November Gardening Check List & Tips

Vegetables

• Remove spent vegetable plants. If they are free of insects and disease, spade or rototill them into the soil; otherwise dispose of them so they don’t infect your plants and soil.
• Apply T &C Humates, Soil Sulfur, and Soil Enhancer or other compost to soil and turn under.

Roses

• Winterize roses when the ground begins to freeze- typically late October or early November. Water well, then place a rose collar around each rose and fill with Soil Pep or other dry mulch.

Flowers

• Spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, crocus and hyacinths can be planted anytime in fall before the ground freezes. Fertilize when planting with Bone Meal.
• Dig up summer flowering bulbs (gladiolas, begonias, and dahlias) once frost has killed or damaged the foliage. Store in a cool, dark, frost-free place.

Fruit

• Clean up any fallen fruit under your trees. The dropped fruit can harbor insects that will harm next year’s crop.
• Peaches will freeze when the fruit temperature reaches about 30 degrees, apples when the fruit temperature drops below 28 degrees. If the fruit freezes, wait until they thaw and then harvest and use or process them as soon as possible.

Lawns

• Apply T&C Lawn Winterizer (Step 4 of our 4-step lawn program). It can go on anytime in October or November, but the best time is around the time of your last mowing.
• Mow your lawn as short as possible on your last mowing of the season.
• As the days shorten and the weather cools reduce the frequency of lawn irrigation.
• Apply “I Must Garden” Mole and Vole repellant to keep voles from tunneling in your lawn this winter.
• Before temperatures reach the low twenties winterize your sprinkler system by turning off the water supply and draining or blowing out the system with compressed air.

Trees & Shrubs

• Prune trees and shrubs after leaves have fallen.
• Wrap young tree trunks with white breathable tree wrap or tree guards.
• Wrap tender evergreens such as arborvitae and Alberta spruce with burlap to protect from winter wind and sun. Young trees are especially vulnerable to winter damage.

Bird Feeding

• Place bird feeders near windows for a show all winter.
• Stock up on black oil sunflower, suet, and thistle seed for feeding the birds this winter.
• Put suet feeders out now that it’s cooler. It’s a great winter source of energy for birds.
• Put a heated dish or heated birdbath in your yard to keep a supply of water open for the birds. Water will draw as many birds to your yard as feeders.

General

• Remove compost from bins and spread on the garden and flowerbeds.
• Stock up on indoor plants to bring Mother Nature inside for the winter.
• Put Christmas cactus in a cooler location where the temperatures will promote flowering.
• Remove plants from porch pots and window boxes. Create a fall and or winter arrangement with pine boughs, dogwood branches, etc. for a nice winter bouquet.
• Before first hard frost, remove hoses from hose bibs to keep faucets and pipes from freezing. They don’t self drain when the hose is attached.
• Put up Christmas lights before the snow flies. It’s not only more pleasant, but safer.

Always read and follow label directions when using any garden chemical or fertilizer.