That’s the message Men’s Shed gardening supervisor Bob Blatch delivered on the weekend when he made two presentations on how to garden by the moon.

“There was a good crowd for both sessions and I spoke about using the moon calender when planting seeds,” he said.

“(By this calender) you can only prune 10 days a month and only plant seeds like carrots and beetroot four days a month.

“The moon controls a lot more than you think.”

Mr Blatch said he discovered this type of gardening after speaking to an acquaintance who had successfully used the method.

“I once planted half a pack of seeds of carrots and two weeks later I planted the other half,” Mr Blatch said.

“The second lot grew better because I planted the first lot at the wrong time of the month.

“Most packets of seed actually have a picture of a moon on it, which I never noticed before,” he added.

Mr Blatch believes that by gardening by the phases of the moon, one packet of seeds can last up to three years.

“A garden which is one square foot can produce 16 carrots, beetroots or onions a month and can feed a family of four,” he said.

“You’ll have a small area of stuff growing all the time and have vegies

fresh out of your own garden.”

Mr Blatch revealed that he had received a number of different types of reactions to this gardening method.

“Some people thought it was funny, but once I explained it all they understood.

“I love doing it and I encourage people to give it a try,” he added.