Snowvember

November 2018

 

Pickaway to Garden

Snowvember

By Paul J. Hang

 

There is no month quite like November. It is one of a few transitional months in the year. It is neither fall nor winter, at least that is the way it used to be.

“No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees 

No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds. November!”

These lines from Thomas Hood’s poem “No!”  are an outdated view of November. It doesn’t quite describe this early November. I have clematis in bloom, our trees had the majority of their leaves, the viburnum is loaded with fruit and today a rabble of robins is swarming across the lawn on a worm patrol.

 

For gardeners November can be a welcome relief from the chores of caring for finicky plants. On the other hand there are still many things to be done but you can also ignore them if you want.

 

Campaign signs have popped up on lawns like so many mushrooms. Once the voting is over harvest those signs with heavy metal wire shaped like giant staples. Save them for use in the garden. They can be used to keep row covers off plants, to hold up flopping plants, hold up wire mesh to keep varmints from chewing on plants, and any number of other chores.

 

The average first snow fall in November is November 21^st. Any bets on beating that? As the month progresses winter should become more apparent with leafless trees looking bare and stark against a gray sky. Flower beds look forlorn and frigid. The vegetable garden should look bare unless you planted garlic or a cover crop. The lawn is frosted snowy white.

 

The hard killing freeze temperature of 28 degrees for four hours arrives in November, if not before. Most annual plants will die. Perennials vegetative growth will die but the plant continues to live with its roots still growing as long as the temperature below ground is at least 50 degrees. Different plants have different temperatures at which they die. Thus we have temperature zones which show at what low temperatures plants, even woody perennials, die.

 

If we have snow in November it doesn’t usually accumulate and if it does it doesn’t stick around long. At least that is the way it used to be. What will the new climate changes have in store for us and for November?

 

Things to do in the garden:

 

Now is a good time to do soil tests. You will have time to amend your soil if required (3 to 6 months). And, you will avoid the spring rush when more people are sending their samples to the lab. To obtain soil sampling instructions and kits along with specific recommendations contact the local Cooperative Extension Office.

 

It’s not too late to plant spring flowering bulbs. Spring bulbs look best in a cluster. Try excavating an area rather than planting them in a single small hole, one bulb per hole. Lift tender bulbs (caladiums, dahlias, glads etc.). Sow seeds of hardy annuals (calendula, bachelor’s buttons). Mums can be “tidied up” but don’t trim back until spring.

 

Tender roses should be “hilled up,” mound the soil a foot deep around the base to protect the crowns. Also a wire cage filled with leaves surrounding them as mulch can add protection. Final pruning should be done in the spring but long spindly branches can be trimmed off. Climbing roses or ramblers should be tied to prevent injury from being whipped around by harsh winter winds. Do not feed. Clean up all dead and diseased rose leaves and put in the trash.

 

If you haven’t done a fall fertilization of your lawn, do it now. Do not allow leaves to form a matted layer. Rake and compost heavy layers of leaves, otherwise chop them up with passes of the mower to return to the soil as nutrients. Running the mower over the rows at right angles a couple times will reduce them to half inch pieces which earth worms will pull into the soil. The latest recommendation is to continue to cut your lawn at 2.5-3 inches as long as it continues to grow.  This seems to work better than cutting it short for the “last time” of the season.

 

Make sure leaves and mulch are not heaped against the trunks of trees. Bring the mulch a foot away from the trunks of all trees. You may also want to stake newly planted trees from the winds of winter and early spring storms. Generally new trees more than 2” diameter don’t need staking. Consult ohioline.osu.edu for staking and other gardening information. Evergreens and shrubs should be watered deeply. Apply an anti-desiccant to broadleaf evergreens. Wait until late winter to do any normal pruning. Do not prune spring flowering shrubs (lilac, forsythia, spirea etc.) if you want them to bloom this spring.

 

Take stock by taking notes and map your garden while you can still see the plants or remember where they were. This is particularly important for the vegetable garden. Clean your gardening tools and put them away. A coat of oil can prevent rust. A light coating of linseed oil on wooden handles prevents splitting due to weathering and drying. Drain garden hoses and store. At the very least disconnect from the outdoor spigots. Make sure underground irrigation lines are drained or blown dry with a compressor.

 

Remove the dead plants from containers and, if not diseased, compost. Unglazed terracotta pots must be stored indoors or they will be destroyed. No procrastinating here. Synthetic containers can be left outdoors. Stop or reduce fertilizing indoor plants. Weed the vegetable garden and compost non-diseased debris. Remove stakes and cages, clean and store. Place diseased materials in the trash. Plant a cover crop. Consider leaving the stems and seed heads of perennials. Nature is not compelled to neatness. Rather she leaves cover for pollinators and butterflies to overwinter themselves, their pupae and eggs. You can clean up in the spring. Pull out dead annuals and, if not diseased, compost them. Now your beds are tucked in and settled down for a long winter’s nap.