November Notes from the Studio

Garden tasks and growing flowers

What to do in November

This mild period of weather is very welcome and getting lots of bed preparation, planting and composting done ahead of the winter. The more that is done now, the easier and hopefully better, the growing will be next year.

Planting out ranunculus & anemones, with tunnels to protect from birds

Here is this month’s list of my top recommended tasks to get the best of, and enjoy your garden and growing space.

1. Plant spring bulbs

   In North Essex, still waiting for a decent couple of frosts before planting tulips (kills off soil pathogens that can affect Tulips) but planting up spring bulbs in earnest. Between now and christmas is a great time, giving bulbs time to root and flower well in the spring. Top tip is to plant any bulb about twice the height of itself. If you have heavy wet clay, some horticultural grit beneath a bulb will really help with draining and preventing rot.

   

   These were narcissus that I moved last year as they’d got over crowed.

   

   Tulips are usually only planted for one winter season, lifting the bulb with the flower so they can be planted cheek to cheek like eggs in a box.

2. Plant out hardy annuals

   If sown hardy annuals in September, the plants will be ready to plant out this month. They can be kept in pots to plant out in the spring, but it’s far easier to get them in the ground and not worry about them! Better and earlier flowering too.

3. Feed chrysanthemums under cover

   Water these sparingly, in fact water everything sparingly now until the spring! But these are flowering undercover, in pots, so they’ll appreciate a feed. Use your saved comfrey feeds for potassium. More about growing these end of season beauties in this post and making your own feeds here.

   

4. Pinch out Autumn Sweet Peas.

   When they have about 5 sets of leaves, pinch down to 2 or 3. More root growth and more stems. Leave these in their pots until after Christmas. Water sparingly now, there is plenty of moisture in the air and prevent rotting off.

   

   Sweet peas after pinching - can you spot where they have been pinched?

5. Plant out Amemones and Ranunculus

   Once they have developed roots (these below were left far too long before planting out!), get them in the ground. They don’t even need any green growth and will often have roots escaping the pots before you see a stem. Lift and check trays rather than dig around the module like I do! Plant these a few cms below the soil in a weed free bed. I add a little compost if I’ve got it. These need a weekly water if under cover, but outside they do fine. Here the pigeons and pheasants love the leaves so they are covered in environmesh, making a tunnel to keep them off. Once the plants have flower beds, the tunnels come off.

   

   Ranunculus with roots that were escaping the module. No need to leave them this long!

   

   Anemones with incredible root growth! Get them in the ground.

6. Make a compost heap

   With all the clearing of beds to make way for planting out, there is lots of material to build a compost heap with. I will be cutting the grass, collecting the few leaves fallen from cherries and frosted dahlia stems to create a compost cake. It will be ready to use in May just as I need it to pot up seedlings. I’m cracking open the May build one to mulch dahlias. For the full how to build one here.

Harvesting

What you are picking, or aim to this time next year.

Shrubs, Trees & Climbers - Hydrangeas, cornus, rosemary, sage, spindle, pittosporum

Perennials - Chrysanthemums and last of dahlias (if you have them), gaura and Chinese lanterns.

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Me looking pleased to be making a new heap! I love composting.