We are halfway through November, which has felt like October, until it snowed and the winter winds blew through, leaving us with the feeling that December is coming soon. Don’t be fooled if it turns warm next week. Winter is coming!
There are still a few things for the gardener to do on November days.
Here’s your Top Ten To Do List for November.
- Plant & Dig Up! November is your last opportunity for planting spring flowering bulbs before the ground freezes. Yes, dig up your dahlias and Cana lilies. After the hard frost, cut the dahlia stock back to a foot, leave it for a day or two then dig up the bulbs. No need to wash. Just shake the dirt off and store in a paper bag in an area of your garage or cellar where they won’t freeze. They will be waiting for you in the spring.
- Clean and sharpen your pruning shears and PUT THEM AWAY. Why? You won’t need them until the spring. Fall is not the time to prune woody plants other than pruning-out diseased or dead branches. Wait until early spring to prune Rhododendrons, Forsythias, Azaleas, and Lilacs. If spring flowering plants are pruned now, the flower buds for next year will be cut off. Prune these shrubs after flowering next spring.
- Tidy up! Remove debris, and insect- and disease-infected and dead plants from vegetable gardens and herbaceous borders, as these insect and disease pests often overwinter in plant debris. Leave some for the pollinators and wildlife which overwinter in fallen leaves, brush piles and unmowed areas.
- Water ? – Do NOT Water! What? Last year the Garden Club advised you to water your delicate trees & shrubs until the ground freezes. But this year we say NO! UNLESS – you are using collected rainwater from rain barrels, or you happen to have your own well. WHY? – Acton has a Level 4 Restriction on water use in effect, which means that water coming from the Acton Water District (AWD) is forbidden for outdoor use except for food production. The AWD needs to temporarily cut off production from their South Acton Treatment Plant and then their Central Acton Treatment Plant, to complete work on the new PFAS treatment systems. Visit the AWD website for more information.
- Feed for the Winter. Fertilize your lawns, especially if you didn’t do it in September. Fertilizing in late fall promotes the development of deep root systems without an excess of shoot growth. With this late fall application, early spring fertilizing will not be necessary. Remember that Massachusetts law forbids the use of phosphate-containing fertilizer on established lawns unless a soil test has shown that this nutrient is deficient.
- Leave the leaves! They contain a wealth of nutrients and improve soil structure. Chop or run over them with a lawn mower and distribute them around trees and shrubs and beds. Even after the ground freezes, you have time to apply 2-3 inches of this organic mulch around woody plants, keeping it a few inches from stems and trunks of trees.
- Put your beds to bed! Mulch with pine needles, pine boughs, straw, salt marsh hay, or shredded oak leaves. (Irises love pine needle beds.) The purpose of mulching is to keep the soil temperature as uniform as possible to help prevent freezing and thawing. A 3-4 inch layer of mulch is all that’s needed. Wait for the ground to freeze before mulching roses and perennial beds. Avoid the use of hay, which may contain seeds. Straw has had the seeds removed.
- Avoid Frostbite. Apply anti-desiccant late in the month to protect vulnerable broadleaf evergreens against winter damage.
- The snack bar is closed! Apply deer repellent to favored shrubs such as yew, holly, and rhododendron to discourage winter browsing.
- Avoid the spring rush. Be sure to winterize all the power tools after the gardening chores are finished this fall. Proper winter storage will keep you ready for the spring.
Now is a great time to relax by the fire and enjoy a nice cup of tea and plan for next year. Decide what worked well in the garden and what didn’t. Take notes for transplanting, dividing, and new projects. Spring will be here before you know it!
Judy Dembsey is chair of environmental education for the Acton Garden Club. Ann Marie Testarmata is chair of public relations for the Acton Garden Club.
