The following "reminder list" is based on a Zone 6a growing region, which is centrally located for the North American growing areas. For areas north of Zone 6a add roughly one week per zone for any times given. For areas south, subtract roughly one week per zone. Don't know your hardiness zone? Find it quick on our "Plant Hardiness Zone Map". This is the month when most work outdoors starts to slow down, but it's not done yet. It is a time to catch up on loose "odds and ends" and ponder the past growing season. November is also a time to pause and give thanks for all of the good things of the past year and find some good in even the things you thought weren't so good. November is also the month when the plans for next years garden are born as we ponder last year and develop a plan for this next year. It is a time to formally put the outdoor garden to bed for a long winters nap so it can greet us again with renewed vigor when spring returns. November is a time when people everywhere start to act with a little more kindness toward everyone as they enter into the two major holidays of love and kindness - Thanksgiving and Christmas. As you spend time outdoors on those "catch-up" items and those few chores that need to be done, take a few moments to be thankful for the opportunity to even have a garden of any kind or enjoy the outdoors, because so many in this world do not have even this simplest of blessings. Around The Garden Keep a close eye on the weather and be prepared to provide additional protection for cloches, cold frames and hotbeds. Keep an eye on those cloches that are protecting your winter crops and be prepared to provide additional protection if extreme cold spells are forecast. Crops will grow slower but will still need to be harvested and watered regularly. Tulip bulbs may still be planted in the early part of the month. Mix compost or other organic matter and bulb fertilizer into the planting soil before you place the bulbs. Cut the tops off your asparagus plants after they have been killed by a freeze, and add a winter dressing of aged manure to the bed. Secure your raspberry canes to stakes or tie them together into loose bundles to protect them from wind whipping and winter damage. Take a soil test and apply lime now if you need it. You will still have time to apply a second application in late winter if you need to. Take a few minutes to go over your newly planted bulbs and other plants still in the garden. Make sure you mark them with stakes, stones or some other means of identifying where they are. If you haven't already done so, cover those strawberries with two or three inches of straw to protect the crowns. Do not use leaves, compost, sawdust or other materials that can pack down and smoother the crowns. Don't let the compost pile freeze. Give it a good stir, wet it down if needed and cover the compost pile with a tarp or black plastic. This will help hold in heat and keep it cooking all winter.
Around The Landscape Make sure that the canes of your climbing roses and other vining plants are securely fastened to their supports. Winter winds can whip and severely damage unprotected plants. Don't tie them so tightly that the string or twist-tie cuts into the stem. Try using a length of an old nylon stocking because it will stretch as the plant grows, rather than cutting into the stem, as string will do. Mound five to six inches of soil around the bases of your hardy fuchsias and grafted roses. Use soil from another part of the garden, rather than risking damage to the roots by digging around the base of the plant. Cover this with mulch to protect the soil and insulate it further. Cut Chrysanthemum stems to 2-3 inches from the soil once they have begun to die back. Place the stems back on top of the plant for winter protection. You can continue to transplant your perennials throughout the fall and winter, as long as they remain dormant and the ground unfrozen. But remember to water and mulch well. Be sure that your semi-hardy plants are protected from frost. Mulching with bark, leaves, sawdust or straw will help create a blanket of protection over the root system. Should the weather get suddenly cold, place burlap, cloth or dark plastic over your semi-hardy plants to give them some added protection from the cold. Be sure to remove this covering when the weather has stabilized!. This month and throughout the next several months will be good times to transplant trees and shrubs as long as the ground is not frozen. At this time of the year, most ornamentals have entered into dormancy, and can be safely dug and replanted. The key to transplanting any tree or shrub is to dig a large root ball (get as much of the root system as is possible). Equally important, is getting the plant back into the prepared soil as quickly as possible, to keep the roots from drying out. (Only a transplanting fertilizer should be used at this time of the year.) Large trees or shrubs should be staked to protect them from wind whipping during winter storms. Keep them staked until the roots have a chance to develop and anchor them. As soon as the leaves fall from fruit trees, shade or flowering trees, raspberries and other deciduous plants, they can be sprayed for the first time with a dormant oil spray. This spraying helps control over-wintering insects and diseases. Apply according to label instructions. Prune your evergreens to shape now while they are in a state of decreased activity.. There is still time to apply a winter fertilizer (5-10-10 or similar) to cool-season grass. But this should be done on mild days and watered in. In warm climates where the grass does not go dormant use a 15-10-10 fertilizer and water in for winter green. This is a good time to apply lime to your lawn if needed. Give your lawn a good raking to lift away accumulations of debris before winter sets in. Leaves will continue to blow in from your neighbors and fall from late drop trees. Either keep these raked from the lawn and composted or you can just mow over these late stragglers, turning them to a mulch which adds important nutrients back to the lawn. Go over your beds again and make sure that all dormant plants are marked with stakes, painted stones, etc. before winter snows and time cause you to forget what's planted where.
On The Patio By now most of the insects are dead or gone and many food supplies are gone for the birds. Even if you are not a bird watcher, for just a few dollars you can feed an enormous number of birds. So show a little kindness to our feathered friends and keep your feeders full and fresh water out for them. During mild weather, enjoy an outdoor fire around a fire pit or outdoor fireplace. It can be most enjoyable this time of year. If you haven't already done so, get that patio furniture indoors or covered to protect it.
In The Shed Any hoses left out need to be kept drained and any not needed need to be drained and brought indoors. Get any watering equipment indoors and the water drained. For difficult to drain watering equipment, try adding a small spoonful of RV antifreeze inside the equipment. This is the type for potable water systems in campers, etc. Do not use regular automotive antifreeze as this is harmful to plants, birds and other wildlife. In the spring it can be easily rinsed out. Finish cleaning and oiling any tools you have not yet put away. Brush all of the remaining soil from the tools with a stiff wire brush. Pour some clean (not used) motor oil into a bucket of sand and stab the tools into the sand several times to clean and oil them before you put them away. Replace any tools that have finally passed their prime or just plain given up the ghost. Take advantage of end of season sales to replenish tools and supplies. If you have finished with the lawn mower, tiller, string trimmer, etc. for the year, get them cleaned and serviced for next year. Consult with your owners manual about draining the fuel from the tank or add some gasoline stabilizer to the tank.
In The Home Winter heating is a killer to your houseplants. Set your indoor plants on pans filled with gravel and water to increase the humidity of dry indoor air. Pans or trays that are 3 or 4 inches deep work well. These can be painted and filled with decorative stones or marble chips to make them more attractive. Place these on cork pads or stands to protect floors and furniture from water stains. There's still time to pot up some spring flowering bulbs for indoor color during the winter. Store the pots in a cool, dark place, until new growth emerges from the soil, and then move them to a bright window. Keep a watch out for late hatching insects on your houseplants. They can multiply quickly if you don't take steps to control them.
For Yourself A tip from The 1899 Old Farmer's Almanac "Useful Hints": "Keep all fruit stones (pits), cooked or uncooked. Dry them slowly in the oven, put in a large jar, and in winter throw a handful on the fire of an evening. They will crackle for a moment, send up a bright flame, and fill the room with a delicious aroma." Take some time to stop all of the hectic activities of this month and reflect on the many things that you have, have experienced or gained throughout the year. Allow yourself to be reminded of what you have that so many others do not and you might just gain a new perspective on how blessed you are.
I once complained about my uncomfortable shoes, until I met a woman which had none. I was miffed at having to make another house payment until I met a man who lived in a box in an alley. I was disgusted at having to pay another high electric bill, until I met an elderly woman who lit her way with a single candle because she couldn't afford electricity. I was angered at a car that broke down, until I met a family that walked everywhere they wanted to go because they had none. I was disappointed when a child could not come home when I wanted them to be here, until I met a man who's children refused to acknowledge he even lived. I felt cheated when I could only have a small Turkey with the other dozen or so side dishes and desserts, until I met a woman who couldn't afford peanut butter and bread for her children. I am blessed - but I was to rich to see it.! Are we so rich and blessed that we can no longer see how much less others around us have? Share your blessings with someone who has less than you do. No gift, no matter how small, given in love goes unrewarded. Take a moment to say "thank you" to all of those who have touched you life this past year and be thankful for the abundance that you have because so many around you have so much less. Allow yourself to learn a new humility that you may have never experienced and in that humility, find true happiness in the abundance you have. the "Hillbilly Gardener" Back To Top
The information presented in a gardeners calendar is derived from many sources including practical experience of the writer. While we strive to present only fact5ual information, no guarantee is given, whether expressed or implied as to its completeness or accuracy. PO'Folks Ozark Mountain Enterprises accepts no responsibility for any damages resulting from the use of this material. As with all things, PO'Folks Ozark Mountain Enterprises urges all readers to exercise sound reasoning before applying any information they may obtain from any source. |
