What Is Farmers' Almanac and What Can You Find on farmersalmanac.com?

Updated

Farmers' Almanac is a long-running seasonal reference publication whose website, farmersalmanac.com, bundles long-range weather forecasts, Moon-based gardening guidance, full Moon dates, "best days" calendars, and a weather history lookup into one place. It is useful if you want a single source for planning garden tasks, fishing trips, or seasonal events around lunar phases and traditional calendars. It is not a substitute for a local meteorological service when you need precise short-term forecasts.

What the site is

The site describes itself as offering "long-range weather forecasts, gardening by the Moon, full Moon dates, and best days calendars," framed as a way to "plan your day, grow your life." The current homepage presents itself as a "Gardening, Weather & Seasonal Living Guide," which captures the three pillars: weather, gardening, and seasonal living.

The brand is also a publication with a long history. The site notes that the 2027 edition is its 210th, and membership materials reference "Farmer's Almanac 1818" archives. That history matters mainly because it explains the site's traditional framing—lunar planting rules, named full Moons, and folk calendars—rather than a purely data-driven weather service.

Main content areas

Long-range weather forecasts

The homepage links to a Long Range Weather Forecast section and a separate "2026 / 2027 Winter Weather Forecast." These are seasonal outlooks rather than daily forecasts. If you are planning months ahead—say, choosing a planting window or a vacation period—this is the section to check first.

Weather history database

A lookup tool lets you query historical weather by ZIP code, month, day, and year, with year options running from 1978 through 2026 in the visible selector. This is the most concrete, verifiable tool on the page: you enter a location and date, and the site returns the recorded conditions for that day. It is useful for answering questions like "what was the weather like here last October?" rather than for predicting the future.

Gardening by the Moon

The site's daily "At a glance" panel lists tasks tied to the current lunar day, such as best day to bake, cut firewood, dig holes, kill plant pests, or mow to increase growth. It also flags "Barren days, do no planting" and shows the Moon phase—for example, "Full Moon (100% of Full)" on a sample date. This is traditional guidance, not agronomic advice; treat it as a scheduling convention if you follow lunar planting, and rely on local extension services for horticultural decisions.

Full Moon dates and best days calendars

Full Moon dates, times, and traditional names are a core feature, along with a "best days" calendar covering activities like fishing. The homepage also surfaces upcoming dates and holidays—for example, a Full Hunter's Moon on Sunday, October 25, Halloween on October 31, and the November 1 daylight saving time change—each linked to a fuller guide.

Fishing calendar

A dedicated "Fishing Calendar 2026 – Best Days & Times to Fish" page applies the same lunar logic to fishing. The daily panel rates fishing as, for example, "Fair – Morning," giving a quick read on whether a given day is considered favorable.

How the content is organized

Section What you get Best used for
Long Range Weather Forecast Seasonal outlooks by region Planning months ahead
Weather History Database Recorded conditions by ZIP, date, year Checking past weather
Gardening by the Moon Daily task recommendations, barren days Lunar-based garden scheduling
Full Moon & Best Days Moon dates, names, activity calendars Timing events and tasks
Fishing Calendar Daily fishing ratings and times Choosing fishing days
Upcoming Dates & Holidays Seasonal events with linked guides Calendar planning

Content appears as articles, dated event lists, and interactive lookup tools rather than a single dashboard.

Membership and access

The site promotes a membership at "$13.99 Per Year," described as giving access to the next 12 months of any calendar and to "all the Farmer's Almanac 1818 information," with cancellation available at any time. The homepage does not state which features are free versus member-only beyond that pitch, so if a specific tool matters to you—such as the full 12-month calendar view—check whether it sits behind the membership before relying on it.

Who it suits

  • Gardeners who follow lunar planting traditions will find the daily task panel and barren-day warnings directly actionable.
  • Planners of seasonal events can use the upcoming dates list and long-range outlooks as a starting calendar.
  • Anyone curious about past weather at a specific location and date has a straightforward lookup.
  • People needing accurate short-term forecasts should use a dedicated weather service; the Almanac's strength is seasonal and traditional framing, not hourly precision.

A practical example: if you want to schedule fall garden digging and a fishing trip, check the daily panel for the current Moon phase and barren days, confirm the next full Moon date, then cross-reference the fishing calendar's day rating—all without leaving the site.