INDOORS : The smell of damp compost and a warm windowsill — that’s where the action is today. Under the descending waning gibbous moon, energy settles downward, making this a reliable moment to prick out seedlings of spinach (‘Matador’, ‘Medania’) and lettuce (‘Merveille des Quatre Saisons’, ‘Little Gem’) into individual 7 cm pots, pressing lightly around each stem to ensure good soil contact / Sow kale (‘Cavolo Nero’, ‘Red Russian’) and chard (‘Rhubarb Chard’) in module trays at 1 cm deep, 2 seeds per cell, keeping compost evenly moist at 15–18 °C — these leafy crops respond well to the calm energy of a descending phase, rooting in steadily before being planted out / If you have trays of young basil or parsley started last week, thin them now to one seedling per cell with small scissors rather than pulling, to avoid disturbing neighbouring roots.
VEGETABLE PATCH : A leaf day calls for leafy ambition outdoors. Direct-sow rows of corn salad (mâche, ‘Verte de Cambrai’) and rocket (‘Runway’, ‘Skyrocket’) at 0.5 cm deep, in rows 20 cm apart — both germinate reliably in cool spring soil and are ready to harvest in 4–6 weeks / Transplant young endive or radicchio seedlings started under cover, spacing them 25–30 cm apart in well-worked soil; firm in with your knuckles and water at the base rather than overhead to keep foliage dry / On sandy or free-draining soils, work in a generous handful of well-rotted compost per planting station before setting out transplants — leafy crops are hungry feeders and thin soils will slow them down noticeably.
LANDSCAPING : Run your hand along the hedge line — if growth has surged in the last fortnight, a light clip of fast-growing privet or Lonicera nitida now will keep structure tidy without cutting into flower buds / Under the descending moon, newly divided clumps of Alchemilla mollis or Ajuga reptans (‘Burgundy Glow’, ‘Catlin’s Giant’) can be set out 25–30 cm apart in a prepared border; water in well and mulch lightly with bark chips to retain moisture around freshly disturbed roots / In Mediterranean climates or south-facing beds, this is a good moment to plant out young Salvia nemorosa or Stachys byzantina — both handle dry spells well once established and benefit from the descending phase to anchor their roots before summer heat arrives.