Gardening and Planting by the Moon 2002, by Nick Kollestrum (Foulsham, £7.99)

WAS it the moon or the tail of a comet that sent mankind blind and started the Triffids walking?

For gardeners trying this unusual method of beating Mother Nature at her own game, I sincerely hope it was the latter. The idea of giant Brussels sprouts and marigolds taking over the world is just too comical to contemplate.

If you thought gardening was all a bit hit and miss, then think again. Kollestrum is a long-time scholar of lunar science and bio-dynamics and this holistic approach is gathering apace.

The moon influences many human rituals and natural phenomenon - so why not plant growth too?

Here is an essential framework from which to produce higher yields in vegetables and flowers, better flavours, stronger displays and heightened colours.

With it, Kollerstrum produces a week-to-a-page calendar for 2002 giving every possible fact to know about the moon on any given day.

There are root days, leaf days, flower days and fruit seed days.

Plants, he says receive their energy for growth from the sun but, in other subtle ways, they are continually affected by the moon's ever-changing rhythms."

It's very much a lunar idea, but it may just work. Give it a try. No special implements are needed - except maybe a torch.

David Chapman