ORCHARD : A rising Waning Crescent moon draws energy upward into fruit-bearing wood — a genuinely useful moment for orchard work this spring. Mulch around the base of apple (‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’, ‘Braeburn’) and pear (‘Conference’, ‘Williams’) trees with a 5–7 cm layer of well-rotted compost, keeping it 10 cm clear of the trunk to prevent collar rot and retain soil moisture as temperatures climb / Check gooseberry and redcurrant bushes for any remaining dead or crossing stems; remove them with clean secateurs at the base to open the canopy and reduce the risk of powdery mildew later in the season / If you have young plum or cherry trees still waiting to be planted, get them in the ground before bud burst — dig a hole twice the width of the root ball, firm in well, and water with 10 litres to settle the soil around the roots. In Mediterranean climates, add a 3 cm gravel mulch on top to limit moisture loss.
VEGETABLE PATCH : Strawberry plants (‘Elsanta’, ‘Honeoye’, ‘Cambridge Favourite’) are stirring into growth right now — a rising moon supports the upward movement of sap into fruit-forming tissue, so this is a productive moment to act. Remove any old, brown leaves from overwintered crowns using scissors rather than pulling, to avoid disturbing the root zone / Apply a balanced granular fertiliser (5:5:10 ratio) at 30 g per metre of row, working it lightly into the surface; the potassium content encourages flower set and ultimately sweeter fruit / Set out young strawberry plants from runners into prepared beds at 30 cm spacing in rows 75 cm apart, firming each crown level with the soil surface — planting too deep risks crown rot, too shallow risks drying out / Spread a thin layer of straw between rows now to suppress weeds and keep developing fruit clean later.
INDOORS : Sow tomato (‘Gardener’s Delight’, ‘Sungold’, ‘Tigerella’) and aubergine (‘Violetta di Firenze’, ‘Black Beauty’) seeds in 7 cm pots filled with fine seed compost, pressing two seeds per pot at 0.5 cm depth and thinning to the strongest seedling once both leaves appear / Keep trays at 20–22°C on a heated propagator mat; germination typically takes 7–10 days for tomatoes, 10–14 for aubergine — the warmth is non-negotiable for reliable strike rates / Pot on any pepper (‘Hungarian Hot Wax’, ‘Padron’) seedlings that have outgrown their first tray into 9 cm individual pots, using a free-draining mix of 70% multipurpose compost and 30% perlite to prevent waterlogging at the root.