Ascending moon and waxing moon, are they the same?

No. The waxing moon describes the lit part that grows, from new moon to full moon; the ascending moon describes its height in the sky, which rises from one day to the next. Gardening calendars go by the second: a moon can be waxing and descending at the same time.

When to harvest garlic and onions in July?

Tradition advises the descending moon, on root days and in dry weather: the bulbs are said to keep better. The most reliable signal remains the foliage turning yellow and flopping over; then leave the harvest to dry a few days in the sun before bringing it in.

In the garden · July

Gardening by the moon in July July

In July the kitchen garden is in full swing and lunar tradition mostly acts as a metronome: sow the autumn vegetables on the ascending moon, prune and prick out on the descending moon, harvest almost every day. Beans, winter carrots and chicory get sown; tomatoes and raspberry canes get pruned; garlic, onions and shallots come in. A month when everything grows at once, the weeds included.

The essentials

To sow: green beans, winter carrots, chicory, turnips, corn salad late in the month
To prune, to plant: tomato side-shoots, summer-fruiting raspberries, winter leeks to prick out
To harvest: garlic, onions, shallots, courgettes, first tomatoes
Watchword of the month: water just right, harvest often

What to do in the July kitchen garden by the moon?

Tradition divides the month in two. When the Moon climbs higher in the sky from one day to the next, lunar gardeners read a rising sap in it: this is the moment for sowing, grafting and harvesting the fruiting vegetables. When it descends, the sap is said to flow back toward the roots: you plant, prick out, prune and work the soil.

In July this swing falls just right. The ascending moon takes the autumn sowings (the last batch of beans, winter carrots, chicory) and the picking of tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines. The descending moon receives the pricking out of winter leeks, the removal of side-shoots and the harvest of the bulbs: garlic, onions, shallots, which tradition says keep better if they come out of the ground at that time.

Which crops to favor, and on which days?

The lunar calendar adds a second reading: depending on the constellation the Moon is crossing, the day is said to favor leaves, flowers, fruit or roots. No need to make a religion of it: remember that every crop has its preferred organ, and that the calendar simply invites you to tend to it on that day.

On the fruit side: beans are sown on fruit days, and tomatoes are side-shooted and picked on those days too. On the root side: winter carrots and turnips are sown on root days, and garlic and onions harvested then. On the leaf side: chicory, summer lettuces and, late in the month, the first sowings of corn salad. Flower days take the biennials that will flower next spring.

The gesture of the month: mulch, then water just right

July is won in the evening, watering can in hand. Water at the base, generously but less often, then mulch everything you can: dried clippings, straw, shredded leaves. A covered soil keeps its coolness, and the watering chore becomes an appointment rather than an emergency.

In town, the same logic: mulch your pots (flax chaff, clay pebbles), water in the cool, and pinch out the side-shoots of your balcony tomato on a fruit day, in the descending moon if you want to follow tradition all the way.

What agronomy says

Comparative trials have shown no measurable effect of the lunar calendar on germination or yield: a sowing done carefully on an “unfavorable” day beats one rushed on the right day. The value of the calendar lies elsewhere: it gives a rhythm, it brings you back to the garden regularly, and it’s that diligence that makes the fine harvests.

The lunations of July (exact dates)

Calculated from the ephemeris, in London time, and rechecked every night. Each lunation has its own detailed page.

Frequently asked questions

Ascending moon and waxing moon, are they the same?: No. The waxing moon describes the lit part that grows, from new moon to full moon; the ascending moon describes its height in the sky, which rises from one day to the next. Gardening calendars go by the second: a moon can be waxing and descending at the same time.
When to harvest garlic and onions in July?: Tradition advises the descending moon, on root days and in dry weather: the bulbs are said to keep better. The most reliable signal remains the foliage turning yellow and flopping over; then leave the harvest to dry a few days in the sun before bringing it in.