plan-garden-calendar
Installation
SKILL.md
Plan Garden Calendar
Plan garden activities using solar, lunar, and biodynamic calendar systems for optimal timing.
When to Use
- You are planning a new growing season and need a planting schedule
- You want to integrate lunar or biodynamic timing into your garden practice
- You need to calculate frost dates and planting windows for your zone
- You want to set up succession planting for continuous harvest
- End-of-season review and planning for the next year
Inputs
- Required: USDA hardiness zone or geographic location (for frost dates)
- Required: Crops or plants to schedule
- Optional: Calendar system preference (solar only, lunar, or biodynamic)
- Optional: Garden size and bed count
- Optional: Previous season's garden journal
Procedure
Step 1: Establish the Solar Framework
The solar calendar provides the hard boundaries — frost dates and day length.
Solar Calendar Anchors:
1. Find your USDA Hardiness Zone:
- Zone determines minimum winter temperature and which perennials survive
- Also correlates with growing season length
- Look up at: planthardiness.ars.usda.gov (US) or local equivalent
2. Determine frost dates:
- Last spring frost (LSF): Date after which frost is unlikely (50% threshold)
- First autumn frost (FAF): Date after which frost becomes likely
- Growing season = FAF minus LSF (in days)
Example (Zone 7b, mid-Atlantic US):
- Last spring frost: April 15
- First autumn frost: October 15
- Growing season: ~180 days
3. Anchor seasonal milestones:
┌───────────────────┬───────────────┬────────────────────────────┐
│ Event │ Approx. Date │ Garden Significance │
├───────────────────┼───────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ Winter solstice │ Dec 21 │ Seed ordering, planning │
│ Spring equinox │ Mar 20 │ Start indoor seeds (cool │
│ │ │ crops: 6-8 wk before LSF) │
│ Last spring frost │ Zone-specific │ Direct sow tender crops │
│ Summer solstice │ Jun 21 │ Peak day length, begin │
│ │ │ autumn crop planning │
│ Autumn equinox │ Sep 22 │ Harvest season, cover crop │
│ First autumn frost│ Zone-specific │ Protect or harvest tender │
│ │ │ crops before this date │
└───────────────────┴───────────────┴────────────────────────────┘
Expected: Clear frost dates and growing season length for your specific location.
On failure: If frost dates are unknown, use conservative estimates (add 2 weeks to average LSF for safe direct-sow date). Local garden clubs or agricultural extension offices are the best regional sources.
Step 2: Overlay the Lunar Calendar
The moon influences sap flow, germination, and soil biology. Two cycles matter.
Lunar Cycle 1: Synodic (Phase Cycle — 29.5 days)
┌─────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Phase │ Garden Activity │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ New Moon → 1st Qtr │ Plant leafy crops (lettuce, spinach, │
│ (Waxing crescent) │ cabbage). Sap rises — good for above- │
│ │ ground vegetative growth. │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1st Qtr → Full Moon │ Plant fruiting crops (tomato, pepper, │
│ (Waxing gibbous) │ beans, squash). Strong light + rising sap │
│ │ = vigorous above-ground growth. │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Full Moon → 3rd Qtr │ Plant root crops (carrot, beet, potato, │
│ (Waning gibbous) │ onion). Sap descends — energy moves to │
│ │ roots. Good for transplanting. │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 3rd Qtr → New Moon │ Rest period. No planting. Good for: │
│ (Waning crescent) │ weeding, composting, soil preparation, │
│ │ pruning, harvesting for storage. │
└─────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Lunar Cycle 2: Sidereal (Ascending/Descending — ~27.3 days)
- Ascending moon (moon moves higher in sky each night):
Sap rises in plants. Good for: grafting, taking cuttings, harvesting
fruit and aerial parts, sowing above-ground crops
- Descending moon (moon moves lower in sky each night):
Sap descends to roots. Good for: planting, transplanting, root
pruning, applying soil preparations, planting root crops
Note: Ascending/descending is NOT the same as waxing/waning.
Ascending = moon's position in the zodiac moving northward.
Check a biodynamic calendar for daily ascending/descending status.
Expected: Understanding of both lunar cycles and their garden applications.
On failure: If lunar calendar feels overwhelming, start with just the synodic cycle (waxing = above-ground, waning = below-ground) and add the sidereal layer in the second season.
Step 3: Integrate the Biodynamic Calendar (Optional — Advanced)
The Maria Thun biodynamic calendar assigns each day to one of four plant organs based on the moon's zodiacal position.
Biodynamic Day Types:
┌───────────┬─────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Day Type │ Zodiac Signs │ Favoured Activities │
├───────────┼─────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Root │ Taurus, Virgo, │ Sow/transplant root crops (carrot, │
│ │ Capricorn │ beet, potato). Soil cultivation. │
│ │ (Earth signs) │ Compost turning. │
├───────────┼─────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Leaf │ Cancer, Scorpio,│ Sow/transplant leafy greens. Water │
│ │ Pisces │ plants. Lawn care. Prune for growth. │
│ │ (Water signs) │ │
├───────────┼─────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Flower │ Gemini, Libra, │ Sow/transplant flowering plants. │
│ │ Aquarius │ Harvest flowers and herbs. Apply │
│ │ (Air signs) │ preparation 501 (horn silica). │
├───────────┼─────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Fruit │ Aries, Leo, │ Sow/transplant fruiting crops │
│ │ Sagittarius │ (tomato, pepper, bean). Harvest │
│ │ (Fire signs) │ fruit. Collect seed. │
└───────────┴─────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────┘
Using the Calendar:
1. Obtain the current year's Maria Thun biodynamic calendar
(published annually, available from biodynamic associations)
2. Note which days are root/leaf/flower/fruit
3. Schedule your plantings to align day type with crop type
4. Avoid planting on "unfavourable" days (perigee, node crossings)
5. Combine with synodic phase: e.g., plant carrots on a root day
during waning moon for strongest root growth signal
Practical Reality:
- Perfect alignment (right phase + right day type + good weather + you're free)
happens 2-3 times per month. Don't wait for perfection.
- Match at least ONE calendar layer. Matching two is good. Three is ideal.
- Weather and your schedule always override calendar — a plant in the ground
on the "wrong" day beats a seed in the packet on the "right" day.
Expected: Awareness of biodynamic day types and how to use the annual calendar.
On failure: If biodynamic calendar is unavailable, the lunar phase calendar (Step 2) captures the most important timing signals. Add biodynamic day types when you have access to the annual calendar.
Step 4: Build a Succession Planting Schedule
Stagger plantings for continuous harvest rather than one overwhelming glut.
Succession Planting Principles:
1. Same crop, staggered sowing:
- Sow lettuce every 2 weeks from LSF to 8 weeks before FAF
- Sow bush beans every 3 weeks from 2 weeks after LSF to 10 weeks before FAF
- Sow radish every 2 weeks (spring and autumn — skip midsummer heat)
2. Different crops, same bed:
- Spring: peas (harvest June) → Summer: beans (harvest Sept) → Autumn: garlic (harvest next June)
- This is relay planting — each crop follows the previous with minimal gap
3. Example Succession Calendar (Zone 7b):
┌─────────┬────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┐
│ Week │ Sow Indoors │ Direct Sow / Transplant │
├─────────┼────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┤
│ Feb 15 │ Tomato, pepper │ │
│ Mar 1 │ Brassica starts│ Peas, spinach (under cloche) │
│ Mar 15 │ Lettuce #1 │ Radish #1, carrots (early) │
│ Apr 1 │ Lettuce #2 │ Radish #2, beet #1 │
│ Apr 15 │ │ Transplant brassicas out │
│ May 1 │ Lettuce #3 │ Bean #1, squash, cucumber │
│ May 15 │ │ Transplant tomato, pepper │
│ Jun 1 │ │ Bean #2, lettuce #4 (shade) │
│ Jun 15 │ │ Bean #3 │
│ Jul 1 │ Autumn brassica│ Beet #2, carrot (autumn) │
│ Jul 15 │ │ Transplant autumn brassicas │
│ Aug 1 │ │ Lettuce #5 (autumn), radish #3 │
│ Aug 15 │ │ Spinach (autumn), cover crop │
│ Sep 1 │ │ Garlic (plant 4-6 wks pre FAF)│
└─────────┴────────────────┴───────────────────────────────┘
Expected: A week-by-week planting calendar customized to your zone, with succession intervals noted.
On failure: If the schedule feels overwhelming, pick your 3 most important crops and plan successions for those only. Add more crops in the second season once the rhythm is established.
Step 5: Seasonal Task Schedule
Beyond planting, the garden has cyclical maintenance tasks.
Seasonal Task Framework:
┌───────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Season │ Tasks │
├───────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Winter │ - Order seeds (January) │
│ (Dec-Feb) │ - Plan beds and crop rotation on paper │
│ │ - Maintain tools (see maintain-hand-tools) │
│ │ - Apply prep 500 if ground is workable (late Feb) │
│ │ - Start earliest indoor seeds (Feb, 8-10 wk pre LSF)│
├───────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Spring │ - Soil assessment and amendment (see prepare-soil) │
│ (Mar-May) │ - Direct sow cool crops after soil reaches 7°C │
│ │ - Transplant warm crops after LSF │
│ │ - Mulch beds after soil warms │
│ │ - First compost turn of the year │
├───────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Summer │ - Succession sow every 2-3 weeks │
│ (Jun-Aug) │ - Water deeply, less frequently (morning preferred) │
│ │ - Harvest regularly to encourage production │
│ │ - Start autumn crop seeds indoors (July) │
│ │ - Apply prep 501 on fruit days (biodynamic) │
├───────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Autumn │ - Main harvest and preservation │
│ (Sep-Nov) │ - Plant garlic (4-6 weeks before FAF) │
│ │ - Sow cover crops on empty beds │
│ │ - Apply prep 500 (late October) │
│ │ - Compost final additions, insulate pile for winter │
│ │ - End-of-season reflection (meditate checkpoint) │
└───────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Expected: A seasonal framework that complements the weekly planting schedule.
On failure: If tasks are consistently missed, the schedule may be too ambitious. Reduce the number of beds or crops until the rhythm feels sustainable.
Step 6: Meditate Checkpoint — End-of-Season Reflection
At the close of the growing season (after first frost), sit with the garden journal.
End-of-Season Reflection (20-30 minutes):
1. Find a quiet spot in or overlooking the garden
2. Bring your garden journal and this year's calendar
3. Review without judgment:
- What grew well? (Note varieties and planting dates)
- What struggled? (Was it timing, soil, weather, or neglect?)
- Which calendar alignments felt meaningful?
- What surprised you?
4. Note three things to carry forward:
- One success to repeat
- One failure to investigate
- One new thing to try
5. Close the journal. Sit quietly for 5 minutes.
The garden is resting now. You should rest too.
Planning begins after solstice — not before.
This reflection becomes the first page of next year's plan.
Expected: A reflective summary that grounds next year's planning in this year's reality.
On failure: If reflection feels like self-criticism, reframe: the garden is the teacher. Every "failure" is data. The only real failure is not observing.
Validation Checklist
- USDA zone and frost dates identified for your location
- Solar calendar anchors marked (equinoxes, solstices, frost dates)
- Lunar cycle understood (at minimum: waxing/waning = above/below ground)
- Planting schedule built with succession intervals
- Schedule accounts for indoor start times (weeks before LSF)
- Seasonal task framework adapted to local conditions
- Garden journal started or updated with this year's calendar
- Meditate checkpoint completed at end of growing season
Common Pitfalls
- Planting too early: Eager spring planting into cold soil wastes seeds. Soil temperature matters more than air temperature — use a soil thermometer
- Ignoring microclimates: South-facing walls are warmer, low spots collect frost. Your garden has zones within zones
- Calendar rigidity: The calendar is a guide, not a command. If the weather is wrong, wait. Plants don't read calendars
- No succession planting: A single large sowing produces a single overwhelming harvest followed by nothing. Stagger for continuity
- Skipping the reflection: Without reviewing what happened, you plan from hope instead of evidence. The journal is the most important tool
- Over-scheduling: A packed calendar leads to burnout. Leave breathing room — the garden will fill it
Related Skills
read-garden— Observation skills that inform calendar adjustments mid-seasonprepare-soil— Soil amendment timing depends on the seasonal calendarcultivate-bonsai— Bonsai seasonal care follows the same solar/lunar frameworkmeditate— End-of-season reflection checkpoint (full protocol)maintain-hand-tools— Winter tool care is a scheduled seasonal task
Related skills