November Gardening Calendar

The following gardening calendar was created using content from two of our favorite gardening reference books: Month by Month Gardening in Wisconsin: What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year by Melinda Myers and The Wisconsin Garden Guide – The Complete Guide to Vegetables, Flowers, Herbs, Fruit & Nuts, Lawn & Landscaping, Indoor Gardening by Jerry Minnich.

·        Keep raking leaves. Norway maples and Callery pears are reluctant to give in to winter. Rake and remove leaves from your lawn. If left on the lawn, large leaves block the sunlight and trap moisture, increasing the risk for disease.

·        Newly planted lawns benefit from regular watering throughout the fall.

·        Established lawns should only be watered in dry falls when they show signs of wilting. Drain and pack away the garden hose after the final watering.

·        Didn’t get the fertilizer applied in October? There is still time to apply it in November before the ground freezes and snow begins to cover the ground.

·        Keep cutting the grass as long as it keeps growing or until the snow starts falling. Your final cut does not need to be shorter. Once the mowing season is over, you can clean and put away the mower until next spring.

·        Watch for voles. These small rodents are active all winter. They scurry across the turf and under the snow in search of seeds, bark, and roots to eat. Protect trees and shrubs from these critters. Lawn damage can be repaired in spring.

·       Soak the ground around evergreens thoroughly before the ground freezes to prevent winter drying and damage.

·        Take inventory of all your tools, seeds, and gardening equipment as you pack them away for winter. Start a list of replacement tools and supplies that you will need for next year.

·       Clean garden tools before storing them for the winter.

·        Move all fertilizers and pesticides to a secure location. Liquid materials should be stored out of direct light in above-freezing temperatures. Granules must be kept cool and dry. All pesticides should be kept in a locked location away from children and pets.

·       Check on geraniums and other annuals in dormant storage. Move plants to a cooler, darker location if they begin to grow. If growth continues, pot them up and move them to a sunny window or under artificial lights.

·       Indoor plants, including annuals grown indoors, need very little fertilizer. Use a diluted solution of flowering houseplant fertilizer if plants are actively growing and showing signs of nutrient deficiency. Otherwise, wait until plants adjust to their new location and begin to grow.

·       Watch for whiteflies, aphids, mites and any other insects that may have moved indoors on the plants that you brought in from outside. These pests suck out plant juices, causing the leaves to turn yellow and eventually brown.

·        Scatter bulbs of daffodils, crocus, grape hyacinths, snowdrops, or squills and plant them where they fall. This creates a more informal or natural appearance.

·       Plant bulbs along the woodland or shade garden’s edge. These areas usually receive sufficient sunlight in spring before the trees leaf out.

·        Plant squills, grape hyacinths, or crocus in the lawn. Next spring these can add a bit of color to the sea of green. In spring, wait until after flowering to cut the grass. Then mow the grass as high as possible to allow the leaves to grow and replenish the bulb’s energy.

·       Plant bulbs in pots for forcing. Store them in a cold, 35 to 45° F storage area for thirteen to fifteen weeks. Plant bulbs in early to mid-November for March and April flowers. Check on forced bulbs periodically and water if the soil begins to dry.

·       Keep planting spring-flowering bulbs until the ground freezes. Plant bulbs at a depth of two to three times the vertical diameter. You can still plant spring-flowering bulbs once the ground lightly freezes. Use a shovel to break through the frost and slide the shovel under one edge to pry off the frozen soil. Plant the bulbs at the proper depth and space underneath the soil “lid”.

·       Check on loose tender bulbs and amaryllis in winter storage. Look for signs of rot, mold, or softening. Discard any diseased bulbs. Throwing out one bulb will prevent the rest from going bad.

·       Check on potted bulbs in cold storage. Make sure the soil is still moist. You will need to move them to a cooler location if sprouting occurs.

·       Mulch bulbs planted outdoors after the ground freezes. This is usually around Thanksgiving in the southern part of the state and a few weeks earlier in the northern part. A lay of evergreen boughs, straw, or hay works fine. Do not worry if it snows before you get the mulch in place. Snow is the best mulch available and it is free.

·       Finish fall clean-up. Pest-free debris can be composted.

·       Cut back roses only enough to apply winter protection. The major pruning will be done in spring. Do not prune ramblers, climbers and once-blooming shrub roses since they bloom on old wood.

·       Check indoor plants several times a week. Water only when the top 2 to 3 inches begin to dry.

·       This is a good time to take a soil test. You can use the information to improve your fertilization practices next season.

·       Empty pots and flats you plan to reuse next spring. Wash with a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water before reusing them.

·       Consider planting an indoor herb and vegetable garden. Leafy crops like lettuce and spinach, root crops like radishes, as well as herbs (oregano, rosemary, sage, marjoram, mints, and winter savory) will survive most indoor growing conditions.

·        Check young seedlings daily and indoor gardens several times each week. Use a complete fertilizer, low in nitrogen, (10-10-10 or 12-12-12) for seedlings and windowsill gardens. Follow label directions for rates and times of applications.

·        Trim herbs as needed for cooking. Allow young plants to establish themselves before harvesting large amounts.

·        Continue frost protection for cool season crops that you are trying to save. Harvest lettuce when the outer leaves are 4 to 6 inches long. Dig radishes, carrots, and turnips when the roots are full size. Make one last, crispy, fresh salad for family and friends to enjoy.

·       Mulch carrots, parsnips, and other root crops left in the garden for winter storage. Cover the lightly frozen (crunchy) soil with straw or evergreen branches to insulate the soil, protect the vegetables, and make it easier to harvest in the winter.

·        Mulch fall planted garlic for winter protection. Cover young plants with straw or evergreen branches after the ground lightly freezes.

·       Start preparing the garden for next spring. Shred fallen leaves with your mower or leaf shredder. Dig a 3 to 4 inch layer of shredded leaves into the top 6 to 12 inches of soil. These will decompose over the winter, improving drainage of heavy clay soils and the water-holding capacity of sandy soils.

·        Concentrate on improving the soil with the addition of shredded leaves, well-rotted manure, and other organic matter. Spade several inches of these materials into the top 6 to 12 inches of soil.

·        Water perennial herbs, rhubarb, and asparagus thoroughly before the ground freezes. Apply enough water to moisten the top 6 to 8 inches of soil.

·       Drain and store the water hose for the winter. Pick a warm day to make the job easier and less damaging to the hose.

·       Purchase and store rose cones for later use for hybrid tea roses. Cover your roses once we have a week of freezing temperatures. This is usually mid-November in the northern part of the state and the end of November or early December in the southern part of the state.

·       Winter, snow and ice are here. Deicing products can be hard on landscape plants. Salt damage causes stunted or distorted growth, leaf burn, poor flowering and fruiting, and premature fall color. Repeated exposure to deicing salts can kill plants. Shovel first and then apply only traction materials or melting compound to walks and drives. Create physical barriers between the plants and salt spray. Decorative fencing, burlap screens, or salt-tolerant plants can all protect salt-sensitive plants from injury. Thoroughly water salt-laden soils in spring. Thorough and repeated watering will wash the salt from the soil and away from the tree roots. A few salt tolerant (soil and spray) trees: Austrian Pine, Black alder, Cockspur Hawthorn, Eastern redcedar, Ginkgo, Greenspire Littleaf Linden, Hackberry, Hedge Maple, Honeylocust, Kentucky coffeetree, and Norway Maple.

·        Do not mulch with leaves that pack down when wet. Shred leaves and mix them with other organic materials.

·        Spread a 2 to 3 inch layer of organic matter on the soil of your perennial gardens now or in the spring. Do this every two to four years to keep your perennials healthy and beautiful.

·        Apply winter mulch to your perennial gardens after the ground freezes. This occurs after a week of freezing temperatures. The goal of winter mulch is to prevent the freezing and thawing of the soil. Apply any time after the ground freezes. Waiting until after the soil freezes also gives the wildlife a chance to find another place to spend the winter – as opposed to under your mulch and near your plants for easy feeding.

·       Give your perennials growing above ground extra care for the winter. Place planters in an unheated garage, porch, or other protected are where temperatures hover near freezing. Insulate the roots with packing peanuts or other material. Water whenever the soil is thawed and dry.

·       Leave the stems or place markers by butterfly weed, balloon flower, and other late-emerging perennials. Plant bulbs next to these perennials to mark their locations and to prevent accidental damage in early spring.

·       Remove seed pods from heavy seeding perennials that spread more than you want. Consider saving some seed pods for the birds.

·       Leave tender perennials, those subject to winter kill, standing for the winter. The standing stems will catch the snow for better winter insulation. This, along with the intact plant, seems to increase winter hardiness.

·        Apply winter protection to shrubs exposed to deicing salts, snow loads, and winter wind and sun. Use burlap, decorative fencing, or other structures to protect plants from roadway salts.

·       Give special attention to rhododendrons and other broadleaf evergreens. Use a screen of burlap to cut the winter winds and shade the plants from the drying winter sun.

·       Loosely tie upright arborvitae, junipers, and yews that are subject to splitting. Tying the stems prevents snow from building upon the plant, causing it to split and bend.

·       Water the perennial and rose garden thoroughly just before the ground freezes. Monitor poor drainage and ice build-up.

·       Make sure animal fences and barriers are in place around shrubs. Ornamental plums, euonymus, fruit trees, and arborvitae are a few wildlife favorites. Monitor these plants for animal damage throughout the winter. Start applying repellants to areas and plants that have suffered animal damage in the past. Preventative treatments often encourage animals to try feeding in another location. Use a cylinder of hardware cloth, 4 feet tall and sunk into the ground, to protect plants from rabbits, deer, and voles.

·        Look for egg masses of gypsy moths and tent caterpillars. Remove and destroy as soon as they are discovered.

Plantings

·       Clean out window boxes now and replace summer plants with evergreen boughs and berries. They will stay green over the Christmas season.

·       Check indoor plants several times a week. Water only when the top 2 to 3 inches begin to dry.

·       When houseplants stop growing actively, reduce both fertilizer and water and keep them out of direct sunlight. Cooperate with their annual rest period.

·       Store leftover seeds in their original packets. These contain all the plant and growing information you need. Store these in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. The consistent storage conditions help preserve the seeds’ viability.

·        Dormant pruning can be done now until growth begins in spring. Prune summer and fall blooming plants, such as hydrangea and potentilla. Or wait until late winter so that you can enjoy the winter interest these plants provide.

·       Potted, blooming Chrysanthemums received for Thanksgiving should get brightest light, cool temperatures, and plenty of water for longest blooming period.

·        Consider waiting until late winter for major pruning jobs. This way you can remove winter damage at the same time you improve the tree's structure.

·        Winter is a good time to prune oak trees.

·        Give tropical vines time to adjust to their indoor home. Yellow and falling leaves are due to low light and poor growing conditions. Once new growth begins, you can start fertilizing. Use a diluted solution of any houseplant fertilizer. Apply to indoor vines with stunted growth.