Second season after my rookie year. Tried peppers this time. Got seedlings from the Farmer’s Market. Really enjoyed the mini belles. Easy-peasy to give away during a bountiful harvest.
“If it is true that one of the greatest pleasures of gardening lies in looking forward, then the planning of next year’s beds and borders must be one of the most agreeable occupations in the gardener’s calendar. This should make October and November particularly pleasant months, for then we may begin to clear our borders, to cut down those sodden and untidy stalks, to dig up and increase our plants, and to move them to other positions where they will show up to greater effect. People who are not gardeners always say that the bare beds of winter are uninteresting; gardeners know better, and take even a certain pleasure in the neatness of the newly dug, bare, brown earth.”
- Vita Sackville-West
Thanks for making the thread.
I had another growing season of less time than I hoped to have. Did well with about 15 types of tomatoes, not so well with cucumbers, peppers. Weather was more fluctuating than some summers, and late season I didnt have time.
To my surprise, my first year growing sweet potatoes did ok. I grew them in 2 blue kid pools which I made some holes for drainage and piled up wood chip mulch real high. Planted the slips in pockets of about two handfuls of dirt in multiple places in the top of the heap of mulch. Watered a few times (they got rained on at times as well) and got 5 good sized sweet potatoes and a lot of fingerling sized. I’ll be revising next year but good to know some normal to large ones can come from container planting.
sorting through my tomato seeds because even though some were very productive, they were bland or otherwise ones I don’t care to use growing space for again.
still have some garden area to clean up for Fall, but already thinking ahead to 2026! Happy November to Everyone!
The witch of November will come calling.
Round about the night of the 10th.
My garden is cut, pulled and raked.
Late leaf-fall this year.
I can’t believe it’s November already!
Here’s a reminder that Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend, so it’s time to Fall Back!
I looking for annual flowers that proliferate like weeds and produce a steady stream of flowers; preferably in deep saturated reds, blues, and purples.
I plant Zinna's every year which are great for attracting butterflies and bees but I want to add other flowers that last a long time with lots of buds that I don't have to replant every year.
November Gardening Tips and To-do List by Planting Zone and Region
Winter is almost upon us. Are you ready?
Gardeners miss their gardens when the weather is cool, but we also enjoy the rest. If you’re dreading the long winter, the good news is there’s still more to do.
You’ve come to the right place if you are wondering what you should be doing around your garden during November.
I’m going to share with you the gardening tasks you may need to attend to this month by zone and region.
This should help you cross-reference your needs and give the ultimate care to your garden as you’re preparing for colder months.
https://morningchores.com/november-gardening-tips/
Zone 5 (Diana in Wisconsin)
Do you enjoy growing your own garlic? November is the month to plant garlic if you live in zone 5. After planting the garlic be sure to cover the bed with 6-inches of mulch.
November is also the month to finish harvesting any remaining root veggies which are still in the ground.
You may not be aware, but some people grow their own Christmas trees. If you’re planning on doing this, be sure to go ahead and dig the holes where you plan on planting the tree or trees.
If you don’t do this now, the ground will be too frozen to dig the hole later.
Finally, take care of your perennials this month. Any perennials, which isn’t a spring flower, rose, or a grassy plant, should be cut back to only 2-3-inches tall.
However, your roses should be pruned to where they’re approximately 1-foot tall. Add compost to the base of the plant and put a rose cone around it to protect the plant from the harsh winter.
Meanwhile:
I'm hoping these lemons ripen in time to make lemon curd to give as Christmas gifts:
I plan on making "cowboy candy" to also give as gifts, jalapeno peppers are finally starting to explode:
October and November are when my silk floss tree blooms
And these Stapelia which produce fly-attracting blooms (it is in a far corner of the yard).
My two two helpers this month (kitty is hiding), the large one is mostly well behaved but is a digger so beware (I'm dog sitting my daughter's Bernadoodle):
Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!!
Good morning!
I haven’t posted for a while, but thought I could share what little I have done this year.
I have a deep and stubborn infestation of bindweed in the garden. The roots go down 4 feet, and the plants just keep coming up no matter what I do, so I decided to fallow the whole garden the entire growing season, spraying the shoots with Roundup AND Killex.
This stuff is so tenacious, it is STILL coming up, though somewhat less vigorously than before. Other than digging the entire garden to 6 feet deep, does anyone have any ideas how to get this stuff under control?
My other beds are doing OK, though my kohlrabi was a failure this year The tomatoes went in too late to really produce much, the corn failed, the deer managed to damage the raspberries quite badly, and even the turnips weren’t happy.
That said, I got a small but utterly delicious beet harvest, and the new 6’ chain link fence will help with the deer issue.
I’ve tilled all the beds for the last time this year, and hope to be using the mower to vacuum up the leaves on the lawn before the snow flies.
The light rain we’ve been having has eased our drought. My little creek, while it didn’t stop flowing did get pretty slow toward the end of the summer. It was down to about 5 gpm, but it’s back up to around 2 gallons per second. Much better, and the water is far clearer as well. The cottonwoods along the creek banks were showing water stress too, but with the cooler weather they’re dropping their leaves for winter.
That’s all I can think of for now. Happy gardening, FRiends.
Fall is here!!
(Really here for us.)
Looks like a hard frost Sunday morning. :-(
Yucky days often, but, nice when it’s not. The trees here still have a lot of pretty colors. :-)
First year raising chickens, and it’s been a garden game-changer. I’ve had minimal problems with insects. My compost (always heavy on the carbon side) now has plenty of nitrogen. Oak leaves that took forever to break down are turned and shredded. Compacted rocky soil can be broken up by scattering bird treats on top.
...And they lay eggs.