My grandma and grandpa Roark were really into doing farm activities according to the signs, be it planting crops, killing weeds, or dehorning cattle. And their preference was to go by a system that used human body part signs to tell when to do things: plant root crops when the signs are in the head and kill weeds when the signs are in the bowels. I grew up hearing this stuff and had no clue what they were talking about, except that they always used a calendar given out by one of the local banks that indicated what the signs were on a particular day. With gardening season coming fast, I got to wondering what those body signs were all about and finally figured them out…I think. The astronomy and astrology involved was mind boggling but let me take a shot at sorting it out.

So, there are three variations of signs: body signs, Zodiac signs and moon signs, and they are all connected. Astrology is based on the twelve Zodiac signs, and most everyone is familiar with how they are a supposed influence on your life. The Zodiac is connected to the heavens through the constellations, with a constellation representing each Zodiac sign: Leo, Cancer, Pisces, etc. As the moon travels through the sky each month, it passes through each one of these constellations, and when it does that constellation or Zodiac becomes dominant and has an influence on life here on Earth, and each is different. Cancer is watery and fruitful and a good time to plant or graft trees. Leo is dry and barren, so don’t plant but instead get ground ready or destroy weeds. Pisces is fruitful and a good time to plant root crops or okay for above ground, and so it goes.

The body part signs are directly connected to which Zodiac sign is dominant, because it was believed (and still is by some) that certain parts of the body are sensitive to what Zodiac sign is dominant. Aries controls the head, Taurus the neck, Gemini the arms, etc. So, when my grandparents saw on the calendar that the signs were in the knees, it meant the moon was in the constellation Capricorn, which controls the knees and is also a moist and productive Zodiac sign, and therefore the signs in the knees is a good time to plant root crops and okay for above ground crops. Whew!

For the record there is no scientific basis for planting by the signs, but our forefathers were savvy observers of nature, and my ancestors in particular were convinced that they saw results by following them. So, I can’t totally poopoo it. One other method that many go by is planting by the phases of the moon, which does have some scientific confirmation. But that will have to wait for another time.