Posted on 11/01/2026 6:19:40 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
The MONTHLY Victory Garden Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Victory Garden Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to/removed from our New & Improved Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a MONTH Ping List, but we DO post to the thread all throughout the month. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time.
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Well, this is a first! I’m in the Garden Thread first!
And most of the garden is still going, just very slowly. Like me...
I’m busy running around changing all the clocks, LOL!
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.
Here are your November gardening tips to do around your garden:
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.
All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, is a Christian holiday that is observed on November 1st in Western Christianity. All Saints' Day is a Christian memorial day celebrating the honor of all church saints, whether known or unknown. It is a day set aside to honor all the saints who have lived righteous and holy lives in accordance with Christian teachings. All Saints' Day is part of a broader tradition that includes All Hallows' Eve (Halloween) on October 31st and All Souls' Day on November 2nd.
This holiday is a yearly reminder of our connectedness as Christians to the church. Perhaps you were taught to think of saints as statues in a church building. But the Bible teaches something completely different. Who is a saint? You are. That is if you’re a follower of Jesus. God calls a "saint" those who trust in Christ alone for salvation.
Origin of All Saints Day
The origin of All Saints' Day can be traced back to the early Christian Church when it was established as a day to remember and celebrate the martyrs and other saints who had died for their faith. Over time, the scope of the holiday expanded to include martyrs and all faithful Christians who had lived pious and virtuous lives. It is a day to recognize the saints' collective witness and express gratitude for their example. In the early Christian Church, there was a strong emphasis on the veneration of martyrs who had suffered and died for their faith. These martyrs were seen as exemplary models of Christian virtue, and their graves or burial places became sites of pilgrimage and veneration. The anniversary of a martyr's death often became a day for commemorating their lives and the sacrifices they made for their faith.
More at link: https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/all-saints-day-november-1.html
In the late spring I had bulbs of garlic about to be harvested but was away for 3 weeks. I harvested 40 before going and they were a little premature. I harvested 40 after returning and some had gone past prime. i put the past prime ones in the fridge but they started to mold so I pulled them out and left them in the garage. The good ones, the majority, I kept in a cool dry place.
I planted the sub prime ones in mid October. All but 1 or 2 came up (or perhaps I missed a hole for planting). I now have 107 plants growing.
I’m impressed with how resilient garlic is.
Yes...changed the clocks first thing. Then coffee, and turning over the calendar page. Now I’m into planning next year’s potato garden. Looking for new varieties to try in my mountain area. Floridana looks like just what I’m looking for. Just have to find a supplier! Rainier and Galena russets are on my list too.
Almost one billion pumpkins are grown annually to help us celebrate the spooky season, but most of those pumpkins are thrown in the garbage rather than being composted. As fruits and vegetables ripen and rot, they release methane gas. Methane gas, like CO2, traps heat in the atmosphere, which we want to avoid.
When organic matter is added to landfills, these gases become trapped and cannot properly break down, leading to long-term adverse environmental effects like global warming and polluted air. Contrary to popular belief, landfills simply don’t provide an atmosphere that allows organic matter to become compost. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 58% of methane emissions from municipal solid waste in landfills consist of compostable food waste.
Halloween and fall decor includes lots of organic items like pumpkins, corn stalks, and mums, but luckily, we can turn them all into future soil and garden fertility. Follow these simple steps to compost your Halloween pumpkins and keep them out of landfills.
If you’re really into Halloween decorations, you likely went all out and used spooky candles, wax, stickers, and paint on your pumpkins. Before composting or donating, remove anything you added to the inside or outside of the pumpkin as decoration. This could be candles, battery-powered lights, paint, or glitter that may not be safe to compost or consume.
If you had previously gutted and cleaned the pumpkin, grab any straggling seeds left behind from the cleaning process to prevent pumpkins from sprouting in your compost pile. Or leave them for a fun experiment. The seeds may produce a funky pumpkin that you can decorate next year, closing the loop on your Halloween pumpkin supply!
If you decorated whole pumpkins, you should clean them at this point before proceeding to the next step. Cut open the top large enough to access the inside with your hand and a large spoon. Scrape along the sides to remove the pulp and stringy bits, then spoon out the innards. If the pumpkin hasn’t shown any signs of decomposition, place the “guts” into a strainer. Clean it up by removing any pulp, and save it for making a pie or pumpkin soup. If you don’t love pumpkin seeds, let them dry out and share them with birds later.
More at link: https://www.epicgardening.com/compost-pumpkins/
Diana here: Our chickens LOVE pumpkin! The 10 of them can devour an entire one in a few days, carved or not. ;)
Harvesting Bok Choi, looking at the Napa cabbage next.
1 month away from Cauliflower.
Welcome to all and Happy All Saints Day.
I grew a very healthy Lemongrass plant this year. It was meant for my son, but he went to school out of state.
I am looking to harvesting the Lemongrass in a couple of weeks.
To be honest, I do not recall ever trying it. I would appreciate any tips, recipes, and overwintering suggestions for someone who lives in NE GA.
MY NEIGHBOR HERE IN THE HIGH DESERT OF N NEVADA PLANTED POTATOES THUS:
SHE HAD A STACK OF USED TIRES:
PUT SAND (WE DO NOT HAVE AMY “DIRT) IN BOTTOM TIRE.
PLANT SEED POTATOES IN THIS LEVEL.
ADD A TIRE AND MORE SAND
AS PLANTS GROW-—AS A TIRE & MORE SAND.
WATER AS NECESSARY
SHE HAD A STACK OF ABOUT 5 TIRES, & THE POTATOES WERE ALL INSIDE THE STACK..
WHEN SHE HARVESTED THE POTATOES: DISMANTLE THE STACK, REMOVING POTATOES AS YOU GO.
SMALLER ONES NEAR THE TOP====BIG ONES AS YOU GO FURTHER DOWN.
GARDEN SPACE USED ===THE FOOTPRINT OF THE TIRE STACK.
Going to collect my final bell peppers and tomatoes. The plants are either dead or very slow. Also going to transplant some OS Cross cabbage outdoors. Got a little 3ft high greenhouse to extend the season hopefully.
Here in deep southern Ohio we haven’t had a frost yet.
I have peppers and tomatoes still living. And I just planted some more spinach. We overwinter hardy greens and in the early spring they finish growing quickly, much earlier than seeds planted in the spring. Most of the overwintering spinach et al gets planted in early October.
That sure brings back memories when I first began growing potatoes. I tried the tire stack method and did well, but, after the fact, became concerned about the chemicals leeching out of the tires. That was the end of that.
A bunch of great grandkids are down here helping me make compost piles of leaves and grass clippings. Somehow at least one of the piles will sprout a pumpkin the next summer, happens every year.
I am going to try and make some jack o’lanterns out of big yellow summer squash. They will look like beaker from the muppets. That way I won’t have to hollow them out very far, the mouth and eyes would be at the top.
I used to grow potatoes that way with my boys when they were young. They really thought it was fun. And it was! :)
‘Beaker’ was always a favorite Muppet. Good idea!
I got eight very nice ‘Thema Sanders Sweet Potato Squash’ out of my compost bins this season. A VERY nice surprise. I’ll probably just throw seeds in there every spring from now on. Easy Peasy! :)
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