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November has arrived, along with cooler nights and shorter days. A time for cleaning up gardens and vegetable plots ready for winter, and a time to look at back on successes and failures so you can start planning for next year.

1. November is the ideal time to plant Garlic. Cloves can be planted direct into the vegetable plot, where they will soon get established and start to produce roots and small shoots that will happily withstand the cold winter weather outside. If the soil is too wet, plant the individual cloves into small pots and place in a cold frame or cold greenhouse. These will start to grow and can be planted outside later as soon as soil conditions improve. If you have heavy clay soil that can sit wet all winter, try planting the cloves into the top of ridges so the water runs away from the coves and developing bulbs.
   
   
2. This is the perfect 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, Witkiem Manita or the dwarf variety The Sutton. For a hardy variety of Peas, try Meteor or Douce Provence. Both Peas and Beans should be sown in seed drills, on the vegetable plot, and are best protected by cloches if the winter weather gets very bad. Sowing these vegetables this month will give you an early harvest next spring. If the soil is too wet this month, you can sow right up to early December and still achieve good crops early next year.
   
   
3. As light levels are low and days are shorter, now is a good time to Wash down glasshouses and Polytunnels, cleaning the glass or polythene, inside and out, so maximum light can get in and benefit any overwintered plants, and so you are clean and ready for the start of next season.
4. Take time to check fences and sheds for any repairs before we get any strong winter winds. On nice sunny autumn days fences and sheds can be spruced up with some preservative paint. It is also a good time to check tree stakes and ties to ensure plants are well supported before we get any bad weather.
   
   
5. Autumn is a good time to plant New Soft fruit bushes and strawberries, these will establish through the winter months, so are ready to produce fruit next year. It is also a good time of year to add a thick mulch of well-rotted farmyard manure or old compost around the base of established fruit bushes. 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.
   
   
6. Any containers you have plants growing in for the winter months are best raised slightly off the ground from now through to the spring. Simply stand your pots on some stones, bricks or laths of wood, as this 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.

7. 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 so.
   
   
8. Vegetable plots can have the last of the old summer crops removed to the compost heap and the plot cleaned up ready for winter digging later in year. 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. If possible, 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. Plus I find digging in the winter allows the winter rain to be stored below ground that next years crops will benefit from it, especially if we get another hot dry spring or summer.
   
   
9. Check over winter greens like Brussels Sprouts, Savoy cabbage and Broccoli. Remove any old leaves and spray plants if required with a suitable insecticide or Organic soap solution to help combat any whitefly that may be present at this time of year, so your crops are clean, as and when required for by the kitchen.
   
   
10. Take advantage of the long winter evenings and browse through the pages of your seed & plant catalogues and plan your crops, or display for the year ahead. As well as choosing your old favourites, I think it is always nice to try a few new varieties too giving that little bit of interest to borders or the vegetable plot. Early ordering is always advisable to guarantee you get the seeds and plants you require.