Things to Do in November

FIRST FROST

• Oct 5th - 10% Chance
• Oct 22nd - 50 % Chance
• Nov 9th - 90%
• 2012 - 11/13
• 2017 - 10/29

Blueberries 

• should be planted while dormant, usually from November through March

Bulbs

• Spring Bulbs go on sale at Brent & Becky's Bulbs - they sell out fast
• Plant Spring Bulbs

Buy

• Spring Bulbs Go On Sale
• Seeds from previous year go on sale

Harvest

• Walnuts
• Morning Glory Seeds

Hunting

• Prepare for Deer season
• Wash/Clean dehydrator
• Make sure there is room in freezer
• Sharpen knives
• Buy license(s)

Infrastructure

• Build garden beds

Leaves

• Shred leaves and use for mulch
• When 50% of leaves have fallen, spray with compost tea (Holistic Orchard)

Plant

• Nothing at this time

Roses

• Then, between the last week of November and the first two weeks in December, cut back the canes to 2' - 3' to keep them from blowing around in the winter winds and loosening the soil around the roots. Remove all pruning debris from the beds. Place a mound of soil or mulch about 12 inches high around each bush to protect the bud union from freeze damage. In addition, if you want to minimize the amount of winter die-back at the end of each cane, you can further protect the canes by piling oak leaves, or loose hay or other loose organic materials about two feet high around the bushes. You can keep these from blowing away with a small cage made from chicken wire or other fence wire. http://www.nashvillerosesociety.com/GrowingBeautifulRoses.html

Seed Catalogs

• Printed Seed Catalogs Begin Arriving

Snow Considerations

• If heavy snow, brush off of shrubs with a broom to prevent damage

To Do

Don't need to do everything every time - just a list of things that have been on the To Do list in November in years past

• Trees
• Mulch
• Wrap
• Weed & mulch paths
• Inventory Seeds
• Store Animal Feed
• Write up lessons learned
• Begin planning for next year

Trees

• Plant trees
• Sell firewood right before Thanksgiving - plan a year in advanced

Wildlife

• Hang bird feeders
• Wax Begonias  & Impatiens Cuttings taken in August may bloom now

November 29

2012

Gardening in Middle Tennessee.

Thursday. Most of the trees have dropped their leaves. The nights are down in the low 30's & high 20's. The days are lovely, crisp, and while the mornings have been drizzly, the afternoons have been clear. Sounding like perfect weather for spinach under row covers. Missing my garden, but enjoying being a corporate girl. Still, this time of year begs me to buy seeds! What if I buy them and don't have a spring or summer garden, either? Lots of bunnies & skunks here. Pretty much have to cage in everything...Oddly, no snails. Probably due to the late afternoon robin invasion. "That's where I come from, I'm an old Tennessean..."

November 23

2012

Gardening in Middle Tennessee.

Weather was lovely for Thanksgiving. Today it is grey and drizzly. The grass and weeds are happy.

Birds are eating about 20% of the food in the feeder each day. So far, I have not seen any evidence of squirrels using them - and we have lots of squirrels in our neighborhood. Lots of cottontails, too.

The indoor mint cuttings didn't fare so well, and I am down to only one now. Some of the basils also culled. Still, the rosemary looks good, and at least 3 of the basils are doing well.

November 13

2012

Gardening in Middle Tennessee.

First Hard Frost 2012

28*F this morning

The autumn leaves have been lovely this week, but the winds have been kicking up and blowing the leaves off of the branches. Of course, the wind is nothing like NV. Loving this weather. Been flirting with frost for a week, and finally got our [first] hard frost today.

Already i am dreaming of planting tomatoes! Stop! No! Not yet! Let us see if we can make it to Feb before starting them. And then what will I do with them? Give them away? Sell them? I don't know, but I can't not grow them.

November 16

2011

Gardening in the High Desert.
First seed catalog of the season: Pinetree Garden Seeds. Yipes! Need to finish my seed inventory soon so I don't buy stuff I already have! I love getting seed catalogs. Like good friends, they always show up for the holidays.

November 25

2010

2011

2010 - Harvest

Gardening in the High Desert.
I could plant and plant right now - the urge to grow things when the world is frozen is strong. Maybe stronger this year as I know there are only a few seasons left before I more and leave my lovely, large garden. I can't wait to move to Tennessee, but I am not looking forward to the transition time when we are living in an apartment. It's been a long time since I've lived in an apartment. 20 years ago. How will I survive? The sun and sky have been my saving grace.

Freezing weather means having to fill frozen water with hot water a few times a day for the chickens. I will miss them, too.

Have to keep in mind that the short term sacrifice will find us finally in Tennessee and on a piece of property we can marry. Something to spend the rest of our lives building our dreams on.

It is cold enough to winter sow my wild flowers - mainly CA poppies and shasta daisies and a few others. Not a real prairie mix - but not too bad. I really would like strip of wild flowers behind the main garden - something tall and colorful.

2011 - Harvest

Gardening in the High Desert.
My granddaughter ate one Spinach Leaf.

November 18

2011

2012

2011

Gardening in the High Desert.
Howling winds last night. I heard that they were over 50 MPH with gusts close to 80 MPH. Windy all day today. We lost power for a while, but that is normal when it is this windy, and we're used to it now. Big fire in Reno. Winds calmed in the evening, and their was a light snow falling by the time I left work.

Not much gardening going on this time of year.

• Watered houseplants: ficus, sweet potato and sweet potato daughter, and my golden pothos, which is a daughter of my original golden pothos from a plant I brought home from a job over 10 years ago.
  
• Transcribed a few more days of my written journals
  
• The first seed catalog came this week
  

So this is my first "on line" journal post that I did not originally hand write in one of my books. Not sure how I feel about that. Will my kids or anyone else care about having the hand-written copies? I am at the dividing line between two technologies, and while I love the digital world, I am not yet able to leave the old one behind. Perhaps I am destined to be anachronistic.

2012

Gardening in the Middle Tennessee.
Went to Bass Pro in Nashville yesterday. BOught a turkey fryer and also a bird feeder. In NV it took a week before the birds felt comfortable eating at the feeder - here, it was more like hours. In one day, they've eaten about 25% of the sunflower seeds. I can see it from the kitchen window, hanging in the grand old magnolia.

November 14

2010

Gardening in the High Desert.
Sun ~ In my wildest dreams, I did not anticipate that grass would become my number one weed! Crab grass is trying to take over. Weeded the two main garlic beds - primarily for grass. Threw [the grass clumps] in [a] five gallon bucket with some water. Hope freeze, thaw and water will kill it [it did not]. Not adding to my compost until I know beyond a doubt that it won't re-sprout.

WINTER SOWING
Been reading about it at Dave's Garden, and think I shall try it this year [I didn't]. Sow seeds in milk jugs that are left out over winter. Looks like I can plant just about anything using this method.

Spinach is growing slowly. Pea vines are still good, but not actively growing. Will use for chick "greens" tomorrow. Collards are also doing well, although have mealy bugs. Cabbage moth time seems to be over - no new holes on leaves.

November - To Do - Week 1

2009

2010

2009

Gardening in the High Desert.

• Move bird feeders to garden area
  
• Set up nest boxes [for wild birds]
  

2010

Gardening in the High Desert.

• DONE - Clean, set up bird feeders [for wild birds]
• Mix chicken feed [make 25% corn chicken scratch + 75% chicken layer pellets]
• Feed/Water houseplants
• DONE - Stock up on [wild] bird feed
• Clean chicken coop
• DONE - Mulch strawberries
• Wrap trees
• Deep water pines
• Turn Compost
• DONE - Keep bird feeders filled
• Take more photos
• Feed houseplants
• Deer-off [for trees - keeps bunnies from eating bark]
• Continue planting spring bulbs
• Shred paper for mulch