November -Time For Reflection

November is a time to give thanks and recollect the smell of pecan pie, freshly baked turkey, and the sweet aroma of burning hardwood.  It is a time to observe the beauty of fall colors. Leaves swirling across the lawn, trees covered in rich reds, bright scarlets, and brilliant yellows amaze the eye.  Chrysanthemums adorned in a rainbow of colors are the highlight of perennial borders. Newly planted pansies are filling their spaces revealing the splendor of their multicolored hues.

 This month can at once be both melancholy and exciting.  It is usually the end of the growing season but the anticipation of holiday plants and flowers makes it an exciting time. It is time to take note of plants that worked well this year and maybe some that were a bit testy. It is a time to reflect on the successes of the garden and plan for next year and beyond. It is a time to enjoy the crisp air and prepare the garden for winter.

 Late autumn brings tender greens such as turnips, collards, and kale. Hopefully, your garden is overflowing with these nutritious veggies. But, if not, you can find them at your local farmers’ market. Now is the time to preserve them by boiling until tender and freezing them in meal-sized baggies. Fall broccoli and cauliflower drizzled with olive oil, lightly salted, and baked until tender and are both nutritious and scrumptious. There is still time to plant onions, strawberries, winter cabbage, and pansies.

 Of course, fall is the best time to plant those trees and shrubs. Whether you’re remaking the landscape or adding just a few shrubs to accent what you have, the choices of plants should be great at this point. Planting now with the weather cool and the soil has adequate moisture makes the job much more pleasant. Besides, the plants will reward you by producing a healthier and robust root system next spring.

• Now would be a great time to research and plant an orchard. Whether you have room for one tree or many, there is nothing more rewarding than growing your own fruit and produce.
• After the first killing frost, you need to remove spent vegetation in the perennial border as well as the annuals. Leave seed pods and ornamental grasses to provide food and habitat for the birds.
• Clean up weeds and mulch heavily with Pine Straw. This will make the task of prepping next spring a lot easier.
• Cover tender perennials now with ample amounts of Pine Straw.
• Plant pansies now to give you vibrant colors through winter and spring. Remove those summer annuals.
• Clean up leaves and stems from peppers and tomatoes. Bag the debris and dispose of it. Diseases can easily overwinter.
• Shred your leaves with a lawnmower. Pile them in a corner out of sight. Wet them thoroughly and compost them. They will make great mulch or compost to mix in your flower beds.

Happy gardening!

Sam