November’s gardening chores

November has arrived and with it goes one of the finest months of the year. With such pleasant mornings and evenings, gorgeous sunsets, and sparkling displays of color gracing our landscapes and forests, how could it get any better? Yes, October is gone, but November can be nice too, and there are a good many things we can find to do in the yard and garden. Read on to see a few of these.

As I mentioned in a recent article, in most of the South, November is an ideal time to begin planting woody ornamentals. Actually, anytime during the plants’ inactive (dormant) season between November and February is good. Fall conditions are more conducive to active root growth and plant survival because of cooler temperatures and normally adequate rainfall.

Mulch shrubs now for winter protection. Suitable mulch materials are hay, grass clippings, pine bark or hardwood material, pine straw and leaves. Placing a generous amount around each plant will help protect roots against winter cold. But beware – too much mulch can encourage root rot. Two to four inches is all that is necessary.

Also, be sure plants go into the winter season with adequate moisture. Remember the general rule – water only when the soil feels dry to the touch a couple of inches down. Remember – infrequent but deep waterings are always better than frequent, shallow ones.

Plant cool season annuals such as pansies, violas, flowering cabbage and kale, snapdragons, dianthus, Swiss chard, parsley and red giant mustard. Large container plantings of these can be especially nice and trouble free. If possible, continue to remove faded flowers from pansies and violas throughout the season so that new flowers will be encouraged to form.

November is the time to plant bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, crocus, hyacinth, etc. for early spring color. Be sure to purchase varieties that are suited for our middle Georgia climate. As you peruse the flower catalogs, be sure to look for varieties that are specifically described as “hardy in the South.” Otherwise, you will certainly be disappointed.

We all know that our beloved tomato plants cannot withstand much cold. So, in order to store green tomatoes for ripening and later use, consider these pointers. Select fruit that has reached mature size and turned whitish-green. Wrap them individually in newspaper and place them in a cardboard box in the basement or in a cool room. Green tomatoes will ripen very slowly in storage, but they will eventually ripen. Check weekly for rotting fruit and dispose of those accordingly.

Remember to refrain from pruning shrubs now because the new growth that is stimulated as a result will be killed by the ensuing frosts. Shaping evergreen shrubs is acceptable, however.

Don’t forget that those leaves you and your neighbors collect by raking and bagging can be put to good use in the garden. How? By adding them to the compost pile or simply spreading them over the garden and tilling them in to decompose.

Now that the main gardening season is all but over, take time to jot down some cultural notes from the summer. Notes such as how your tomato plants performed, how well your weed, insect, and disease control measures worked, how your rows were spaced, the timing of the individual crops and their subsequent harvests, etc. can greatly benefit you next spring as you make your gardening plans.

Best of success with your November garden chores!

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, and former Perry High School horticulture instructor. He and his wife, Susan, own and operate Lewis Farms Nursery and Lewis Farms Produce located on Georgia Hwy 26 two miles east of Elko, where he was born and raised. He can be reached at (478) 954-1507, timlewis1@windstream.net, and at LewisFarmsNursery.com.

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