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| Image credit: Pexels |
{This is a collaborative post}
November may be at the end of Autumn and even heading into Winter but there is still time to get all sorts of gardening jobs done before the frost arrives and the garden becomes pretty dormant for winter. This year it has been very mild down here in the South of England and this means there is even still time to plant some tulip, daffodil, and crocus bulbs ready for the spring. I always think there is something really joyous about seeing those green shoots early in the year, they make me feel like there is hope after the dark mornings and dreary weather.
Rake the Leaves
Hopefully, if you have a garden with plenty of trees you've been keeping on top of this job. All those leaves are such a rich source of nutrients to add to our compost pile. First, keep them in a separate pile or store in a container or bag, but make sure there are holes as the oxygen is needed to help the leaves break down into mould. Once that has happened you can add them to your compost or use as mulch.
Soil Maintenance
Now is your last chance to prepare your soil before winter really sets in. Turn the earth over whilst there is still some heat in the soil and make sure you have removed any annuals, and pruned your perennials right back to protect them for next spring. Make sure that any bar earth is protected with a good layer of compost, mulch or even plastic sheeting.
Think Ahead
As the garden goes to sleep, the gardener doesn't. Now is the time to plan out how you want the garden to look next year. Place your order for Spring planted bulbs and any berry trees that you require. Draw out a sketch of how you'd like your garden to look and this will help you to know how many plants or bulbs to order.
Protect your Plants
Even just one hardy frost can damage your plants. So if you want to keep your annuals and save yourself a bit of money, it is worth taking the time to move tender bulbs such as dahlias, cala lillies, gladiolus, and tuber roses into a greenhouse or even your home. Also, bring indoors the plants that will keep growing over the winter in the right conditions, these include geranium, fushia, begonia, coleus, and amaryllis. Make sure these are all moved before the night temperature gets as low as 7 degrees C.
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| Photo by Clever Visuals on Unsplash |
Encourage the Birds
Not only is it a delight to watch the birds come into your garden to feed or bathe, but it can also help keep bugs at bay, all the ones that you don't want like slugs and snails.
If you have a bit of cash to spend why not invest in a freestanding bird table where you can hang multiple feeders with all types of nuts and seeds to encourage different birds into your garden. or if you're on a budget even hanging one feeder from a nail or a washing line will help.
Tend your Vegetable Patch
While many vegetables will have finished for the season if you like to enjoy fresh garden produce throughout the colder months and you're happy to go out into the garden and do a little maintenance you can still continue to enjoy winter peas, beans, onions, garlic, and salad. So make sure you cover your planting with frames or cloches to give protection but leave the ends open so they can still get good ventilation.
Wrap the Garden Up
That might sound funny, but there are many items in the garden that need a bit of extra protection for winter. Your patio pots should be wrapped in bubble wrap or fleece to protect delicate roots. Your patio furniture should be covered so it stays clean and fresh for the warmer weather and you also need to wrap insulating foam around pipes and taps to make sure they do not freeze solid and burst when the weather gets really cold.
As I'm sure you know, a gardener's work is never done. It may lessen in the winter months but there is always something to do and all the little bits of preparation we do will make a big difference when we get to the prime planting season in the spring.
