VEGETABLE PATCH : The descending moon, barely a sliver after yesterday’s New Moon, keeps energy anchored deep in the soil — a solid ally for root crops today. Direct-sow winter-hardy turnips (Brassica rapa ‘Blanc de Croissy’) 1 cm deep, in rows 25 cm apart with seeds thinned to 8 cm once germinated; they’ll swell steadily through the cool weeks ahead / Divide established clumps of skirret (Sium sisarum) — a different species from the recent beetroot and Hamburg parsley work — setting each division 15 cm deep in loose, well-drained soil; firm in well and water once to settle the roots / If you have a sheltered bed or cold frame, sow winter radishes (Raphanus sativus ‘Violet de Gournay’), 1.5 cm deep, spaced 12 cm apart in rows 30 cm apart — their dense flesh stores beautifully through December / Finish lifting Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus) with a broad fork, working 20 cm beneath the crown to retrieve every tuber; store in wooden crates layered with barely damp sand at 4–6 °C. In heavy clay soils, lift now before waterlogging makes the job messy.
ORCHARD : Quince (Cydonia oblonga) and medlar (Mespilus germanica) trees deserve attention at this quiet moment in the lunar cycle. Walk the rows and check stored quinces on slatted trays — a single soft spot spreads quickly to neighbours, so remove any suspect fruit without delay / Lightly prune water shoots on young pear (Pyrus communis ‘Williams’) and apple (Malus domestica ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’) trees: cut flush to the collar with clean, disinfected secateurs, removing no more than 15% of the canopy at this stage / Scatter a balanced potassium-rich fertiliser (30 g per m² around the drip line) under quince and medlar to harden wood before the first frosts — potassium strengthens cell walls and reduces frost damage.
LANDSCAPING : Autumn’s quiet suits structural planting. Set out bare-root ornamental grasses such as Molinia caerulea and Pennisetum alopecuroides now, spacing clumps 50–60 cm apart in well-prepared soil; the descending moon encourages strong root establishment before winter / Divide overgrown clumps of Sedum spectabile and Bergenia cordifolia with a sharp spade, replanting sections 30 cm apart and watering in with a dilute seaweed solution (5 ml per litre) to reduce transplant stress / In Mediterranean climates, this is a fine window to plant cyclamen corms (Cyclamen hederifolium) 3–4 cm deep in partial shade under deciduous trees, where they’ll naturalise reliably over the years.