Andrew Tokely's Gardening Tips for November!
02 November 2022
November is a good month to tidy up gardens and vegetable plots and use the long dark evenings to plan for next year.
1. One job that can be done early this month, whatever the weather, is planting Amaryllis bulbs, so you will be able to enjoy them indoors from Christmas, going into January. I like to simply plant a single bulb, in a 13-15cm (5-6in) pot, so it is sitting on the high side, so only the bottom 1/3 of the bulb is covered with compost. Give the compost a little water, stand it on a warm windowsill and watch it grow.
2. Before we get any very cold and frosty weather, it is important to protect pot grown Fig plants. These should be moved into a cold glasshouse or under a carport, as this will help protect any small embryo figs from frost damage. As these small figs will produce your fig crop next year.
3. Seed and plant catalogues are falling through the letterbox each week at the moment. Take advantage of the long winter evenings and browse through the pages and plan your display for the year ahead. Early ordering is always advisable to guarantee you get the seeds and plants you require.
4. Any containers you have plants growing in for the winter months are best raised slightly off the ground from now through to the spring. By standing your pots on some stones, bricks or laths of wood will help to keep the drainage hole off the ground and allow free drainage. This helps prevent your containers becoming waterlogged during very wet spells of weather.
5. Autumn is the ideal time for planting new trees and shrubs into your garden whilst they are going into a dormant state. Planting now will help them get established through the winter and allow the roots to settle before next spring. Always prepare the soil well before planting adding plenty of organic matter and a sprinkle of bone meal and some Mycorrihizal friendly fungi to the planting hole, all will help the plants establish quicker.
6. November is the best month to plant Tulip bulbs. These should be planted at least twice the bulb depth. Plant in an open sunny site in borders or containers. There is also still plenty of time to plant Daffodils and Crocus as well if not already done. Many garden centres and mail order companies will have these on offer at the moment so you can fill your garden and containers with some real bargains.
7. If like me you enjoy growing fresh vegetables, well this month is the perfect time to sow some Broad beans and Peas outside on the vegetable plot, provided the soil is not waterlogged. When Sowing Broad beans at this time of year, you will need a hardy variety like Aquadulce Claudia, and a hardy variety of Peas like Meteor. Both Peas and Beans should be sown in drills, on the vegetable plot, and are best sown under cloches for early winter protection. Sowing these vegetables this month will give you an early harvest next spring.
8. Vegetable plots can have the last of old crops removed to the compost heap and the plot cleaned up ready for winter digging . Empty rotted down compost heaps onto spare ground, or have deliveries of well rotten farm yard manure or mushroom compost. These can be spread on the soil ready for winter digging. I like to try and get this digging done before the weather gets too bad, so the plot can be left clean and tidy over winter, and allow the winter weather to help break up the soil ready for next spring.
9. Soft fruit bushes at this time of year will benefit from having a thick mulch of well-rotted farmyard manure or old compost put around the base of each plant. This will help keep the ground free from weeds as well as add nutrients to the soil, and increase your crop next year. Working in some High potash fertiliser into the soil around bushes at this time of year will also help encourage fruiting next year.
10. One very quick yet important job at this time of year is to check that your Potatoes, Carrots and Beetroot are stored for winter use. Make sure you remove any tubers or roots that are showing signs of decay. This will stop -any fungal diseases from spreading through the whole of your stored crops, and ruining your hard-earned harvest.
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