Early November Gardening Tasks

November is no time to rest up while your garden tasks go undone. Many places have seen their first frost, others soon will plus there’s plenty of tasks to consider that have zero to do with frost, so if you’re behind keep up with these general gardening tasks.

If you haven’t protected plants from frost you need to jump on that. Gauzy floating row covers protect plants but allow light, air and moisture in. If you have prized plants bales of hay placed around said plants provide a thicker layer of protection. You’ll also need to mulch more. Mound up mulch around crowns of roses and any other plants that won’t survive a freeze well if left unprotected.

Disease-free annuals should be pulled and composted if you haven’t already. Spread a decent nitrogen rich compost in the vacant areas after. You can also plant a cover that will add nutrients and/or keep the spot from looking bare – winter rye, alfalfa, legumes, or winter wheat seed are good covers.

Plant tulip bulbs before the month ends.

If you have any tomatoes left unripened, pull them before the frost comes. You can try wrapping them in newspaper and placing them in a cool spot they may ripen – just be sure to wrap them individually and not touching.

Do a fence check. Actually it’s smart to check all stakes and fence posts before the worst of winter hits to make sure they’re stable.

Get the last of your lawn mowing and leaf grinding done, clean and oil tools, and put them away for winter if you’re not going to be using them. It’s a good time for general clean-up; untidy gardens look worse in winter.

Since your area will vary weather wise check with a local expert, local garden guide, or your local extension to get a list of locally related gardening tasks for the month.

[image via stock.xchng]