Moon Planting Calendar for Gardeners November 2026
In the lunar calendar you sow and plant according to the sign the Moon is passing through: tomatoes and beans on fruit days, carrots and potatoes on root days, flowers on flower days, and lettuce and herbs on leaf days. Tradition says a waxing Moon favors everything that grows above ground, and a waning Moon favors roots, pruning and crops for storing. The table shows the type of day and the phase for every day of this month and next, so you know whether to take a packet of seeds or the secateurs out on Saturday.
November 2026
| Day | Moon sign | Phase | Garden |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Nov 1. | Leo | waning | fruit day |
| Mon Nov 2. | Leo | waning | fruit day |
| Tue Nov 3. | Virgo | waning | root day |
| Wed Nov 4. | Virgo | waning | root day |
| Thu Nov 5. | Virgo | waning | root day |
| Fri Nov 6. | Libra | waning | flower day |
| Sat Nov 7. | Libra | waning | flower day |
| Sun Nov 8. | Scorpio | waning | leaf day |
| Mon Nov 9. | Scorpio | New Moon | – |
| Tue Nov 10. | Sagittarius | waxing | fruit day |
| Wed Nov 11. | Sagittarius | waxing | fruit day |
| Thu Nov 12. | Sagittarius | waxing | fruit day |
| Fri Nov 13. | Capricorn | waxing | root day |
| Sat Nov 14. | Capricorn | waxing | root day |
| Sun Nov 15. | Aquarius | waxing | flower day |
| Mon Nov 16. | Aquarius | waxing | flower day |
| Tue Nov 17. | Aquarius | waxing | flower day |
| Wed Nov 18. | Pisces | waxing | leaf day |
| Thu Nov 19. | Pisces | waxing | leaf day |
| Fri Nov 20. | Aries | waxing | fruit day |
| Sat Nov 21. | Aries | waxing | fruit day |
| Sun Nov 22. | Taurus | waxing | root day |
| Mon Nov 23. | Taurus | waxing | root day |
| Tue Nov 24. | Gemini | Full Moon | – |
| Wed Nov 25. | Gemini | waning | flower day |
| Thu Nov 26. | Cancer | waning | leaf day |
| Fri Nov 27. | Cancer | waning | leaf day |
| Sat Nov 28. | Leo | waning | fruit day |
| Sun Nov 29. | Leo | waning | fruit day |
| Mon Nov 30. | Leo | waning | fruit day |
December 2026
| Day | Moon sign | Phase | Garden |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue Dec 1. | Virgo | waning | root day |
| Wed Dec 2. | Virgo | waning | root day |
| Thu Dec 3. | Libra | waning | flower day |
| Fri Dec 4. | Libra | waning | flower day |
| Sat Dec 5. | Scorpio | waning | leaf day |
| Sun Dec 6. | Scorpio | waning | leaf day |
| Mon Dec 7. | Scorpio | waning | leaf day |
| Tue Dec 8. | Sagittarius | waning | fruit day |
| Wed Dec 9. | Sagittarius | New Moon | – |
| Thu Dec 10. | Capricorn | waxing | root day |
| Fri Dec 11. | Capricorn | waxing | root day |
| Sat Dec 12. | Capricorn | waxing | root day |
| Sun Dec 13. | Aquarius | waxing | flower day |
| Mon Dec 14. | Aquarius | waxing | flower day |
| Tue Dec 15. | Pisces | waxing | leaf day |
| Wed Dec 16. | Pisces | waxing | leaf day |
| Thu Dec 17. | Pisces | waxing | leaf day |
| Fri Dec 18. | Aries | waxing | fruit day |
| Sat Dec 19. | Aries | waxing | fruit day |
| Sun Dec 20. | Taurus | waxing | root day |
| Mon Dec 21. | Taurus | waxing | root day |
| Tue Dec 22. | Gemini | waxing | flower day |
| Wed Dec 23. | Gemini | waxing | flower day |
| Thu Dec 24. | Cancer | Full Moon | – |
| Fri Dec 25. | Cancer | waning | leaf day |
| Sat Dec 26. | Leo | waning | fruit day |
| Sun Dec 27. | Leo | waning | fruit day |
| Mon Dec 28. | Virgo | waning | root day |
| Tue Dec 29. | Virgo | waning | root day |
| Wed Dec 30. | Libra | waning | flower day |
| Thu Dec 31. | Libra | waning | flower day |
The four types of day
The folk calendar that generations of gardeners worked by divides the zodiac signs by element. The Moon stays two to three days in each sign, so the types of day change over the course of a week. The table takes the Moon's position at noon.
Fruit day: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
The fire signs belong to plants you grow for their fruit or seed. In spring sow tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers on the windowsill, and in May plant runner beans and peas outside. In summer pick redcurrants and cherries, and in autumn plant fruit trees and sow winter wheat or green manure.
Root day: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
The earth signs are the days for everything that grows underground. Early in spring plant onion sets and garlic, in April potatoes and carrots, and in summer sow radishes and beetroot for a second crop. In autumn lift carrots and celeriac and store them in sand in the shed or garage.
Flower day: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
The air signs favor flowers. In spring sow annuals and plant dahlias, in summer cut flowers for the vase so they last longer, and sow broccoli and cauliflower. In autumn it's the turn of bulbs: tulips, daffodils and crocuses.
Leaf day: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
The water signs are days of leaf and moisture. Sow lettuce, spinach and cabbage, move herbs into window boxes and mow the lawn, which then grows back thicker. Tradition says leaf days are the best for watering, because plants take the water up well.
Waxing and waning Moon
The waxing Moon, from New Moon to Full Moon, is said to draw sap upwards. This is the time to sow and plant everything that grows above ground, and to graft and bud fruit trees, because the grafts take better.
The waning Moon, from Full Moon to New Moon, pulls strength down into the roots. Plant root crops and bulbs, prune trees and shrubs, weed, feed and harvest whatever has to keep until winter. Apples picked under a waning Moon are said to rot less in store.
On the day of the New Moon and the Full Moon, tradition advises resting and not sowing. The garden can wait: make yourself a coffee, walk round the beds and jot down what you'll do tomorrow.
What to do in the winter months
When the garden is under frost, the calendar doesn't go to sleep. December and January are the time to sit down with the seed catalogs, sketch a plan of the beds and think about what goes where this year, so the tomatoes don't grow in the same spot for the third year running. Go through your seed packets and throw out the ones past their sowing date.
Repot and feed houseplants under a waxing Moon, ideally on a leaf day. A rubber plant or a monstera will then put out new leaves faster.
An old English saying goes: plant garlic on the shortest day and harvest it on the longest. The winter solstice in late December is a firm date in many gardeners' diaries, and the cloves get the cold spell they need to split into a full bulb. If the ground is frozen solid, wait for the next root day with a waning Moon and plant then.
Frequently asked questions
When should I plant potatoes by the Moon? On a root day, when the Moon is in Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn, and ideally under a waning Moon. In Britain first earlies usually go in from mid-March and maincrops in April, and old gardeners swore by Good Friday.
When should I prune fruit trees? Prune under a waning Moon, when tradition says the sap flows down and the tree bleeds less. Winter pruning of apples and pears is done while the trees are dormant, from November to early March, but not in a hard frost.
What if the right day falls on a working day? Then take the nearest weekend day with the right phase. Tradition is a guide, not a timetable, and a seed sown a day later comes up just the same.
The Moon's phase and sign for every day are in the main lunar calendar. And if you're planning a trip to the hairdresser too, take a look at the lunar calendar for cutting hair.