For centuries, farmers have watched the moon, animals, plants and the earth for help with planting, harvesting and farming their crops and land as well as preparing for the coming seasons.

Growing up in rural Illinois farm country gave me plenty of opportunity to listen to old wive’s tales and other superstitions regarding plants, crops and farming. Being part of a farm family meant that I heard the superstitions and the warnings of when to plant, when not to plant, when to harvest or not, and what plants and animals foretold for the coming seasons and more.

What are some of the more interesting superstitions that farmers will swear by when planting their crops, farming their land and even planning for the coming weather?

Planting

Root plants grow best when planted during the dark of the moon, and those plants with above ground edible parts are better planted in the waxing moon.

Potato sets should be cut before a full moon then dried in the sun. Potatoes should also be planted on a dark night in March for the best results.

You should never plant anything on the first day of the new moon or on a day when the moon is changing quarters. You should always turn sod and pull weeds during the fourth quarter of the moon phase.

Never graft or plant anything on a Sunday. Sunday is considered a barren, hot day (as the name implies - the sun’s day)

Plant flowers during the first quarter of the moon. If you need seeds from this plant, then you will need to plant during the period between the second quarter of the moon’s phase and the full moon.

Reaping and Harvesting

There is a saying in my neck of the woods about the progress of planted corn. Knee high by Fourth of July is the measure many farmers use to gauge whether their corn fields are growing at the correct rate.

Picking fruits like pears and apples during the waning moon or while it is decreasing or shrinking is said to cause bruises and blemishes to dry up instead of rotting. If you pick those same fruits during the waxing or rising of the moon or on the new moon, they will rot.

Harvesting crops during a waning moon will help them to keep better for a longer period of time.

Canning vegetables, cooking preserves or jellies and making pickles should always be done during the last quarter of the moon for best results.

Weather

Farmers know to count weather as a factor in their planning - even weather predicted for coming seasons.

Split a persimmon seed in half. If the seed shows a knife, the coming winter will be cold enough to cut through you. If there’s a spoon I the seed, the snow will be deep but if there’s a fork in the persimmon seed, the snow will be light and easily sifted.

It is believed that three months after the first katydids start making noise or hollering the first killing frost will come. This is important for farmers who are planning for their fall crops that are needed to carry their family through the winter.

If blackberry blooms are heavy, carrot grow deep, apples mature early, onions grow more layers, hickory nuts have a heavy shell and sweet potatoes have a tougher skin - well, then you’re in for a bad winter. A harsh winter is also expected when the corn shucks and the silk grow thicker and the shucks grow tighter around the ear.

It is also believed that if there has been a long period without rain and the drops start coming down before 7 a.m., then the rain will stop altogether by 11 a.m.

Do these suggestions and guidelines for planting, harvesting and preparing for the weather have any elements of truth? My grandparents swore by them and I have talked to younger farmers and gardeners who say they are accurate. It’s been proven that the moon has an effect on the earth’s tides and that barometric pressure and temperature changes can explain certain superstitions - so who knows. Certainly a little moon planting and critter watching can’t hurt - and it might even help.