VEGETABLE PATCH : Before the sign change this morning, a brief fruit window opens — use it to harvest any remaining beetroot or celeriac still in the ground, brushing off the soil before storing them in slightly damp sand in wooden crates. Once the day shifts to a root character, the real work begins. Plant onion sets 10 cm apart in rows 25 cm wide, pressing each bulb just below the surface. Parsnips left in the ground will sweeten further with the first frosts — mark the rows now so you can find them easily. If you have salsify or black salsify to harvest, lift carefully with a fork to avoid snapping the long roots, then store as you would carrots.
LANDSCAPING : The waning crescent and descending moon make this a dependable moment for establishing permanent plants. Bare-root roses go in now — dig a generous hole, work a shovelful of compost into the base, and set the bud union just at soil level. Space shrub roses 80 cm apart. Tulip and hyacinth bulbs still waiting on the potting bench should go into the ground without delay: tulips 15 cm deep and 10 cm apart, hyacinth bulbs 12 cm deep. A light mulch of straw or bark over newly planted beds will protect young roots from the first hard frosts.
ORCHARD : Bare-root planting continues smoothly under today’s conditions. If you have quince or hazel to add to the garden, now is a fine time — loosen the subsoil, spread the roots wide, and backfill with the excavated earth enriched with compost. Walnut trees go in as specimens; avoid hard pruning and let them establish at their own pace. Check ties on young trees planted last week and adjust any that have shifted in autumn winds.