November Tips

•Plant spring bulbs now. Use bulb food appropriate to the bulbs you are planting. Work the fertilizer into the soil instead of just putting some underneath the bulb.

•Begin forcing bulbs for bloom during Christmas. Hyacinths and amaryllis generally take 6-8 weeks and paper whites 3-4. FORCING instructions follow the November calendar.

•Make a living wreath out of ivy to use as an Advent wreath. After Christmas, it can be hung on your door, porch, or gate. Supplies and instructions are available at The Everyday Gardener.

•Sow larkspur and poppy seeds now that soil temperature has cooled. Pick a day when the ground is wet. Sprinkle the seeds onto the soil and press them into the dirt by walking over them with your garden shoes. Now is also the time to plant sweet peas. See ANNUALS.

•Winter vegetables that can still be planted are carrots, lettuces, mustard, and turnip greens.

•After frost, cut back perennials, but use plant markers to identify their location. Then you won’t disturb their roots while working in the beds.

•As important as it is to make a list of what you plant each season, it is even more important to make a list at the end of the season to remind you of which plants performed well and which did not. That way you will remember which plant to buy again and which to pass over.

• Mulch beds to insulate the roots of plants and to suppress weeds.

•Check your containers to decide which need to be emptied and stored out of the cold. Terra cotta will crack and break. Glazed pots and concrete generally will not. Plant fall containers with cool season plants and herbs. Bulbs can also be planted in pots at the same depth they are to be planted in the ground. A great-looking container can be created by layering bulbs from the biggest bulbs at the bottom of the pot to the smaller ones near the top. Overplant with pansies and in the spring the bulbs with grow through the pansies. 

•Now is still a good planting time for trees, shrubs, and perennials.

•Winterize gasoline-powered equipment and clean garden tools. The manual that came with power equipment generally gives winterizing tips. Hand tools benefit from a good cleaning, sharpening, and rubbing with oil to prevent rust.