Peter's Tips for November

A challenging autumn!

It’s a challenging autumn – so wet compared to last year’s November.  Here in Surrey we’ve had over 130 mms of rain – just over five inches of rain for October and the first few days of November!!

Many of you including myself, haven’t been able to scarify lawns, dig over beds, vegetable areas etc, but don’t worry.  Lawns can be aerated or scarified next spring, however it’s now too late for grass seeding once the night time temperatures drop below 5^c as grass seed won’t germinate.

Regarding digging over, again don’t worry.  When the ground dries out, work off scaffold boards and spread compost or leaf mould on veg or shrub beds, then let the worms pull it down into the ground.  

Compost and leaf mould put down over the coming weeks will act as a duvet, keep the ground in good heart, be a weed suppressant and a mulch for holding in moisture for next year’s summer.

Talking of leaves, we are inundated with piles of leaves everywhere.  I know they are a pain to look at and make paths/decking slippery, but it’s free organic matter which makes wonderful mulch as mentioned before.  

Collect off lawns and paths, bag up into chicken wire cages and allow to decay into leaf mould.  Add Vitax compost maker to speed up the process. Any excess leaves can be blown under hedges and shrubs to create leaf litter for the wildlife to enjoy.

After the recent gales, broken stems, loosened ties and stakes all need dealing with.  Now is the time to reduce the height of roses, buddleias and lavatera to stop wind rock, cut back by a quarter/third.  

Climbing plants against walls, pergolas or fences will also need checking as well as fence posts.  Also, check the shed roof to ensure the felt isn’t damaged.  Gutters will also need emptying of leaves.  

Paths/decking and paving need treating with Vitax Patio & Path Cleaner with the addition of sharp sand to paths afterwards to help improve grip.

November is the start of the bare root/root balled plant season.  This includes roses, bare root hedging plants, bare root fruit trees and bushes.  These plants are produced by specialist nurseries and are considerably cheaper than containerised or pot grown plants.

If you want to plant a hedge this is the time of year then it is best to buy and plant.  Root balled plants are more mature plants dug up out of the ground with soil around the roots.  Whenever planting any plants please use Vitax Q4 Rootmore in the planting hole as this will help produce a really strong secondary root system. Never allow bare root or root balled plants to dry out, always keep moist and cover roots with a wet towel or wet straw.  Avoid dry winds and protect from frost too!!

November is also a good month for digging up and moving plants, and splitting herbaceous plants unless your garden is saturated.

Jobs to do this month:

• Finish planting spring flowering bulbs, garlic, autumn planting onion sets and shallots.
• Order seeds for next season.  A good excuse for armchair gardening when the weather is rough!
• Empty and remove saucers under pots outside.
• Group together plants in pots.  Move to a more sheltered corner to protect from winds and penetrating frosts.
• Have a good tidy up – shed, greenhouse and garage.  Clean tools by removing soil, dirt and rust with a wire brush.  Wipe down with an oily rag.  Treat wooden handles with wood preservative to stop wood worm.  Clean and sharpen cutting tools – secateurs, hedge shears, hoes etc.
• Book in power tools – mowers, hedge cutters, strimmers etc for a service.  You will feel very chuffed to see clean, sharpened tools!!
• Check all stored fruit, onions/shallots, potatoes for damage from mice/rats and remove any rotten items.
• Cover cabbages, brussel sprouts, kale etc with netting to protect from pigeons - they love brassicas….
• Use cloches or mini tunnels to protect salad crops from the wet and cold, fleece will also help.
• Bubble wrap your greenhouse or part of it to keep it warmer and check greenhouse heaters are working properly. 
• Remove leaves from ponds and compost.

Other jobs to do this month:

Fruit Pruning: Blackcurrants – cut out old black stems in the middle of the bush to create a more open centre.  This means cutting out some stems to the ground.  New shoots will come up next year.  A third of old stems should be removed.

Start winter pruning of bush or standard established apples and pears.  Cut out rubbing or criss-crossed stems/branches aiming for an open centre to the tree. The old adage is ‘A pigeon should be able to fly through the middle of an Apple tree’!

Remember to affix Vitax Tree Bands or Fruit Tree Grease now.

Greenhouse and Conservatory: Reduce watering on many plants at this time of year.  Allow to dry out between watering so that the leaves go a bit limp or floppy.  The best way to check moisture in the soil is to poke your finger into the soil!!  More plants are killed from flooding and roots drowning.

On warmer days, open vents and doors to allow fresh air in and damp humid air out as this will reduce fungal diseases.  Space plants to allow air and light and remove dead leaves regularly.  

Keep watch for pests, slugs, caterpillars, mice/vermin damage, especially if you have sown sweet peas, broad beans, salad leaves and pea shoots.

Clean labels, pots, seed trays for reuse next season and decide where you are going to grow which veg next year – rotation.

This autumn is another fantastic year for berries, nuts and fruit.  Sweet chestnuts, acorns, conkers are all being devoured by grey squirrels or buried everywhere, I don’t think I have ever seen so many grey squirrels.  

The fieldfares, redwings and many other migrant birds will feast on pyracantha, cotoneaster, photinia davidiana, hawthorn, rowan/mountain ash berries etc, so lovely to see….

Enjoy the colours on shrubs and trees.  Nothing better than being wrapped up in a good coat, hat and scarf, a good pair of walking boots, a pair of binoculars, borrow or take your own dog for a walk and enjoy…… perhaps end up in a cosy pub somewhere afterwards?

Enjoy the ‘Mist & Mellow Fruitfulness’ J. Keates from 200 years ago

Happy Gardening

Peter

About Peter Mills:

Peter has over 35 years experience in horticulture working in garden centres before becoming a radio gardening presenter with BBC Radio Southern Counties. Working as freelance consultant, Peter works with the RHS as an external advisor as well as trouble-shooting many gardening-related problems for a range of clients.