Dear Gardening Enthusiast,

So dull and dark are the November days.
The lazy mist high up the evening curled,
And now the morn quite hides in smoke and haze;
The place we occupy seems all the world.
- John Clare, November
 

Many think that in November all is finished in the garden, but this is not so. Protected annuals and even some roses have survived the frosts so far and bloom on. Local crops of lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower are being harvested and enjoyed by many for Thanksgiving dinner. Take advantage of all the fresh pumpkins and apples for those holiday pies.


Expect December newsletter to arrive early next month. It will be chock full of advice for the holidays.

Thanksgiving Recipes

Celebrate the holiday with these Thanksgiving recipes

Click here

Forward these garden tips to a friend

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• Grow paperwhite narcissus indoors by placing bulbs about halfway down in moist potting soil or in a shallow pot filled with pebbles. After leaves begin to grow, place pots near a sunny window. Water regularly, and bulbs should begin to flower within 6 weeks. Bulbs won't rebloom in subsequent years, so throw them away after the flowers fade
  
  Give your paperwhites a holiday toast and keep them short. Click here or details

• Pot up amaryllis bulbs for spectacular holiday blooms. Pick a pot so there is no more than 2-3 inches between the bulb and the side of the pot. Amaryllis like to be pot bound. Plant so that one third of the bulb is above the soil level. Water well and place in sunny area. Only water when soil is dry. Overwatering will cause bulbs to rot.

• If you haven't planted bulbs of daffodils, tulips, or other spring flowers, there's still time to do it. Most bulbs need at least a half day of sun, but don't despair if your yard is shaded by deciduous trees. Bulbs may be planted into late November as long as the ground can be worked.
  
  Click here for bulb planting tips

• As a rule of thumb, plant bulbs about 3 times as deep as their height (i.e., plant 2" bulb 6 inches deep.
  
  For video on planting bulbs
  Click here
   

• If you have a problem with squirrels digging up your bulbs, try one or more of these strategies: plant bulbs a couple of inches deeper than the standard recommendation; spray bulbs with Ropel before planting them; place a layer of crushed oyster shells a few inches above the bulbs when planting them; lay chicken wire or a similar wire barrier over the bulbs on the top of the soil or pot.

• Dig and store tender flowering bulbs and keep in a protected location.
  
  Click here for more info

• Wait until spring to cut back ornamental grasses. The seed heads and grasses will add interest to the winter landscape. Plus they will attract birds. Cut the foliage back to about 4-6 inches in the spring before new growth starts.

For a video on winterizing perennials
Click here

Vegetables and Herbs:

• Till your beds in fall to improve soil structure and to allow crops to be planted earlier in the spring. Tilling also exposes insect eggs to weather and reduces insect populations for next year. This is also a good time to add organic matter to the soil.

• Be sure not to store apples or pears with vegetables. The fruits give off ethylene gas which speeds up the breakdown of vegetables and will cause them to develop off flavors.

• The "cole crops", broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and especially Brussels sprouts continue to grow well in cold weather and can be harvested as long as they are producing. Leave a portion of the stem in the ground when harvesting the main "head" of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage because smaller ones will form just below the point where the first ones were cut off.

• Add a 2-3 inch layer of organic matter to the vegetable garden and till or dig into the soil. Organic matter will decompose and garden will be ready for planting in the spring.

• You can dry herbs quickly in the microwave oven. Place them between two paper towels and heat for one minute. Remove, let cool, and then test to see if the leaves are crisp. If not, return them to the oven for a few more seconds. Store in jars in a dark place to retain color and flavor.

Garden Maintenance:

• After the first killing frost, cut back blackened leaves and stems of perennials, pull annuals and neaten the garden for the winter. Rake and discard leaves from any trees, shrubs or flowers which suffered serious fungal outbreaks this year (such as black spot, leaf spot or powdery mildew). Do not put them in the compost pile. Cleaning up the leaves and getting rid of them will help prevent outbreaks next year, since spores can overwinter and reinfect new foliage when it emerges next spring. Candidates include roses, dogwoods, photon, phlox, beebalm and peonies.

• Rake up all leaves and place them on a compost heap. If left on paths they become a hazard when the colder weather comes

• Remove soil from terra cotta containers. These containers can crack when filled with soil in our cold winter temperatures. Plastic and wooden containers are much less likely to crack.

Equipment Maintenance:

• Don't forget to drain and store hoses. Shut off and drain outdoor water taps (after giving your garden one last good soaking before winter

• Wooden handles on tools require special care to keep them in shape. Sand the handles, if necessary, then apply a coat of bright-colored, water-resistant paint to keep the wood from drying out and prevent shrinking or splitting. Brightly colored handles are easier to see if tools are accidentally left out in the garden.

• Before you put the mower away for the year, empty the gas completely and clean the filter,check the oil and change the spark plug once a year, at least.Before working under a mower disconnect the spark plug.
  
  Check the following two websites for winterizing tips
  
  Putting your equipment to sleep
  
  Winterizing lawn mowers

• Using a special additive (available at hardware stores) in the gas tank will help keep moisture out and the gasoline from breaking down as much over winter. Add a few drops of oil to the cylinder, and change the oil and the spark plugs.

• Store pesticides, fertilizers, and other lawn and garden chemicals in a locked cabinet or other high, dry location where they won't freeze.
  Click here for tips on pesticide safety

Shrubs and Trees:

• Continue to water trees and shrubs if needed until the ground freezes. Evergreens will better survive cold winter temperatures if they have been well watered

• To prevent sunscald (winter sunburn on bark) and frost cracking on young, thin-barked trees, such as maples, wrap the trunks with tree wrap or paint the south- and southwest-facing sides of the trunk with white, outdoor, latex paint. This will reflect the warming rays of the sun so the tree bark doesn't heat up on winter days, only to be suddenly cooled when the sun sets and the temperature plummets

• Make sure evergreens such as yews and rhododendrons have a good deep watering before the ground freezes. They often lose water through leaves in winter, especially if windy, yet can't take up more because of frozen ground. Protect young evergreens from wind damage during winter by wrapping them in burlap. If you use wooden protectors, it's not too soon to bring them out.

• Once the ground begins to freeze and you have consistent temperatures in the low 20s (F), it's time to protect modern hybrid roses from winter's wind and cold. Protect the graft union on rose bushes by mounding soil around the plants and adding mulch on top. Wait until several killing frosts have occurred so plants will be dormant when covered. Plants covered too early may be smothered. If you have voles or field mice nearby, you may want to mulch with compost or soil instead of mulching materials
  For more tips click here

• Dig the hole now if you plan to have a live Christmas tree inside during the holidays. Dig a hole two to three times the width of the root ball. Move the soil from the hole into the garage so it won't freeze. Place leaves in the hole to keep the surrounding soil unfrozen.

• Protect evergreens from harsh winter winds by building a simple windscreen. Position the posts on the sides most prone to winds (generally the west and north) and wrap with burlap. Don't use plastic as this will heat up, causing the plants to fry on sunny days. Continue to water evergreens until the ground freezes.

• Commercial tree guards or protective collars made of 18-inch high hardware cloth will prevent trunk injury to fruit trees from gnawing rabbits and rodents.
  Click here for more info

Lawn Care:

• Leaves should be raked off lawns or chopped up finely to fall amid the grass. Leaves left on the grass block sunlight from the grass. For grass plants that were growing beneath tree limbs, this is the first crack at sunlight they've had for a long time. Don't block it.
  Click here for more fall lawn tips

• If your grass has been getting cut at 2 1/2", you can drop the mower to 2" for the last fall mowings. Likewise, 3" lawns can go to 2 1/2".

• Lawn cutting is probably over for this year, so clean the mower thoroughly . Scrape off soil and old grass. Cover all metal parts with a thin layer of oil or grease, then store mower in a dry area.

• Another lawn problem that can be very visible early next spring is vole, or field mouse, damage. These animals will leave a series of winding trails in the grass as they burrow under snow cover. Cleaning up leaves and mowing until the end of the season will help minimize damage. In addition, remove any excess vegetative debris near lawn areas, as it could be cover for voles

• Even though the turfgrass foliage stops growing in late fall, the roots continue to absorb and utilize nutrients. A late fall fertilization (late October to early November) helps promote root growth and produces an early green up next spring. Apply 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. Good sources of nitrogen for late fall fertilization include urea, sulfur-coated urea, and IBDU

Pond Care:

• If you have a deep water garden that will not freeze solid, hardy water lilies and lotus can be left in the water, as long as you sink them to deeper water for the duration of the winter. However, if you have a small or shallow water garden that freezes solid, they will need to be brought indoors for dormant storage, much like non-hardy marginal plants.
  Click here for more tips for fall pond care

• Keep pond free of leaves and other debris by using a netting or other material. If possible, submersible pumps should be removed and cleaned of debris and stored inside. Biofilters, likewise, should be cleaned and stored away for the winter.

• Back-flush or clean filters as needed to keep ammonia at a minimum. Test water for ammonia and nitrite levels.

• As the water temperature drops your fish will become less active. At water temperatures below 50o fish become almost motionless, hibernating in the deepest and warmest part of the pond. Fish are the most attractive at this time of the year because the decrease in the water temperature intensifies their coloration

• Submersible pumps that are turned off for the winter should be kept in water. Allowing a pump to dry can reduce the lifespan of the pump.

Garden Critters:

• This is a good time to stock up on birdseed for the winter. Black oil sunflower seed is preferred by most species although you might want to provide niger or thistle seed for finches and suet for woodpeckers and chickadees. Blue jays (and squirrels, too) like corn--shelled, cracked, or dried on the cob. Provide a source of water, if possible, preferably a heated bird bath with covered heating element and an automatic shut-off valve or heat cycling on-off switch. The first protects the birds from injury to their feet, the second will prevent damage to the birdbath if goes dry. Use a grounded, three pronged outlet to prevent the possibility of electrocution. Place a flat piece of shale over the heating element to will provide a warm rock for birds to perch on to rest or drink.

• Clean your birdfeeders in preparation for the winter bird feeding season. Wash feeders with hot, soapy water and soak and rinse with a solution of one part liquid household bleach in nine parts of warm water. Clean feeders twice a month during the winter.

• For more tips on fall feeding for birds
  
  Click here

• Prevent rabbit and rodent feeding damage by erecting physical barriers, such as metal mesh (one-quarter-inch) hardware cloth. Pull mulch a few inches away from the trunk, as the mulch provides a warm winter home for rodents. Chemical repellents also are available, but their effectiveness is temporary and not foolproof.

Tasty Thanksgiving recipes

 

Try these Recipes for your Thanksgiving dinner Fresh herb dinner rolls Green bean casserole Turkey herb rice dressing Pumpkin Pecan Roll Easy Herb Roasted Turkey

Monthly Garden Tips are sent out by Al Krismer Plant Farm by the 15th of each month. Previous garden tips are archived. Please go to our home page at www.krismers.com for selection.

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