Is It Already November in the N&C Midwest?

Wow, where did the growing season go? Sure some of us may still be harvesting, but I doubt any of us are putting anything in the ground.

Here are some things to do this month:

- Cole crops such as brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and kale are made sweeter by frost, so don't pull them out yet. Harvest them as long as possible.

- Spring-flowering bulbs can still be planted as long as the ground is not frozen.

- Mark or make a mental note of lawn areas infested with crabgrass this year so you can spot treat with a pre-emergent herbicide next spring. Crabgrass is easy to see now since it turns purple and then brown when killed by frost.

- Water all needle and broadleaf evergreens one last time before the ground freezes since winter wind and sun will continue to demand water from these plants through their leaves all winter. Excess water loss can lead to "winter burn" or death.

- Cut down and discard asparagus stems and leaves as soon as they have yellowed completely. Removing these from the garden reduces disease and insect problems next year.

- Clean and sharpen gardening tools. HA! I thought that would be funny to throw in there since in the SFG we don't use tools. But, this is the perfect month to add mulch.

Hope that helps keep some of you busy until the REAL planning begins....the holdidays!

BackyardBirdGardner wrote:

- Clean and sharpen gardening tools. HA! I thought that would be funny to throw in there since in the SFG we don't use tools.

I am a SF Gardener and I use garden tools, just not as often in the SFG. SO MANY FALL CHORES! but that usually translates to not as many spring chores.

It's Already November here too!

Thanks for the reminders.

I planted some garlic. I pulled out my peppers and got this huge bowl setting on the counter. The tomatoes are done for, but I still need to pull the plants, which I'll do tomorrow-it's raining today for a change.

My hoops are covered with plastic and I have spinach, lettuce, chard, radishes, red onions, beets and shallots going strong still. I've never had a garden this late in the year and I'm really wondering how long I can go with it. I wish it was on the south side of the house instead of the north. Next year, I want to put several boxes on the south side too.

I've started to compost in a couple of old garbage cans. I hope I have enough by next year that I don't have to buy it anymore. But, I have big plans for next spring, so I'm not sure.

My hoops are covered with plastic and I have spinach, lettuce, chard, radishes, red onions, beets and shallots going strong still. I've never had a garden this late in the year and I'm really wondering how long I can go with it.

This is the most fun part imo. C'mon, Mother Nature, you wanna piece?

I planted some seedlings in the garden yesterday just to see what happens. I have some lettuce and spinach in about 8 squares now. I plan to really nuke them to get them going. We'll see what we learn.

Another thing I learned... Starting in vermiculite trays really is the way to go. I can keep them in the vermiculite, anywhere I want, until they start popping their first true leaves. I also need to put my seeds in the freezer/fridge for a few weeks to "fool" them into thinking winter happened.

My spinach wouldn't germinate 6 weeks ago. I put it in the freezer for 10 days, and every one of them perked up with a little water. You have to mimic nature as closely as possible. Hence, both the lights and heat mat turning off at night when starting seeds to fool the plants into thinking they are outside.

Can I ask you a personal question? Does your wife say your crazy like my husband says I am? He helped me put the plastic over my hoops, since it was really windy that day. He just shook his head.

I really didn't follow the book with the planting of the spinach or lettuce this time. I just scattered the seeds, hoping for a few to germinate. To my surprise, they all seemed to. I will have a picture to post later today or tomorrow. I can't get enough of gardening, lol.

Oh, I also discovered some thing neat. I got a cooked chicken from the deli at Walmart. They have it in a plastic tray with a clear lid that has perferations along the side. It's perfect for starting seeds in. I'm going to keep saving those trays.

Well, it is November and we finally got our first snow of the season. Not as heavy as what was predicted, but TWC currently shows our temp at 1F. It will get much colder as the season progresses, but this is our first shot of winter. I stayed inside and baked cinnamon rolls, as is our custom when a blizzard is supposedly raging (we got less than 2", it was underwhelming but the cinnamon rolls were great! ) Now is the time of year when I bury my face in seed catalogs and gardening books for ideas for the next spring, and basically become deaf to everything around me!

GG