Tasks, tips and tools for November
Take a look at our quick guide to the gardening jobs to get through in November. All the tasks are emphasised in black and bold and the tools and equipment you may need are highlighted in blue.
Ah, November. The leaves are falling, there’s a smell of cordite in the air, firework safety campaigns on the TV, the shops are several months into their Christmas campaigns and you can almost smell the sausages.
The garden or plot in November can be a bit grim, but there is still a great deal to do and at the very least you can still be harvesting late apples, pears, berries and nuts… and if that makes it all sound a bit Ray Mears, so be it.
Some people despair of their plots or garden in this apparently gloomy month but don’t forget that you can plant in November for spring blooming. Garlic cloves can go in, broad beans and hardy varieties of pea and in the flower garden, daffodils, hyacinth and tulips, snowdrops, narcissus and crocuses for refreshing colour in early spring.
Keep raking up those leaves. If your lawn is substantial you might want to look at a walk-behind leaf sweeper like the one below
MD Sweep 26 Lawn & Leaf Sweeper
The lawn is getting covered and at the very least you could do with a good rake. You can let some leaves stay on big beds to mulch on their own but either way, don’t waste those leaves. They make good mulch or compost when broken down so in the interests of recycling, why not find a way to use them.
A leaf cage is a good idea. There are dozens of sets of detailed instructions out there on t’interweb, but suffice to say four stakes and some chicken wire will do the job, you can work out how to hammer the stakes in and attach the wire and then you simply take a good garden fork , pile the damp leaves in and let nature do the rest. If you do want to help the process you can add lime and blood meal to help but left alone your leaf store will still end up being useful.
Hard frost may well be nipping everything about now, so time to harvest winter cabbages and cauliflowers if you have them. Whether you are a hobby gardener or a grow your own fanatic, you will need to get into the shed and check all your tools are well oiled, sharpened and cared for so they can survive the winter without rusting metal heads and rotting wood handles.
This could also be a good time to prepare for possible snow… if it hasn’t started falling already. Don’t rely on your old spade. Be prepared. Get your self a good, strong, lightweight snow shovel like the one below.
Garant Large Canadian Snow Shovel/Pusher (45cm/18″)
This would be a good time to prepare your soil, so wait for a dry day and dig it over with your trusty spade and turn it over with your fork then compost can go on it to break down over the winter months.
You could also dig trenches fill with compost, fill them in and move on. This really gets the compost in the soil and working for the future and is great for when it comes to planting peas, potatoes and the like.
Oh, and don’t forget to have a flask full of something hot with you, especially if you are on a plot, away from home. Steaming hot soup made from your harvest perhaps?