November

Gardening in November

It’s almost summer…

The spring garden is at its absolute best now, with trees, shrubs, perennials and seasonal annuals all flowering, fruit trees and vegetables showing the promise of crops to come and the lawn lush and green. It could be a time to sit back and rest on your laurels, enjoying the rewards of the hard yards you’ve done throughout the year, but...

There’s still work to be done to prepare your garden for the long and most likely hot summer ahead. Feeding and watering are paramount this month. So too is repotting of indoor plants, orchids and other plants in larger pots and tubs. In cooler mountain and hills areas, rhododendrons and azaleas are at their very best.

What to plant now:

With the weather warming up it's the perfect time to plant those heat loving crops including capsicums and chillies!

Seasonal flowers:

Summer flowering annuals can still be planted now.

Spring & summer vegetables:

Keep planting all the leafy salad favourites, especially the “pick and come again” lettuces, as well as courgettes, chillies, capsicums, tomatoes and sweetcorn.

The Vegetable Patch:

Harvest now:

Harvest asparagus, bok choi, beetroot, basil, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, courgettes, coriander, cucumber, kale, lettuce, leeks, mesclun, parsley, onions, peas, parsnip, rocket, radish, spinach, onion, spring onions and tomatoes.

What to plant now:

It's all about planting for summer veggies this month. Staggered plantings over four to six weeks will ensure you have continuity of supply in mid-Summer. Plant into well prepared and fertilised soil. Add a long-term or slow release fertiliser and mix through the soil then moisten well a few days before planting.

If space is at a premium, choose dwarf or bush varieties rather than the traditional large types that need lots of space and support.

Sow or plant:

Asparagus
Basil
Beetroot
Beans
Broccoli
Cabbage
Capsicum
Carrot
Celery
Chilli
Coriander
Courgette
Cucumber
Eggplant
Kumara
Leek
Lettuce
Mesclun
Parsley
Parsnip
Potatoes
Pumpkin and squash
Radish
Rocket
Silverbeet
Spinach
Spring onions
Sweetcorn
Tomatoes.

Veggie patch tips for November:

Water in newly planted seedlings with a liquid fertiliser for vegetables and herbs or a certified organic fertiliser to give them a good start.
Hammer in stakes for tomatoes and put in supporting tripods, trellises or string lines for climbing crops like peas and beans.
Hand pull or hoe out weeds as they appear – they compete for nutrients and moisture and may also harbour pests that could attack your crops.

Fruit & Flower Beds:

Fruits to harvest now:

The last of your citrus crops will be ready for harvesting and strawberries and other berries should be fruiting now too.

What fruit to plant:

Raspberry
Strawberry
Blueberry
Blackberry
Boysenberry
Feijoa
Lemon
Orange
Mandarin
Lime
Passionfruit
Grapes
Kiwifruit
Tamarillo

What flowers to plant:

Continue planting gladiolus corms every few weeks throughout November. Dahlia tubers should also be planted this month – divide clumps and plant tubers singly, making sure each has a growth eye. Hammer in stakes about 450-600mm apart and plant one tuber at the base of each to provide support as the plants grow. Green cuttings taken a couple of months ago should have good root systems by now and can be planted out.

Sow or plant:

Alyssum
Gazania
Lobelia
Fuchsia
Foxgloves
Ageratum
Aster
Chrysanthemum
Poppy
Carnation
Cosmos
Dahlia
Dianthus
Lisianthus
Everlasting daisy
Gazania
Geranium
Gerbera
Godetia
Gypsophila
Honesty
Impatiens
Marigold
Petunia
Nasturtium
Phlox
Gueen Annes Lace
Salvia
Snapdragon
Statice
Sunflower
Sweet pea
Verbena
Wallflower

Garden jobs for the month:

Keep flowering annuals, vegetables and herbs growing well with regular applications of an all purpose fertiliser.
Evergreen shrubs can be lightly trimmed to keep them neat, particularly those being trained as topiary, mop-tops or other geometric shapes. Regular clipping through the growing season will maintain their forms.
It's time to repot orchids that have just finished flowering. Only those that have outgrown their existing pots or are not growing well should be removed from their old pots. Shake off the old potting mix or bark, trim any obviously dead or diseased roots and pot up, using fresh bark or mix, into a pot that comfortably holds the root ball.
Continue fungicide sprays on fruit trees to combat fungal diseases like brown rot.
Spring bulbs will be dying now – mark their locations with small stakes so you know where to find them when it comes time to dig them out.

Indoor Plants:

It’s time to repot indoor plants that have outgrown their pots or are simply in need of some TLC. Use Osmocote Indoor Plant Mix.
Keep the air around indoor plants humid by regularly misting plants with a water atomiser.
Wipe leaves occasionally with a damp cloth to keep them clean.
Feed fortnightly with ready to use Osmocote Pour+Feed Indoor Plants – no mixing required. There are also Pour+Feed products for orchids and cacti.

Lawns:

Regular mowing will keep existing lawns looking neat. Raise the cutting height to leave the grass a little longer and protect the crowns and runners of grasses from the increasing heat of the sun. A longer, thicker sward also helps keep the soil, and roots, cooler. Leaving the clippings on the lawn will also help, although it may look a little messy.

During dry spells, water the lawn well at least once a week (if permitted by local water authorities). Light sprinkles on the grass every day or so not only waste water but encourage the roots to the surface.

Pest Control:

Slugs and snails can be active whenever there are young plants around Garden Galore Quash Slug & Snail Stoppa in a bait trap will protect your plants and keep your pets safe.
Watch for aphids and other sap-sucking pests on young plants and the soft shoots of other trees and shrubs.
Roses and other shrubs are susceptible to a range of fungal diseases like black spot and powdery mildew. Use copper-based fungicide to control them.