VEGETABLE PATCH : A root day with a waxing crescent — the ground is ready to receive. Slide leek transplants into holes 12 cm apart, rows 30 cm, using a dibber and flooding each hole with water rather than firming the soil; this lets roots settle naturally. Beetroot lifted now for storage benefits from having its leaves twisted off 3 cm from the crown, then layered in boxes of slightly damp sand. Work a collar of compost around celeriac plants to keep the swelling root cool and fed.
LANDSCAPING : Strawberry runners are still going in well at this time of year — 30 cm apart with the crown sitting exactly at soil level. Crocus bulbs can go in now at 8 cm deep, spaced 5 to 8 cm apart in drifts under deciduous trees or along a border edge for a welcome early-spring display.