Let’s face facts; November has always felt like a time to shift our focus from planting and growing, to curling up indoors and enjoying the (very literal) fruits of our harvest. Still, there are a few set-and-forget jobs you should do this month if you want your garden to bounce back better than ever in the new year.
Now, we all know there are three garden tasks to tick off before the first frost if you want to avoid a costly mistake. And we know, too, exactly when to stop mowing our lawns for winter. But what easy things should we be doing this month to set our garden up for the best summer of its life?
It’s time to embrace your innate laziness, then; honestly, all it takes is a few tweaks to your fall garden guide to make your life so much easier when the new gardening season rolls around…
1. Feed the Soil
Don’t wait until you need to prepare soil for planting; if you want lush soil full of organic material and beneficial soil microbe, you should put the work in this fall.
“Now is the time to feed the soil with compost or aged manure to enrich it for next season,” says Shireen Zia, an award-winning designer and principal of EcoGardens Landscape Desin.
Something like Amazon’s Hoffman Organic Cow Manure Vegetable and Flower Garden Fertilizer should do the trick nicely.
2. Sow Cover Crops
Growing cover crops as green manure is another brilliant way to prep your garden for the year ahead, particularly if you use something “like clover or fenugreek to boost nitrogen naturally,” says Shireen.
Try sowing seeds wherever you have a patch of bare soil you might want to plant up next year. You can pick up a No-Till Cover Crop 13-Seed Mix from Amazon easily enough.
3. Divide and Conquer
Another of Shireen’s easy set-and-forget jobs to do in November? Divide your perennials – because, while many gardeners choose to divide perennials in the spring, the temperatures are cooler and dropping right about now, which means less stress for the roots that are being disturbed and cut.
She suggests you focus your attention on:
- Astilbe
- Black-eyed Susans
- Coneflowers
- Coreopsis
- Daylilies
- Grasses
- Hostas
- Irises
- Oriental poppy
- Phlox
- Salvia
That being said, Shireen adds that it is crucial to complete the division at least four to six weeks before the ground freezes in your specific climate.
Keep an eye on the weather forecast, then, and act accordingly.
4. Mulch, Mulch, Mulch
One of the cleverest things you can do in November? Use grass clippings and fallen leaves (ideally shredded) to layer them up around plants as mulch; it’s a great way to reduce garden waste and protect plants from winter climes, true, but there are a few other benefits.
“If you top up mulch now, it’s a great way to lock in moisture and suppress weeds through winter,” says Shireen.
It also improves drainage, which is a must for anyone who might experience heavy rainfall over the colder months.
5. Loosen Stakes
Another easy garden task for November? “Check and loosen tree stakes so trunks can strengthen with winter wind,” says Shireen.
It’s a great way to extend the life of trees – and a reminder that most young trees should only be staked for the first two years, rather than indefinitely.
6. Service Your Irrigation System
If you have an irrigation system, Shireen says November is the perfect time to make sure it’s all in good working order.
“You should also adjust and reset the timers long before spring growth begins,” she adds.
If you don’t have one already, now is also the time to install a rain barrel, to help you get on top of all your watering needs for the spring and summer. Something like Amazon’s Outdoor 45 Gallon Heavy Duty Rain Water Catcher would work perfectly.
7. Get Your Bare-Root Plants in the Ground
November is prime time for planting bare-root roses, fruit trees and hedging while the soil’s cool but not frozen. They’ll settle in quietly over winter with very little help from you, ready to burst into growth come spring.
Better still? They'll save you a lot of money, as bare-root plants are nearly always cheaper than their ready-grown alternatives. Visit David Austin Roses, then, if you fancy a garden filled with perfumed blooms next summer.
There's a brilliant selection of bare-root plants to be found at Nature Hills, too.
8. And Leave the Rest!
Finally, but by no means least, Shireen urges you to fight the temptation to tidy your garden to within an inch of its life.
“Instead, tidy gently, taking care to leave plenty of wildlife habitat like seedheads and leaf litter,” she says.
This no fall cleanup approach will make your garden a haven for overwintering butterflies, moths, frogs, pollinators, and other beneficial insects. And you’d best believe they’ll reward your efforts by improving the soil and boosting the health of your garden’s ecosystem, too.
And just like that, you have a bumper list of set-and-forget jobs to do in November. Make sure to do them alongside all those other essential tasks (like protecting plant pots from frost, partaking in a spot of winter rose care, and planting tulips, daffodils, and other spring blooming bulbs) for the best spring and summer garden of your life.
We promise; the reward will more than make up for the chilly gardening conditions now...
