Before the evening sign change, a fruit day holds through most of the daylight hours — a rewarding stretch for orchard work and winter sowings under cover.
ORCHARD : Frost-silvered mornings like this one suit bare-root planting beautifully. Set in an apple tree or quince tree now, spreading roots wide in a generous hole; work in a good handful of well-rotted compost and firm the soil with your heel. Grapevines go in at this season too — choose a sheltered, south-facing wall and mulch the base thickly with straw to protect young roots. Hazel planted this week will have all winter to anchor itself quietly before spring. Collect any remaining dried seeds from rose hips or fig branches and store them in paper envelopes in a cool, dry place.
VEGETABLE PATCH : Under cover, tomato and chili pepper seeds sown 0.5 cm deep, spaced 3 cm apart in modules, get an early start on the season — keep trays above 18 °C for reliable germination. Aubergine seeds follow the same method and reward the patience of an early sowing. In sandy soils, add a little extra seed compost to retain moisture around germinating seeds.
After the evening sign change, the day shifts to a root day — a natural pause from fruiting tasks. Tidy the potting bench, check stored fruit for soft spots, and plan next season’s orchard layout by lamplight.
INDOORS : Your lemon tree overwintering under cover benefits from a light wipe of its leaves with a damp cloth — dust-free foliage photosynthesises more efficiently through short winter days. Water sparingly, only when the top 2 cm of compost feels dry.