ORCHARD : Full Moon at 11h37 (UTC) — the lunar energy peaks today, and a descending moon on a fruit day makes this a compelling moment to work around your established fruit trees. Spread a 4–5 cm layer of well-rotted compost or aged manure in a wide ring around apple (‘Braeburn’, ‘Discovery’), pear (‘Williams’ Bon Chrétien’, ‘Beth’) and cherry (‘Stella’, ‘Morello’) trees, keeping the material at least 15 cm clear of the trunk to avoid collar rot / Apply a balanced organic fertiliser (roughly 100 g per square metre of a 5:5:5 NPK blend) around the drip line of established fig and quince trees — the descending moon draws nutrients toward the roots, making this a well-timed feed / Check cane fruit: tie in any loose raspberry (‘Autumn Bliss’, ‘Glen Ample’) and blackberry (‘Loch Ness’) canes to their wires with soft twine, spacing canes 10–12 cm apart to open the canopy and reduce botrytis risk as growth resumes / In Mediterranean or milder coastal gardens, this is a good window to finish planting bare-root strawberries (‘Elsanta’, ‘Mara des Bois’) at 30 cm spacing, crowns just at soil level.
VEGETABLE PATCH : A bright early-March morning with the soil still cold enough to work without compacting — worth noting before you step out. Under glass or in a cold frame, sow tomato (‘Gardener’s Delight’, ‘Costoluto Fiorentino’) and aubergine (‘Moneymaker’, ‘Bonica’) seeds in module trays at 0.5 cm depth; maintain 20–22 °C on a heat mat for reliable germination, as both crops need consistent warmth to strike well / Sow sweet pepper (‘Corno di Toro’, ‘Yolo Wonder’) in the same conditions — these are slow-growing crops that benefit from an early start, giving you stocky plants ready to pot on by late April / If you have established overwintered broad beans (‘Aquadulce Claudia’) outside, pinch out the growing tips now to discourage blackfly colonies before they take hold; compost the removed tips rather than leaving them on the soil surface.
LANDSCAPING : The Full Moon period draws sap upward even on a descending moon, making this a reliable day to check flowering shrubs for structural issues rather than prune hard. Inspect forsythia, flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) and ornamental quince (Chaenomeles) for any dead or frost-damaged wood; remove cleanly with sharp loppers, cutting to a healthy outward-facing bud / Mulch the base of roses (‘Gertrude Jekyll’, ‘Iceberg’, ‘Falstaff’) with a 5 cm layer of composted bark, which will suppress weeds and retain moisture as spring warmth builds — keep it 8 cm clear of the main stems / On heavy clay soils, hold off any deep cultivation today; instead, top-dress with a fine layer of grit-enriched compost to improve surface drainage without disturbing the soil structure while it’s still wet.