Why not try Organic Gardening magazine - Grow your own - naturally

November in your garden

Helen Penrose checks off the key jobs coming up in your garden

In your gardenLike it or not, the year has turned. If you had a productive October, your harvest should be in and your garden should be set to face the winter. If not, don’t panic, but don’t hang about either – it’s now a priority. Beyond that, hardy gardeners will find a multitude of jobs to be getting on with now that the productive garden isn’t demanding round the clock attention. Fair-weather gardeners may find an armchair and a stack of seed catalogues a more attractive proposition.

Plan crop rotation

November fruit

• Pick any remaining apples and pears that you want for eating. Leave the rest – and any unwanted windfalls – for the birds.
• Start winter-pruning apple and pear trees this month: see pages 48-49. Remember not to prune plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines or almonds during the winter as this lays them open to silverleaf infection.
• You can plant or move fruit trees and bushes now or in late winter.
• All colours of currants can be pruned this month: see pages 48-49.
• If you want more rhubarb, lift large crowns and divide them into sections, with at least one bud per section. Replant these 90cm (3ft) apart in well manured soil.
• Take hardwood cuttings of currants
and gooseberries.
• Don’t forget about the soft fruit in the freezer! If you had hoped to get around to jam-making but didn’t, do it now using frozen fruit.

• More in the magazine

Ornamentals

• Plant tulip bulbs at a depth of at least 10cm (4in); deeper planting produces stronger stems. Add a layer of coarse grit beneath the bulbs to discourage rotting if you garden on heavy soil.
• Finish planting bulbs of other spring species. December planting will still work, but it will mean later flowers.
• Move forced bulbs into the light as soon as the first shoots emerge.
• Finish planting out spring bedding.
• Lift and divide perennials, preferably in the early part of the month.
• Cut back ornamental grasses, leaving a tussocky stump for hibernating wildlife.
• On perennials of dubious hardiness, cover the crown with a thick mulch of compost, leaf-mould, or straw held in place with netting.
• Clear away dead foliage that is detracting from the appearance of your borders – but leave anything that adds structure or winter interest or has potential wildlife value.


• More in the magazine

subscribe online
on sale now

November Veg

November Veg
Sowing & planting
• Plant any remaining overwinter onion sets at the start of November. Autumn varieties of garlic and shallot should also go in sometime this month. If your soil is waterlogged, start your autumn alliums off in pots.
• Sow a hardy variety of broad bean under a cloche. If your ground is very heavy, cold or waterlogged, sow the seed in pots and keep the plants under cover until spring. See pages 16-19.
• In the south, try sowing a hardy variety of pea under a cloche.
• l Clear away the last of your summer crops; by this stage any remaining tomatoes are generally better harvested and ripened in the house, letting you evict the (probably diseased) plants and use the space more profitably.
• Sow oriental greens and winter salads as soon as border space becomes available.
• Insulate the greenhouse to minimise any need for heating. If you do use a heater, consider sectioning off part of the greenhouse with bubblewrap and heating just that area. Alternatively, use bubblewrap, fleece, straw or even newspaper to cover vulnerable plants on cold nights.

• More in the magazine


Want to know more?

This is just a tiny sample from Organic Gardening magazine - which is on sale every month in UK newsagents and also available online post-free.

You can subscribe and save on the cover price and even get free postage! Why not try a single issue?

• BUY A SINGLE COPY (CURRENT OR NEXT ISSUE)
• SUBSCRIBE
• BACK ISSUES! - SEARCH CONTENTS ONLINE