It’s a great time to get out there and enjoy the autumn colors. The trees are going into full force with their fall displays, while your garden strives on preparing for winter!
As we enter November it will be crucial not only do you protect plants from harsh weather but also make sure they can take some harsh weather hit, by taking care of any issues before they become serious problems in advance.
This month should be spent doing some maintenance in the garden.
Here are a few tasks to keep your property thriving:
Timely Tips
Winter is coming, and your garden needs to be protected!
- To keep your outdoor containers from frost damage, insulate them with hessian or bubble wrap and garden twine.
- Prevent your container from becoming waterlogged this winter by adding bricks, or ‘pot feet’.
- Keeping the population of hungry birds in check is one way to bring joy on a bleak winter’s day. You can encourage them by investing in bird baths and feeders for your garden, which will keep pest numbers low while bringing smiles everywhere!
- You can keep roses safe from wind-rock by pruning them 1/3 to ½ of their height. This will prevent them from swaying in strong winds and stop the roots from coming loose on the soil, which can cause damage or death of plants if not handled properly.
In The Flower Garden
These are the main steps to protect your flower garden in November:
- Do you have a rose bush with black spots on it? If so, then there is some good news for your garden. You can remove fallen leaves from around the base of this plant to reduce its risk of being infected by diseases again next year!
- Store your dahlia tubers, gladiolus corms and begonias over the winter months to save them from drying out. Remove dead leaves before storage so that they will stay fresh longer!
- To keep your herbaceous perennials thriving, cut back yellowing foliage and overcrowded clumps to maintain their vigor.
- Cut a few stems of holly with berries for making Christmas garlands. It’s early, but now’s the time to do it before all your favorite ornaments end up as breakfast fare for birds! Stand them in a bucket of water and cover at night so they stay fresh and birds don’t see them.
In The Vegetable Garden
Here are the best tasks to do in your veggie garden in November:
- It’s a good idea to lift parsnips after the first frosts, but only if their flavor has sweetened.
- Starting your first perennial vegetable bed is a great way to use up those unwanted vegetables and flowers from last year. You can plant rhubarb plants or asparagus crowns in the new soil, which will grow well with plenty of sunlight!
- Over the winter, keep planting onion sets. Before you plant them be sure to add organic matter and lightly till or rototill your garden soil in preparation for growing garlic and shallots as well!
- Place a scaffold plank on the ground along your main access route into the plot. This allows you to get in, but makes sure that any dirt compacted while walking across it won’t pack down too much and damage crops over time.
- Place a scaffold plank along the main access route into your plot. This allows you to walk across it, but prevents soil compacting as you walk on it!
- Also, spread well rotted farm manure over winter vegetable beds for fresh organic material that will rot down and fertilize plants.
- Build metal raised bed gardens while the garden space is clear – this provides back-breaking bending for your veggie garden.
- Planting top-heavy brassica and leafy green plants will help to prevent wind from rocking the base of their stem, damaging roots.
- The summer harvest of onions and garlic is almost ready! Be sure to remove any rotten bulbs immediately. Use onion bags to improve the air flow around the bulbs.
- Remove any potatoes that are getting moldy to prevent the spread of rot. Place them in hessian sacks and allow your crop plenty of space so it can breathe!
In The Fruit Garden
- Mature clumps of rhubarb once they’re dormant.
- Plant out currant plants as bare roots this month, while they’re in their dormant state.
- Plant your raspberry seeds now for a delicious home-grown crop!
- Tidy up your strawberry plants, cutting off any dead leaves and removing runners.
- Then prune apple trees anytime between now and February so they have an optimum summer yield of fruit with less damage from squirrels who love eating them raw in autumn!
- Don’t forget the plum tree – wait until midsummer when it will be susceptible to silver leaf fungus before taking these steps or else you’ll just end up wasting time cleaning what could have been avoided all together if only we waited long enough.
- The best time to plant a hedging is when they’re dormant.
- Apply grease bands on the trunks of fruit trees and you won’t have wingless female winter moths climbing up it, laying their eggs in your branches!
- Remove any excess netting from fruit cages as heavy snow in winter will make it sag.
- Check your produce and remove any showing signs of disease or rotted roots before storing for later use!