November Gardening Tips

Tidying Up, Winding Down, and Looking Ahead

Here in central Virginia, the first hints of fall show up in October, and by the end of the month cool nights are the norm. By November, frost is a given, the leaves have all turned, and most of the trees stand bare.

November is a month for reflection. It’s the time for final garden tidying, for counting blessings and joys, and for planning the year to come. We ready our Christmas plants and plans, bring the last pots of annuals indoors to winter over, and put away the garden ornaments and tools. It is a season of garden endings and family beginnings. It is the fall harvest.

Here’s what’s on my November to-do list.

In the Garden

• Cut back your chrysanthemums once they’ve finished blooming. You can cut them right down to the ground. Throw the stems away, then mulch around the plants.
• Peonies, iris, and other perennials can be cut back safely now, too. Throw those stems away rather than composting them. This keeps microbes and diseases out of your compost pile, and keeps them from re-infecting your plants in spring. Mulch afterward.
• Mulch your strawberries with pine straw or plain straw after the first hard frost.
• Rake around your fruit trees and remove any leftover fruit.
• Plant any spring bulbs you forgot. Do it now, before the ground gets too hard to dig. If you can dig in the soil, you can plant bulbs through December. After that, they can only be forced in pots.
• Empty pots: I remove all my big containers from the deck and discard the dead plants and soil. A quick rinse with the hose, and then the pots are stored in the shed for next year.
• Remove any remaining warm-season vegetables: Harvest anything edible and compost the rest. If you’re growing kale, lettuce, bok choy, or other cool-season vegetables, consider a little mulch to help them through the coldest nights.

Compost, Lawn, and Tools

• Turn the compost pile one last time. We alternate our active compost pile in the two-bin system we built, so anything left from this season is automatically turned. We then add all the raked-up autumn leaves and the last bags of grass clippings before the mower is stored.
• Give the lawn a final cutting and edging. Then clean your mower and lawn care tools, and store them following the instructions in your machine’s user manual. Add the lawn clippings and mulched autumn leaves to the compost pile.
• Clean and store your garden ornaments, especially clay, terra cotta, and resin. All of these will crack if exposed to freezing and thawing temperatures.
• Clean and sharpen your tools, including secateurs, trimmers, and hand pruners. Store them somewhere you’ll be able to find them again next spring!

For the Birds (and Squirrels)

• Hang bird feeders high in the trees, high enough that your cats (or your neighbors’ cats) can’t use them as “birdie lures”!
• Fill the feeders and stock up on seed. Store extra seed in the garage in an air- and mouse-tight container.
• Got Halloween pumpkins? Cut them up and give them to the squirrels!

Indoor Plants and Holiday Prep

• Plant amaryllis bulbs now for blooms in time for the holidays.
• Fertilize your holiday cacti and African violets. Consider taking cuttings from both and starting them now. You may have one well enough along to give as a holiday gift, or at least to enjoy in the spring.
• Dust your foliage plants. Did you know they need it? Wipe the leaves with a dry, clean cloth (one that hasn’t been used with furniture polish), or put the plant in the shower and give it a bath. Rinse the dust off with clear water. Peace lilies especially love this. Just let the water drain away completely, or you’ll get a bath of your own when you move the plant back!

I am not a fan of winter. However, I do enjoy the changing seasons. And I love the “ber” months, especially October, November, and December. Now that November is here, it brings Thanksgiving, my very favorite holiday. As the garden winds down for the season, my thoughts turn to indoor home joys: cooking, baking, reading. And of course, my house plants. It’s definitely the coziest season here at Home Garden Joy, and the November gardening tasks reflect slowing down for the upcoming winter.