VEGETABLE PATCH : The Last Quarter arrived at 09h38 (UTC) this morning — a quiet turning point that deepens the descending moon’s pull and makes this a genuinely strong leaf day until 21h27 (UTC). Direct-sow outdoor rows of lamb’s lettuce (‘Vit’, ‘Jade’) and rocket (‘Skyrocket’, ‘Runway’) at 0.5 cm depth in drills 20 cm apart, pressing the soil firmly along each row for good seed-to-soil contact / Sow kale (‘Cavolo Nero’, ‘Red Russian’) into deep root trainers at 18°C indoors, one seed per cell at 1 cm depth — germination in 5–7 days, transplant out at 45 cm spacing in 4–5 weeks / Thin previously sown mustard greens and mizuna to 10 cm apart, using scissors rather than pulling to avoid disturbing neighbouring roots / In heavier soils, raise seedling trays off cold benches onto wooden boards to keep root temperatures stable and prevent waterlogging from below.
INDOORS : A damp morning is a good reminder to check ventilation around trays before the day warms up. Pot on celery seedlings (‘Victoria’, ‘Golden Self-Blanching’) into 9 cm individual pots once they show two true leaves, using a peat-free compost mixed with 20% perlite for drainage — celery roots are shallow and need consistent moisture but not saturation / Sow Chinese cabbage (‘Kasumi F1’, ‘Bilko’) in modules at 18°C, 0.5 cm deep, one seed per cell; expect germination in 4–6 days and transplant at 30 cm spacing under cover in 3–4 weeks / Check endive (‘Cornet de Bordeaux’) and batavia lettuce (‘Reine de Glace’) seedlings started last week — if roots are circling the base of the module, step up to a 7 cm pot without delay, as root restriction slows leaf development noticeably.
ORCHARD : After 21h27 (UTC) tonight, the moon shifts into a fruit signature — a useful nudge if you plan to work outdoors early tomorrow. Use the last light of this afternoon to check young apple and pear trees (‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’, ‘Conference’, ‘Williams Bon Chrétien’) for any crossing or rubbing branches, marking them with soft twine ready for a light tidy once the fruit window opens / Inspect quince and medlar for signs of fire blight or canker at branch junctions; clean pruning cuts with a dilute copper solution (5 g per litre) to limit spread / Top-dress established fig trees with a balanced 5-5-5 granular fertiliser at 80 g per square metre around the drip line, keeping granules 10 cm clear of the trunk.