To Do List for November 08

Hi Everyone! Happy November to you all! I am posting a picture of my bountiful gourds in honor of Thanksgiving this month. I recently harvested them. Do you see in the picture the one big gourd has begun turning brown on the bottom? I noticed this while it was still growing on the vine so thought it best I harvest them now. It is nothing to worry about, it is simply part of the process the gourds go through to dry. I had never left my gourds on the vine for so long and was not used to this process starting now. I was very startled to find all of the light colored gourds had already begun drying, as they were very light.

If you haven't already harvested your summer crops (tomatoes, gourds, peppers, eggplants, beans, cukes, squash, and melons) then you may be too late, as summer is over and these crops are most likely gone by now. All gardens are in a state of change but once November is over the gardening season really slows down. Here are some things I am doing or planning to do in my garden this month.


1) Aerate my fescue lawn (after a good rain)

2) Apply a low nitrogen winterizer to the lawn once aeration is complete

3) Weed the lawn and garden beds

4) Plant spring blooming bulbs

5) Rake the lawn

6) Mulch all the beds with raked leaves from the lawn. If you have leaves that naturally fall into garden beds-leave them there. The best mulch is a natural Mother Nature mulch. For the beds that lack natural leaf litter, I try to place 3-5 layers of newspapers under the leaves before I apply the leaves. Sometimes I chop the leaves with the lawnmower and sweep them up, sometimes I just rake whole leaves into the garden. I have used this same method for the last 5+ years with great results.

7) Compost extra leaves.

8) Clean out veggie garden and apply a good layer of compost (at least 1" is best but apply whatever you can!).

9) Determine now where you will plant your summer crop next spring. This is very important. Sometimes you forget where you grew tomatoes by the time next spring rolls around. If you go ahead and mark it for a crop like cucumbers now you'll be sure to get it right next year and practice good crop rotation. There is also another good reason for planning next summer's vegetable garden now. If you plant a fall/winter crop like garlic, garlic will still be in the ground when planting time comes around in the spring for your summer garden. I try to interplant my beds. To do this I have to plan for both garlic and perhaps tomatoes to grow in the same bed. It is important to effectively plan the use of your vegetable garden space if, like me, you have a small vegetable garden.

10) I will, as time permits, begin pruning my hardwoods late in the month all the way to February. I prefer to limb up my trees and do a bit of lateral pruning to shape them the way that is pleasing to me. This task is an immense task because it involves chain saws, ladders, and trucks to haul away the debris. Fortunately this is not a normal yearly recurring event in my garden. Once I have it the way I like it, other than trimming dead or crossing branches very minor trimming will be required. Unfortunately I am noticing that due to last year's freeze and subsequent drought, many of the trees have put out numerous suckers which detract from the overall shape and openness of many of my trees. This also needs to be rectified with prudent pruning. Too many prus here huh?

11) Now is a good time to begin making crafts for the garden. I plan on making a bunch of hypertufa pots, and flower boxes for my porch. I also have in mind to make a few rain barrels, and wooden flat boxes for seedling trays. Of course, much of this has been on my To Do list for a few years so we shall see what I accomplish. Getting started is the hardest part.

12) You can continue to plant trees and shrubs this month with no adverse effects to the tree or shrub. Fall planting is best. The roots will continue to grow as long as the soil is a bit above freezing (say 40 degrees). Make sure your newly planted treasures have plenty of moisture if the weather is dry.

13) Some gardeners apply an anti-desiccant to their evergreens. I am not one of them. If you are, start thinking about applying it at this time.

14) Apply systemic tree and shrub insecticides/pesticides at this time. I am a big fan of Bayer's Advanced Tree and Shrub Care. This has helped my azaleas tremendously. I hope it will also help my little birch to fight off the million caterpillar Army next summer. We'll see. Follow instructions closely. Always use protective gear.

15) Collect seeds.

16) This is the time German chamomile is germinating. Also Love in a Mist and some other spring bloomers such as hollyhocks and foxgloves are showing growth. Do not pull these at this time by mistakenly thinking they are weeds.

17) If you prune roses in the fall, now is the time. I do not normally prune mine until February.

18) Prune camellias after bloom if you have the fall bloomer.

19) Weed your lawn. Someone asked me at a recent talk I gave just what can be done in the garden in the winter. I had to think about that as it seems I am always busy in the garden in the winter but not sure of what it was I was doing all the time. Certainly not deadheading, or pulling weeds, but busy nonetheless. After much contemplation I realized my two biggest chores in the winter time are digging weeds (by hand with a handy fishhook) from the lawn, and pruning my trees. I will also do some hardscaping and maintenance issues too.

20) Remove and dispose of peony foliage.

Hope this helps. It is only a guide and I will adjust it as I go along. If anyone has some suggestions to add to it, by all means let me know. And let's say goodbye to summer and the flying flowers for good now. Okay, not for good, just until the next good picture to post comes along:)

in the garden....