VEGETABLE PATCH : Before midday, a root day invites you to get hands in the soil. Push garlic cloves 3 cm deep, tip up, 12 cm apart — autumn planting gives them time to establish a good root system before winter sets in. Shallots go in at soil level, 15 cm apart in rows 25 cm wide; firm them gently so they sit snug without being buried. Celeriac seedlings started under cover can be planted out now at 35 cm apart in rows 40 cm wide — they’ll bulk up slowly through November. Thin any beetroot already in the ground to 10 cm in the row to give roots room to swell.
LANDSCAPING : After midday, the day shifts to a flower character — a welcome window for ornamental work. Daffodil bulbs go in at 15 cm deep, clustered in groups for a natural drift of spring colour; well-drained soil and a spot that doesn’t waterlog in winter are the two keys to long-lived clumps. Hyacinth bulbs follow the same timing: 12 cm deep, spaced generously. If you have crocus to plant, tuck them 8 cm deep along a border edge — they’ll reward you with colour before anything else stirs in late winter. Lay a light mulch of leaf mould over newly planted bulb areas to insulate and suppress weeds.
ORCHARD : The descending waning gibbous moon favours root establishment. Hazel, quince tree and walnut tree planted now will anchor well before hard frost arrives — dig a generous hole, loosen the base, and backfill without compacting. Currant bush and blackcurrant transplant readily at this stage; space them 1.2 m apart and water in well to settle the soil around the roots.