with the sun’s forces, mediated through Virgo and reflected to Earth by the moon, making this an ideal day for organising and refining plants. With the sun also in Virgo, the day is even more suited to tasks that require focus and practical thinking. The afternoon would be a great time to stir biodynamic preparation 500 (cow manure) and then apply it to the land, especially onto vegetable beds that have been cleared. This will help restore the soil’s vitality before another main crop is transplanted.

Wednesday 30th October

Wednesday 30th October
The moon continues its journey through the constellation of Virgo. In the garden, we can transplant onions into our vegetable beds. Depending on our location and the balance of wildlife within our farm organism, we may need to cover them with sheets for protection. In biodynamics, we aim to maintain a balance of wild animals and insects so they can regulate their populations naturally. This balance can be challenging, as these animals move freely through the land; however, through conscious decision-making, we can implement strategies to support the farm organism. Growing a diverse array of plants and creating natural habitats can help sustain this balance.

Tuesday 29th October

Tuesday 29th October
The moon in Virgo crosses the ecliptic path of the sun on a descending node in the late afternoon. This cosmic event happens twice a month and can affect the quality of plants that are sown or are close to sprouting near this time. It’s best to avoid working in the garden today due to the node, as we may also feel our moods fluctuate with this disturbance. Later in the day, the moon reaches apogee—its furthest position from Earth on its elliptical journey—bringing an intensification of inner light during the evening.

Monday 28th October

Monday 28th October
The moon rises in the fiery constellation of Leo before transitioning to Virgo in the afternoon, bringing us down from a state of fire and fructification to one of grounding and physicality. When comparing plants or elements to the four states of matter in a fourfold manner, we could pair roots with solids, leaves with liquids, flowers with gases, and fruits and seeds with plasma—the fourth state of matter. Morning is an ideal time to tend to fruiting plants, while the grounded afternoon brings us to the physical plane, making it well-suited for tending to root plants, which benefit from the moon’s position.

Sunday 27th October

Sunday 27th October
The moon continues its journey through Leo and can be seen rising on the horizon. The moon, sun, and planets create a unique rhythm each day, one that will never be repeated. This macrocosm reflects the microcosm within us, as we are mirrors of the cosmos. We gaze at the planets and stars while standing on the Earth, our cosmic home. To create gardens of pure imagination and beauty, we must act as conductors between the Earth and the cosmos. If the world were filled with gardeners and kind souls, the entire Earth could become a Garden of Eden.

Saturday 26th October

Saturday 26th October
The waning moon deepens into the constellation of Leo, a sign associated with fire and strength. This brings warmth from the cosmos throughout the day, which, although different in quality from the weather, can still be sensed. Biodynamic farmers and gardeners follow the rhythms of the moon, the rhythms of the seasons, and the rhythms of the day to guide their decisions, as they strive to work with these natural rhythms rather than against them.

Friday 25th October

Friday 25th October
Today, the moon crossed the constellation threshold, moving from Pisces to Leo, bringing a renewed energy into the day that we can harness for transformation and self-expression. In these darkening autumn days, we can transplant strawberries in the garden to prepare for the fruits of spring, as well as harvest any remaining fruits such as apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans. Much of the garden has completed its metamorphosis from seed to an abundance of fruit, and now the fruits hold the new seeds, which can be collected and resown next season. By continually collecting seeds and sowing new vegetables, we can begin to reflect the terroir of our garden in our produce.

Thursday 24th October

Thursday 24th October
The moon rises in the constellation of Pisces, infusing the day with a gentle, watery quality. In the garden, it’s the perfect time to transplant herbs like thyme, rosemary, and lavender, as they will establish stronger roots under the descending moon in Pisces. This constellation also enhances intuition, opening pathways to artistic and spiritual pursuits.

Wednesday 23rd October

Wednesday 23rd October
The moon has reached its highest point on the horizon and will now begin to descend. This sidereal rhythm differs from the synodic rhythm that governs the phases of the moon. The sidereal rhythm is particularly influential in biodynamics. When the moon is descending, it is an ideal time for transplanting, as root development is favoured. Conversely, when the moon is rising, it benefits the development of the plant above the soil. In the southern hemisphere, the moon's synodic rhythm is reversed—when the moon is descending in the northern hemisphere, it is ascending in the southern hemisphere. The moon transitions from descending to ascending approximately every two weeks.

Tuesday 22nd October

Tuesday 22nd October
Today, the moon rises in the constellation of Gemini, making it an ideal day for working with flowers, due to the influence of air and light. As Mercury and Saturn form a trine, being 120 degrees apart in air constellations, this further strengthens the forces of air and light, making it an especially beneficial time for tending to flowers. Just as these celestial movements influence garden activities, they also bring a sense of lightness to the day, encouraging joy and making it a wonderful time for socialising and spending time with friends and family.

Monday 21st October

Monday 21st October
The moon rises in the constellation of Taurus. In the garden, consider sowing or transplanting onions, which will have ample time to develop strong root systems and complex flavours, ready for harvest in the spring. This also keeps a garden bed productive throughout the winter. In his eight lectures on biodynamic agriculture delivered 100 years ago, Rudolf Steiner compared the plant to an upside-down man, with its head in the ground. He linked the root system to the human head, suggesting that root vegetables are beneficial for ailments affecting the nervous system. According to biodynamic nutrition, flowers support the digestive system, fruits and seeds benefit the reproductive and cardiovascular systems, and leafy vegetables are good for the respiratory system.

Sunday 20th October

Sunday 20th October
The moon continues its journey through the constellation of Taurus, an ideal time for working with the soil, often after clearing vegetable beds in preparation for new crops. As we learn more about mycelium and soil structure, there is a growing movement towards no-dig methods of vegetable cultivation. This approach incorporates wood chip paths and uses only light cultivation techniques to manage weeds. However, it requires significant initial effort to remove all weeds from the soil and demands careful, diligent management thereafter. Many biodynamic gardeners are successfully integrating biodynamic principles into no-dig gardens, using resourcefulness to align with the concept of a farm organism, which is a key principle of biodynamic agriculture.

Thursday 17th October

Thursday 17th October
The Moon rises in the constellation of Pisces, reaching its fullness as a symbol of culmination and a time for celebration. Spectacularly, this October full Moon coincides with perigee, meaning that the full Moon is also at its closest point in its elliptical orbit around the Earth, making it a supermoon—the biggest Moon of the year. Take an evening walk and observe our beautiful guardian in her Majesty.

Wednesday 16th October

Wednesday 16th October
The Moon rises in the constellation of Pisces, creating a mood for introspection, where we can reflect on our thoughts, words, and actions. Often, we may fall short of our ideals and need a reminder to live more consciously across all areas of life. In biodynamics, we must also reflect on our practices as we strive to develop a farm organism that is sensitive to both earthly and cosmic forces. This requires farmers and gardeners to apply their intentions and egos to the farm, making decisions that serve the farm’s being, the natural kingdoms, and the community.

Tuesday 15th October

Tuesday 15th October
The Moon continues through Aquarius before entering Pisces, moving from an air constellation to a water constellation, which brings a subtle change to the feel of the day. By observing the phenomena of the weather, light, cosmos, and energy, you may begin to recognise the influence the cosmos has on the Earth, and notice when the Moon advances through the zodiac. In the garden, we can continue to sow salads, sowing inside a greenhouse if necessary. It’s also an ideal time to harvest any seeds from leaf plants such as spinach, lettuce, and cabbage.

Monday 14th October

Monday 14th October
The Moon rises in the constellation of Aquarius, which is an air sign and corresponds to the flower aspect of a plant’s form. This makes it an ideal time to harvest flowers, which could be arranged into a beautiful vase, echoing the autumn colours around us. Interestingly, there is a trine between the Sun and Jupiter, as they find themselves 120 degrees apart in earthly constellations. This trine occurs in the early morning and overrules the Moon, making the first part of the day ideal for tending to root plants, while the afternoon is better suited for tending to flowers.

Sunday 13th October

Sunday 13th October
The planet Mercury crosses the elliptical path of the Earth at a descending node, interrupting the cosmic flow and making it an unfavourable morning for gardening. Instead, we can spend time organising. A biodynamic gardener could ensure they have access to the essential biodynamic preparations: cow horn manure 500, cow horn silica 501, and the six compost preparations—yarrow, chamomile, nettle, oak bark, dandelion, and valerian. These preparations are crucial in biodynamic agriculture and gardening, as they enliven the soil and support the cosmic and earthly processes occurring within the soil and plants.