VEGETABLE PATCH : Noticed this morning how the air holds that particular stillness that often precedes a sharp night — a good reminder to check on your overwintering crops before the Full Moon peaks tonight at 22h09 (UTC). The descending moon favours leafy greens: harvest outer leaves of kale, perpetual spinach and chard with scissors, cutting 2–3 cm above the base to encourage regrowth. Under cold frames, thin overcrowded rows of lamb’s lettuce and winter purslane to 8 cm spacing, then water lightly with room-temperature water. / Sow claytonia and corn salad in module trays (1 cm deep, seed compost) under cover; germination is reliable even at 7–10 °C. In Mediterranean climates, direct-sow rocket in open beds now — soil temperatures are usually sufficient.
INDOORS : Cyclamen, kalanchoe and winter-flowering begonias are quietly doing their best on your windowsill — give them a moment of attention today. Remove yellowing leaves cleanly at the stem base to prevent fungal spread, then feed with a diluted balanced liquid fertiliser (5 ml per litre, half the recommended dose) to sustain flowering without pushing soft, disease-prone growth. / Check the humidity around ferns and fittonias: group pots together on a tray of damp gravel to raise local humidity without waterlogging roots. Wipe glossy-leaved specimens like rubber plants and anthuriums with a barely damp cloth to clear any residue — clean leaves photosynthesise more efficiently under short winter days.
LANDSCAPING : The Full Moon tonight pulls sap towards the surface, making this a thoughtful moment to observe which evergreen shrubs — box, viburnum tinus, eleagnus — show signs of winter stress before acting tomorrow. Today, focus on clearing debris from around hellebore clumps: remove old tatty leaves at soil level to expose emerging flower buds and improve air circulation, reducing botrytis risk. / Apply a 4 cm mulch of leaf mould around the base of ornamental grasses like miscanthus and pennisetum, keeping a 10 cm gap from the crown. In heavy clay soils, avoid treading on beds — lay a plank to distribute your weight and protect soil structure.