November Gardening Tips For Zone 6 . . . .

Zone 6

As we finish cleanup, use the gather and shredded leaves for the compost pile, or as winter mulch on beds. Remember to add in some nitrogen rich material for ‘cooking’ your compost (grass clippings, shells or cotton seed meal) during cooler weather.

Mulch sensitive crops you want to overwinter with a layer of straw. 

Leave your ornamental grasses standing. Their added movement to the landscape is interesting and they provide shelter for overwintering wildlife.

On a warm day, drain and curl up your hoses.

Home Depot always provides the correct tools to make every pruning job easier.

Depending on plant type, branch diameter and height, you will need one or all of the following: hand pruners, loppers, pole pruners, pruning saws, chain saws and hedge shears.

Hand pruners can be ‘anvil’ or ‘bypass.’ Anvil pruners have a sharp blade that cuts against a flat anvil. Ideal for cutting dead limbs and dry branches. Bypass pruners have a scissors-type action with curved blades that make cleaner cuts than anvil pruners. These are good for precision cutting around buds and tender areas on the plant and for “green” and growing limbs. They are also well-suited for thinning out hedge shrubbery.

Loppers are basically long-handled hand pruners with either bypass or anvil action. Loppers work well when you need a little more reach and leverage, and they’re good for cutting thicker branches (usually up to 2" in diameter). Some manufacturers have come out with loppers that are considered ‘telescoping.’ This allows us to be able to extend their reach by adjusting and extending the handle length. These are a wonderfully versatile tool, though noticeably heavier.

Pole pruners are ideal for high, overhead cutting without the need for a ladder. They use a rope and pulley system to make cuts to upper-level branches in a tree’s canopy while you stay on the ground. Pruning saws are used for larger branches that pruner or lopper blades can’t navigate. Pruning saw blades can be curved or straight. (I prefer using a ‘cross-cut’ saw. It cuts in both a forward and reversed direction.) The more teeth the blade contains, the more precise the cut will be. Large-toothed saws should be used for the largest limbs. Bow saws are good for making precise and fast cuts on large branches.

Chainsaws are your choice for larger, and heavier branches. Chainsaws can be gas powered or electric. (The electric chainsaws are not intended for larger limbs, but can be quite hard workers. They are also significantly lighter than gas powered chainsaws.)

Practice safety at all times when using any tools, but be particularly vigilant when using a chainsaw Always wear protective eye gear when operating power equipment. If you are not experienced with a chainsaw, but need to use one anyway, have a safe plan of action in place and try to not work alone. When in doubt, call a professional.

Hedge Shears are used to shape and trim shrubs and hedges. For large-sized hedges or to make quick work of pruning shrubbery, consider power shears. Power shears use either electricity or gas and can make the job quicker and easier. (For use on a non-fruiting shrub, like a boxwood, they can give you a nice tight effect. For a hedgerow of hollies, forthysthia or lorapetalum , you’re likely to create a ‘ meatball’ effect, which is unnatural, to say the least.  I would suggest pruning wood the diameter of pencils with hand pruners, or loppers, for these shrubs.  It will allow the hollies to continue to produce berries.)

Research the appropriate time of year for pruning.  It varies according to growth and bloom setting. 

If deer are hungry, they’ll forage most things.  Providing a food source, at the furthest reaches of your property, may help your garden survive a hungry herd of deer. If hunting is permitted in your area, reconsider this suggestion.

 

Vegetables:

By adding nasturtiums seeds to the vegetable garden, now, will help deterring squash beetles later. Their blooms are beautifully colored, graceful and edible.

Harvest frost-sweetened Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, cabbage, and kale.

Continue to thin lettuce and spinach. Harvest from the bottom of brussel sprouts stalks and let the smaller ones above mature. Brussels sprouts are always sweeter after they have endured a frost.

Having a light metal or PVC frame (and a plan) in place is a good idea for your floating row covers. I’ve used light metal concrete reinforcing ‘ladder’ wires for this task. They are easily bent, cut and nearly invisible when the covers are removed. They also are very easy to store, when taken out of the garden.

Remember that the floating row covers will also keep birds from feasting on strawberries.  It will also help in deterring many other pests.

If foraging deer plague your vegetable garden, surround the garden in fencing that is at least 6 feet tall, and well staked. A fenced garden will also help with visiting rabbits, if the fencing grid is small enough in the lower 2 feet of the wire. Plastic fencing can be effective against rabbits but will not work as a deer fencing. 

If your garden is quite large, you may want to consider using a solar powered electrical fence.  The wires will emit a light, pulsating, low-voltage shock, that will not harm the deer.  (The height is an important consideration, as they easily hop over a 4 foot fence.)   

 

 

Flowers:

If you have some coleus or geranium plants you would like to keep over the winter, take cuttings and bring them indoors to root. Dust rooting hormone powder on the cut ends to help roots get started in the potting mixture, or place them in a tall glass container. (I have experimented with clear glass vs. cobalt blue glass containers. My coleus cuttings developed strong roots in a weekend when in a cobalt blue glass container.  The roots of the same cuttings in the same window, at the same time, in clear glass took much longer to develop.) Once potted, grow in a sunny east or south-facing window.

Don't miss your chance to plant spring-blooming bulbs, such as daffodils and tulips. Plant them to a depth three times the bulb's size. If you want continuous blooms, try setting smaller bulbs on top of the larger ones; such as planting tulips deeper than your hyacinths.  (My refrigerator crisper drawers are full of bulbs ‘chillin out’ before planting.)

If deer eat your spring-flowering bulbs, plant daffodils, Dutch irises, grape hyacinths, or scillas since deer tend to avoid them.

Continue planting spring blooming bulbs.  They will develop a healthy root system in the still warm soil while the bulb itself stays dormant. Sharp sand or gravel in the bottom of the hole may deter animals from digging them up. (I have become a fan of using lava rock as a mulch in beds and pots that are plagued with critters digging up my plants. The down-side is that I need to remove the lava rock when I replant or transplant.)

Cut back other perennials (except spring bloomers, roses, and mums) to a few inches above soil level.

After clean up, let your garden air dry for at least a week, before adding new plant material. Mark the location of any young plants that have self-seeded over the summer. You’ll be better prepared to transplant them in the spring.

It is a good idea at this time to draw a rough sketch showing where all your plants are growing. This is invaluable when you are going through all those seed and plant catalogs in the dead of winter. (If you don’t remember the names of your plants, pull out your crayons or markers and color areas that you remember, by the seasons.) 

When you broadcast wildflower seed, lightly rake it in, for a bright spring show. You can also top-dress with a mushroom compost.

Mulch is not meant to keep the soil warm, but to keep the temperatures around your plants even. This keeps the plants from heaving during fluctuations in temperatures. It also keeps the plants from starting growth too early in the spring. Lay mulch around shallow-rooted plants after the temperatures drop. Avoid piling it high as it can cause rot. The rotting is not a bad thing, as it is contributing more of an organic mix into the soil. Keeping it just a few inches away from the stems of young plants will cut down on soil borne diseases and fungus.

If rodents are a problem where you live, a thick mulch may not be a good idea. Mice are very fond of straw and hay winter homes.

A gardener’s keen observation is the first, best tool. Before deciding what types of wildflowers to grow, take a walk around your property and observe the different kinds of sites you have. Try to gauge the length of sunlight in particular locations. Is this space shaded part of the time, or receiving filtered, dappled light down through leaves?

If you're observing your yard during late fall, when trees and shrubs are leafless, imagine how much shade wildflowers will get in the summer if planted near them.

Consider the soils. Are areas dry and parched, sandy or moist and boggy? Are sites protected from the wind or threatened by it? Is there nothing but moss growing under a particular tree?

The length of time and quality of sunlight received daily can be crucial for native plants.

Wildflowers common to prairies and large, open meadows normally grow in full sun and will do best when they receive half a day or more of direct sunlight. Plants classified as savanna or open woodland species prefer growing in partial shade.

Some flowers that grow in shady areas have adapted to get the sunlight they need by flowering before the trees completely leaf out.

Other major factors to consider when looking over your property are the types of soil you have, their acidity or alkalinity as measured by soil pH, and the amount of water they retain at various times of the year. Many wildflowers will tolerate drought conditions or relatively poor soils. Yet even these tough plants, (such as black-eyed Susan), will grow more vigorously if planted in richer soil. You may decide to plant black-eyed Susan in an area with relatively poor soil, simply to curb its enthusiasm.

To collect native plants from the wild is unethical and often illegal (in the case of rare or threatened species like lady's-slippers and pitcher plants).

Fortunately, there are many reputable nurseries that propagate native plants from seed.

Many wildflowers are dormant in the fall or spring, making this a fine time for transplanting them.

Collecting seeds of wildflowers is appropriate, so long as you harvest seeds judiciously, taking only a small sample so the existing plant colonies will be able to reproduce themselves. Today, wildflower seeds are quite widely available from commercial seed suppliers, so we're frequently better off purchasing these. Growing plants from seed is certainly more economical than buying mature plants. The main disadvantage is that many native plants require a long time to mature or to germinate from seed.  Many types of seeds need pretreatment before they can be planted. Most often this involves stratification (planting the seeds in a pot and then refrigerating them for several months until the seeds are fooled into believing that it's time to break dormancy and germinate). Sometimes pouring very hot water over the soil covering them will help them germinate more quickly.  Experiment and make notes in your garden journal.

Growing a wildflower lawn or meadow lets you sow mixed seeds directly on top of the ground in either the fall or spring. You’ll appreciate the opportunity to leave your mower in the garage while enjoying the color, movement and textures of a mass planting of wildflowers.

As plants that exist happily in the wild without human care, native plants tend to be quite efficient at reproducing themselves through seed dispersal and other means. Do some research and try to avoid creating problems down the line.  

Trees and Shrubs:

With the ending of summer, days get shorter. The changes in the angle of the sun and the amount of day light trigger the trees to begin getting ready for winter.

Here is a brief explanation for the color changes we see in the leaves of deciduous trees:

Plants take water from the ground through their roots. They absorb carbon dioxide from the air. Plants use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose.

Glucose is usable food for the plant’s growth.

Plants turn water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar is called photosynthesis ("putting together with light").

Chlorophyll is a chemical that gives plants their green color and helps make photosynthesis possible. 

The month of October is often one of the driest months of the year.  This also helps trigger the plants to prepare to go into dormancy.

This lack of light and water cuts off photosynthesis, allowing the trees to rest, and live off the food they had stored during the summer.  

The chlorophyll disappears from the leaves, beginning the emergence of yellow and orange colors. Small amounts of these colors have been in the leaves since the previous spring, but have been hidden by the abundance of green.

The bright reds and purples we see in leaves are made mostly in the fall. In some trees, like maples, glucose is trapped in the leaves after photosynthesis stops. Sunlight and the cool nights of autumn cause the leaves to convert the glucose into a red color. The brown color of trees, like some oaks, is made from wastes products left in the leaves.

The fallen leaves, when shredded and added to compost beds or used as mulch, help continue the cycle of life.

"Evergreens" are another science marvel.  They keep most of their leaves, or needles, during the winter and continue to photosynthesize, if provided enough water.  It is very important that evergreens do not dry out prior to a freeze. Their special leaves, or needles, are resistant to cold and moisture loss.

This time of year, take advantage of late-season tree sales.
The only challenge with trees in pots purchased now, is that they may be root-bound. Before you plant them in the ground, you loosen the roots. Otherwise, they may simply continue to encircle the plant rather than spread out. Make the planting hole as much as twice the size of the pot.  Amend the soil if needed. Water deeply, after planting.

 

Lawns:

Fallen leaves will smother and kill a lawn if left in place all winter. If you have a heavy leaf accumulation, consider moving the shredded leaves to be used as mulch in the flower beds.  (Don’t over pile them though.  In the spring many of the leaves will need to be removed.)

Increasing organic matter will stimulate the soil microbes that support our soil.

Continue to mow grass until it stops actively growing, using a mulching blade on your mower. For the final mowing of the season, cut cool-season grasses (fescue, rye blends) to 2½ inches and warm-season grasses between 1½ and 2 inches. This is just a little shorter than you should cut it during the spring and summer.