Southern hemisphere

May 2026

Moon planting calendar — 7 root days, 8 leaf days, 9 flower days and 7 fruit days.

🌏 Southern hemisphereSwitch to northern
🌕

Full moon

1 May

🌑

New moon

16 May

🌱

Good sowing days

16 days

The moon passes through all twelve signs of the zodiac each month, and biodynamic growers match what they sow to the element the moon is travelling through. In May 2026 the moon is ascending in southern skies — the traditional time for sowing and grafting — on 17 days. The strongest sowing dates fall on the 1, 2, 3 and 13 other days. Days marked in the table below sit near a lunar node or perigee, when traditional practice is to leave the soil alone.

Southern hemisphere. Moon phases and day types are the same the world over — a root day in Sussex is a root day in Canterbury. What changes is that ascending and descending are reversed, because the moon climbs southern skies as its declination moves south, and the sowing lists follow southern seasons.

Day-by-day moon planting calendar for May 2026 — southern hemisphere
DateMoon phaseSignDay typeSow or rest
1Fri Full moon100% Libra🌸 Flower DayAscending — sow and graft
2Sat Waning gibbous99% Libra🌸 Flower DayAscending — sow and graft
3Sun Waning gibbous97% Scorpio🥬 Leaf DayAscending — sow and graft
4Mon Waning gibbous93% Scorpio🥬 Leaf DayAscending — sow and graft
5Tue Waning gibbous87% Sagittarius🍅 Fruit DayDescending — transplant and prune
6Wed Waning gibbous81% Sagittarius🍅 Fruit DayDescending — transplant and prune
7Thu Waning gibbous72% Sagittarius🍅 Fruit DayDescending — transplant and prune
8Fri Waning gibbous63% Capricorn🌱 Root DayDescending — transplant and prune
9Sat Last quarter54% Capricorn🌱 Root DayDescending — transplant and prune
10Sun Waning crescent44% Aquarius🌸 Flower DayDescending — transplant and prune
11Mon Waning crescent34% Aquarius🌸 Flower DayLunar node — avoid sowing
12Tue Waning crescent24% Aquarius🌸 Flower DayDescending — transplant and prune
13Wed Waning crescent15% Pisces🥬 Leaf DayDescending — transplant and prune
14Thu Waning crescent8% Pisces🥬 Leaf DayDescending — transplant and prune
15Fri Waning crescent3% Aries🍅 Fruit DayDescending — transplant and prune
16Sat New moon0% Aries🍅 Fruit DayDescending — transplant and prune
17Sun Waxing crescent1% Taurus🌱 Root DayPerigee — avoid sowing
18Mon Waxing crescent4% Taurus🌱 Root DayDescending — transplant and prune
19Tue Waxing crescent11% Gemini🌸 Flower DayAscending — sow and graft
20Wed Waxing crescent19% Gemini🌸 Flower DayAscending — sow and graft
21Thu Waxing crescent29% Cancer🥬 Leaf DayAscending — sow and graft
22Fri Waxing crescent40% Cancer🥬 Leaf DayAscending — sow and graft
23Sat First quarter50% Leo🍅 Fruit DayLunar node — avoid sowing
24Sun Waxing gibbous61% Leo🍅 Fruit DayAscending — sow and graft
25Mon Waxing gibbous71% Virgo🌱 Root DayAscending — sow and graft
26Tue Waxing gibbous79% Virgo🌱 Root DayAscending — sow and graft
27Wed Waxing gibbous87% Virgo🌱 Root DayAscending — sow and graft
28Thu Waxing gibbous93% Libra🌸 Flower DayAscending — sow and graft
29Fri Waxing gibbous97% Libra🌸 Flower DayAscending — sow and graft
30Sat Waxing gibbous99% Scorpio🥬 Leaf DayAscending — sow and graft
31Sun Full moon100% Scorpio🥬 Leaf DayAscending — sow and graft

What to sow in May

🌱 Root Days7 in May

Best for root vegetables — carrots, beetroot, potatoes, onions

🌸 Flower Days9 in May

Best for flowering plants, brassicas and herbs

🍅 Fruit Days7 in May

Best for fruiting plants — tomatoes, courgettes, beans, apples

Ready to harvest in May

Want the reasoning behind all this? The biodynamic growing guide covers the day types, the eight preparations and where the practice came from.