Maggie Baldwin shares her November gardening advice, including making leaf mould, collecting rainwater, supporting winter wildlife and preparing plants for spring.
Now the clocks have changed, the evenings are getting ever darker, temperatures are dropping and it can be hard to keep one’s spirits up, but there are still days when the sun makes an appearance, and getting out in the fresh air and getting a few jobs done does lift one’s mood.
The dry weather in the summer sent trees into a state of stress, and their reaction was to drop leaves to save themselves, but now the real leaf fall is underway, making work in the garden. Rake the leaves off the lawn and garden and put them in a separate wire cage. If they are large leaves, run the lawn mower over them first, which aids decomposition. Keep the heap moist and covered to prevent it drying out, and in approximately one year you will have free, rich leaf mould for mulching the beds or plot.
If you haven’t already got a water butt, or can find space for an extra one, set it up this month to collect rainwater for next year. It will help in the event of another hot summer. Early broad beans can be sown direct or in pots in a cold greenhouse or cold frame to plant out in the spring.
There are a lot of berries on holly, cotoneaster and hawthorn trees this year, and the blackbirds are already enjoying the feast. Let’s hope they leave some for the fieldfares and redwings that arrive from Scandinavia. Start putting out fat balls and mealworms for our native birds. It’ll be much appreciated, and in turn they will make short work of the aphids in the spring! Climate change means that some bee species are now active in the winter months. Heather, mahonia and hellebores give the bees a helping hand in the winter.
Whilst the soil is still warm, it’s an ideal time to renew or extend your strawberry patch. Plant out your own well-rooted runners or mail-ordered ones. The runners can get their roots down before winter kicks in, and the cold period over winter promotes flowering and fruiting for next year.
Plant up some pots with spring bedding. Pansies, wallflowers and violas bring colour over the winter and into the spring.
Keep warm and enjoy your gardening!
Maggie Baldwin
