INDOORS : A leaf day under the descending Last Quarter moon — sap is drawn gently downward, making this a fine moment to tend foliage crops and houseplants that have been waiting for attention. Prick out seedlings of spinach (‘Medania’, ‘Viroflay’) and Swiss chard (‘Bright Lights’, ‘Fordhook Giant’) into 7 cm modules filled with peat-free multipurpose compost, handling each plantlet by its seed leaf rather than the fragile stem. If you started Chinese cabbage (‘Yuki’) or pak choi (‘Joi Choi’) under glass last week, check root development and pot on into 9 cm pots once roots reach the module base. Mist the foliage of overwintering celery and celeriac seedlings lightly to maintain humidity, but avoid wetting the growing point to reduce the risk of damping off.
VEGETABLE PATCH : A steady leaf day continues — a good window for leafy crops under cover. Sow kale (‘Nero di Toscana’, ‘Red Russian’) and perpetual spinach in module trays (6 cm depth), pressing seeds 5 mm deep into moist, fine-grade compost; maintain 12–15 °C for reliable germination. Lettuce (‘Winter Density’, ‘Rouge Grenobloise’) sown now in a cold frame or unheated polytunnel will establish slowly but reward you with a compact, flavoursome cut-and-come-again harvest from April onward. Top-dress overwintering mâche (corn salad) and land cress rows with a thin layer of sieved garden compost — roughly 1 cm — to feed the soil without smothering the low rosettes. In Mediterranean climates or mild coastal areas, direct-sow rocket (‘Selvatica’) thinly along a sheltered south-facing bed, spacing rows 20 cm apart.
LANDSCAPING : Clip back the tired outer leaves of evergreen sedges (Carex morrowii, Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’) with a pair of hand shears, removing only the brown tips to keep the clump tidy without stressing the plant. Divide overgrown clumps of Liriope muscari now, separating sections with a sharp spade and replanting 25–30 cm apart in humus-rich soil — they will fill in quickly once temperatures rise. Apply a 3 cm mulch of leaf mould around the base of hostas and astilbes to protect emerging crowns from late frost and suppress early weed germination.