Before the sign change (morning), leaf day : The morning air is still cool — a good moment to harvest mint and any courgettes that have reached a good size before the day shifts. Cut mint stems cleanly just above a node and gather courgettes with a sharp knife, leaving a short stalk attached to help them keep longer.
VEGETABLE PATCH : After the sign change, a fruit day opens up the best of summer work. Pick cucumbers and sweet peppers as soon as they reach size — regular harvesting keeps the plants productive well into August. Beans are worth checking daily now; pods left too long turn fibrous. Collect seeds from the most vigorous bean plants: let a few pods dry fully on the stem, then shell and store in a paper envelope labelled with the date. Under cover, aubergines are swelling fast — harvest when the skin is taut and glossy, before any softening at the tip.
ORCHARD : A fruit day paired with the Last Quarter suits harvesting for storage rather than immediate eating. Pick plums and early apple varieties that come away cleanly with a gentle twist; any that resist are not quite ready. Check fig tree fruits for the first signs of ripening — a slight drooping of the neck and a bead of nectar at the tip are your cues. Grapevine bunches benefit from leaf-thinning around the clusters now to improve air circulation and colour development.
LANDSCAPING : Wisteria is still pushing strong laterals — pinch each one back to five or six leaves from the main framework to keep the structure tidy and encourage next year’s flowering spurs. Oleander in pots can be deadheaded and given a half-strength liquid feed today to extend the bloom into September.