Moon cycle:
- New Moon: 28th February 2025
- Full Moon: 14th March 2025
- New Moon: 29th March 2025
Plough Moon / Worm Moon
The Plough, or Worm Moon, is the last full moon of the winter season and first of the spring in the Northern hemisphere. Ever since people moved from living as hunter-gatherers to establish settled communities, they have needed to prepare their land so that they could grow plants to feed themselves and their animals. That means turning over the soil so nutrients come nearer to the surface and moisture can get in for seeds to be planted – the origin of ploughing.
Farming is possibly the oldest industry in the world. The first ‘scratch’ ploughs were invented over 4,000 years ago and had to be pulled through the ground, first by hand, and then by animals. That was the situation for many centuries and there are images from Ancient Egyptian tombs of ploughing. The Egyptians made major advances in the way that a plough pushed soil away to either side rather than inverting it and in doing this, grew an increasing range of crops. Before the River Nile was dammed, in modern times, the black Nile soil brought in by annual flooding was used as a natural, environmentally sound, fertiliser to improve soil fertility. Now around the world, industrially produced fertiliser often has to be applied instead.
In the Northern hemisphere, ploughing is often done in early autumn after the previous year’s crops have been harvested. This process gives seeds a chance to establish in the ground and send down roots and start shoots before the cold of winter sets in. These crops have a good start, growing again as soon as the warmer weather arrives. But early spring is the time when earthworms come out of from deep underground as soil warms up. Hence this full moon was called the Worm Moon by some ancient communities. In North America it was known as the Crow Moon, being the time when the crows returned.
Planting crops is certainly easier as days lengthen and the ground temperature rises. Some UK farmers still follow this pattern. So, the Plough Moon occurs when more light and increasing warmth mean work on the land can prepare it for planting. In ancient times many cultures simply had to plan their farming year by the phases of the moon and some communities still do this.
The development of steam then fossil fuel power during the Industrial Revolution, plus innovations in agricultural technology, have drastically changed ploughing techniques. Since the 1950’s the conventional plough has been superseded by the reversible plough that can work in either direction to produce level fields. That is the type of plough, pulled by a tractor, turning over a number of furrows (rows) at once, that we see in UK fields.
For both commercial and environmental reasons, many UK farmers have turned away from deep ploughing to minimum, non-invasive tillage systems. This means that the soil is only disturbed to a depth of 15cm to improve its structure. Some gardeners have adapted this approach to the ‘no dig’ style of growing vegetables and flowers. With encouragement from the farming industry, direct drilling has been advocated without a plough.
Drilling directly into the stubble (stalks left after harvesting a crop) in fields without turning over the soil, reduces the use of fossil fuels as there is no tractor gobbling up diesel. It also keeps down cultivation and labour costs. This method can avoid creating ruts across a field caused by carting a previous crop and ensures a level surface for the seed drill, but as with any form of cultivation, a moist, but not too moist, friable and workable soil is needed. Climate change means more intensive and sudden rainfall. If soil is worked when it is too wet it is can become like plastic and compacts into chunks. Then it is not suitable for seeds to develop and grow.
There are environmental advantages in disturbing as little soil as possible, allowing worms and other creatures living in the ground to carry on working. Other insects beneficial to a farmer include predatory ground beetles and parasitic wasps. This method can be acceptable to farmers who want to be organic in caring for the land. Yet, there is a downside, with an increased risk of slugs who will eat a new crop, as they are left in the stubble and residue of a previous harvest. Some farmers use chemicals to stop weeds spreading rapidly and control slugs before the new seeds are drilled in.
These developments remain a divisive subject for farmers and environmentalists. Although the plough is not used as much as in the past, the necessity for such a tool will surely continue. We can find new ways to produce food, but we still will have to continue to manage the soil needed to grow the food to feed our rapidly expanding world population.
Share your stories!
We hope you will join in noticing the changing year of nature in closer detail. We invite you to share your suggested Moon names and explain how this reflects nature events where you live. Please tag us in your stories or pictures using the hashtag #EnvironmentalLunacy.
Activity ideas related to squirrels
Soil is made from a mix of minerals (silt, sand and clay), and rotted plant or organic material and generally falls into one of three categories: sandy soil, silty soil or clay soil. What kind of soil do you have? What does it look like under a microscope? What kinds of things grow?
Use a data logger to investigate surface soil temperature during this period and compare data with other schools north and south of where you are. Is the ground soft enough for worms to break through? How do you know?
Soil can grow about 50 – 60 grains of wheat from every grain sown. How could you test this yourself? Plan an experiment and the materials needed.
It is estimated that globally, a hectare of productive land is lost to settlement or land degradation every 7.5seconds! Discuss how can we better look after and manage this valuable, ultra-thin layer of our planet so that we can feed nearly 9 billion people.
Investigate land use patterns where you are using maps from past and present to see what has changed. Carry out fieldwork in the local area to identify and map agricultural activity.
Investigate land use patterns where you are using maps from past and present to see what has changed. Carry out fieldwork in the local area to identify and map agricultural activity.
What other wildlife can you spot in February? Look out for tracks and other evidence. Keep a daily diary and have a rota of paired observation – either outside during lunch break, or quietly watching from a classroom window. Pupils could even build an outdoor hide.
What other natural sounds might you hear at different times of the day? Take a compass outside and orient yourself facing north. Listen carefully and ask pupils to map the sounds they hear and the direction they come from. Can they identify different birdsong? Download the Merlin App and record birdsong – it will tell you what bird you are listening to.
Resources and useful websites
- Countryside Classroom – particularly the resources section which include a variety of downloadable educational materials relating farming to environmental issues at all key stages and curriculum areas
- NFU Online – has free educational materials including farmvention and farmingSTEMterprise
- Society of ploughmen – a brief history of the plough
- British Society of Soil Education – educational materials
Authored by Nina Hatch Teacher/Centre Manager at Mount Pleasant School Farm/NAEE Director