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Although it is beginning to get a lot colder and the days are shorter, don’t just let your garden hibernate until Spring. There is still plenty of work to get stuck into including potting up some colourful winter plants, planning your garden for next spring and summer, and general tidying that you’ll be glad you did in a few months time.
Also, autumn and winter can be very tough for birds and other local wildlife, so keep food and water topped up for them.
To help you manage your November task list or avoid certain types of jobs which may not be relevant to you, our gardening guide has been split into four categories:
Whilst your garden may be dying back quickly around this time of the year, there is still a good amount of maintenance that your outdoor space requires.
Don’t let the cold and wetter weather put you off from spending time in your garden. All of your cleaning and tidying work around this time of the year will more than make your life easier once spring and summer roll back around.
We recommend looking to complete as many maintenance tasks as you can before moving on to the rest of this month’s gardening jobs.
Collect fallen leaves, put into bin bags and leave them to decompose into leaf mould
To add to your compost bin, chop up any faded bedding plants, annuals and old crops
For any garden furniture you can’t store indoors over winter, put waterproof covers over
Provide some additional food and shelter to help look after your garden wildlife as winter approaches
To prevent ice damage when temperatures fall below freezing, remove pond pumps and fountains
If your grass is still growing, continue to mow the lawn in mild spells but raise the height of the blades
To control their size and encourage fruiting, start pruning free-standing apple and pear trees once dormant
Before lighting any bonfires, check them carefully to make sure no hedgehogs or other wildlife are sheltering inside
To protect from frost damage and to insulate vulnerable plant roots, wrap bubble polythene or hessian around pots
Wrap an insulating foam around your outdoor taps and pipes
Move your worm compost bins under any type of cover for the winter
To maintain good hygiene, regularly clean out and scrub bird feeders
Now they are becoming free of foilage, repair your fences and trellis
Greenhouses are once again proving their worth this month! Growing opportunities outside at this time of the year are few and far between, however with the correct ventilation, heating and cleaning, you can sow, plant, pot and grow all winter long thanks to your outdoor growing space.
Follow the steps below to ensure your growing efforts are timed perfectly and your growing efforts will more than come to fruition:
Ready for use in spring, wash out all empty pots and trays and store neatly under greenhouse staging
As it dries slowly in cool weather and fungal diseases may set in, avoid splashing foliage when watering
For winter pickings, sow leafy crops such as rocket into small seed trays on a warm sunny windowsill
Take root cuttings to propagate perennials, including phlox, oriental poppies and verbascums
To add to the compost heap, clear out faded tomato and cucumber plants from the greenhouse
Monitor your greenhouse temperatures with a max/min thermometer and turn on heating if needed
Bring indoors potted herbs such as parley & chives to continue cropping into winter
To combat the drying effects of central heating, give your houseplants extra humidity
Using disinfectant, scrub down your greenhouse staging, glazing and the framework
To keep frost free, make sure all tender plants are safely under cover
To ensure they never dry out water indoor pots of spring bulbs frequently
Using bubble polythene, insulate your greenhouse walls and roof
Check your greenhouse plants regularly for overwintering pests
November is typically the time of the year when your garden begins to retreat and certain plants become dormant for a period of time, however, we still have a full list of tasks for you to complete, including planting your spring bulbs as this month is your last chance to do so!
Of course, all of the tasks below may not be relevant to your growing space, so browse the jobs and complete the ones that are applicable to you.
In pots and borders, plant tulip bulbs and cover them with at least twice their depth of soil or compost
After the first frost, lift dahlia tubers, clean them off and store in dry compost in a cool, frost-proof place
To prevent any disease carryover, gather up and bin all of the fallen leaves of roses affected by blackspot
Before the weather really begins to turns cold, plant all of your bare-root hedging, roses, trees and shrubs
If rabbits are a problem then put stem protection guards around your young trees and shrubs
From the supports, clear faded sweet peas, morning glory, thunbergia and other annual climbers
Cut down perennials that are looking tatty and faded then mulch the surrounding soil with garden compost
Protect all of your borderline hardy plants such as apanthus using thick mulch of straw or garden compost
Replenish gravel mulch around alpines to keep the foliage clear of damp soil as this can cause rotting
Move containers of alpine plants under cover to shelter from winter rain
Now is the time to sow seeds from your berry-laden trees and shrubs
To start planning what to grow next year, send off for some seed catalogues
In a pot and placed in a sheltered spot in semi-shade, plant a Japanese maple
November is usually the first month when heavier rain and frosts arrive, so taking advantage of any dry weather is vital to this months produce growing tasks. You can still plant and sow plenty of vegetables in November whilst carrying out a number of forward-thinking tasks ready for spring and summer.
Take a look through all of November’s growing tasks below:
Check all of your stored crops for signs of rot or deterioration
To force in the dark, lift and pot up all of your chicory roots
After harvesting, prune autumn-fruiting raspberries to the ground
As long as the ground isn’t too wet, plant your bare-root fruit trees, bushes and canes
For protection from pigeons, put netting over cabbages, kale and other hardy brassicas
In free-draining soil or raised beds, plant garlic, shallots and onions then cover with fleece
After cutting down your Jerusalem artichokes, dig up and store the tubers in a bucket of dry compost
Tidy up strawberry beds, cutting back congested runners and old foliage and removing any weeds
From healthy fruit bushes, including currants, blueberries and gooseberries, take hardwood cuttings
Once dormant, prune fruit bushes including blackcurrants, redcurrants, whitecurrants and gooseberries
As good ventilation is vital, use cloches to protect winter peas, beans and salads, but leave the ends open
For extra stability, support top-heavy Brussels sprouts with sturdy canes, and pile earth up around the stems
