Tom's Top Tips for November

Gardening tips for November from Tom the Gardener

Feed the birds

Food is relatively abundant for garden birds throughout the Autumn, with berries, seeds and insects a plenty. However life can become a great deal harsher this month as supplies start to dwindle, frosts hamper access to the ground and ice locks up drinking water. Hanging feeders with nuts, seeds and fat will attract blue tits, great tits, coal tits, long-tailed tits, greenfinches, goldfinches, chaffinches, sparrows and nuthatches, to name but a few. Loose feed – seeds, boiled rice, grated cheese, dried mealworms, fruit - scattered on a feeding surface such as a bird table will be accessible to ground feeders such as robins, dunnocks, blackbirds, thrushes, fieldfares and redwings. As well as putting out a regular supply of food and drinking water, take care to preserve the bounty provided naturally. Do not remove dead flower heads with seeds on – sunflower, cornflower, asters, fennel, lavender, honest, evening primrose, and cranesbill for example. Also bear in mind that pretty much all berries could be taken by the birds at some point in the Winter, so if one of your tasks in the coming months is to cut back shrubs and ground cover try not to remove any material that still has berries on it – honeysuckle, cotoneaster, hawthorn, dogrose, ivy and holly all supply useful berries.

Protection for over wintering beasties

Don't be too enthusiastic when tidying your garden or plot of the debris that has accumulated over recent weeks and months, such as fallen leaves, dead wood, dried flower stalks, stones and bricks. These are potential refuges for beneficial beasts seeking somewhere to hibernate or shelter from the worst excesses of the Winter.

• Logs, bricks, stones and slate offer shelter to insects such as ground beetles, rove beetles and centipedes, as well as hibernation sites for reptiles (frogs, newts, toads, even slow worms);

• Flower bugs and bumble bees will hibernate in the dry insulation of leaf litter;

• Lacewings and ladybirds hibernate inside the hollow remains of old flower stalks.

Take particular care if you are planning to turn or empty your compost heap; it will be hosting many beneficial insects, maybe the odd toad and possibly a slow worm. Similarly, take care if you are disturbing large piles of leaves and/or wood for here you might find a hedgehog or shrew.

Plant tulip bulbs
Most Spring-flowering bulbs should be planted already, the exception being tulips. Late planting – mid November – helps reduce damage by slugs and the fungal disease tulip fire.

Plant bare root trees and shrubs
Now is the perfect time to plant bare-root trees and shrubs bought from a nursery, or moved from a nursery bed where they were planted as cuttings last year. Following these few simple rules will give your plant the best possible start in its new home:

• Prepare a generous area, at least 3 feet diameter for a typical fruit tree, and dig in as much well rotted organic matter as reasonably possible (remember, this is the soil the tree will be sitting in for years to come, and it's your one and only chance to prepare it down at root level).

• Add a couple of handfuls of bonemeal to the hole.

• Plant at the same level that the tree grew at before (a tidemark from its previous location should be visible on the stem).

• Firm the soil down with your feet and then stake the tree.

Dig in manure and compost
Now's a good time to dig the soil and incorporate organic matter; beds and borders will be bare and the soil still workable. A few notes of caution however:

• don't dig if the soil is heavy and waterlogged as compaction with your feet can adversely affect the soil structure (not to mention the well-being of your back);

• minimize compaction by standing on a plank of wood, or something else that will help spread the load, as you dig;

• only dig if the soil has caused you problems in the growing season just gone - if the soil is already in good condition, with a good balance of organic matter and nutrients, and good drainage properties, then compost or manure can simply be applied as a surface mulch.

Sow hardy perennials and trees
If you have “caught the bug” for collecting and sowing your own seeds, then now is the time to sow tree seeds and many hardy perennials. This is because the seeds of these plants need to undergo the process of stratification - moistening, followed by sustained periods of cold and mild weather - to break their dormancy. Sow the collected seeds in trays or pots in a soil based seed compost, covered with a layer of compost equal in depth to 1 or 2 times the seed size. Finish with a thin layer of gravel (to keep in moisture). Label clearly and securely. The sown seeds then stay outside in an open frame for the Winter; all you have to do is make sure they stay moist but not waterlogged. Germination occurs in Spring, at which point the seedlings should be moved to a covered frame or cool greenhouse. Examples of trees that can be grown this way include holly, rowan birch, hazel, acer (including Japanese maple) and cotoneaster. Hardy perennials include hellebore, iris, perennial poppies, paeonia, primrose, gentian and trillium.

Check stored fruit and veg
Continue to make periodic checks through the produce you have stored, such as onions, pumpkins, potatoes and apples.

Net winter brassicas Over-wintering brassicas – purple sprouting broccoli, spring cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, winter/spring cauliflowers – will become increasingly tempting to pigeons the longer the Winter goes on, and any netting that has afforded them protection thus far may become increasingly insufficient. Check for rips and make sure the net is secured all the way round the bottom.

Lay turf
Whether you're laying an entire lawn, putting in grass paths between beds, or making repairs to lawn edges, November is a good time to lay turf as the ground is still warm enough to allow the roots to get established but there is little risk of the turfs drying out.

Lawn mover care
This time of year lawn mowers go into the shed and won't be seeing the light of day again for 3 or 4 months. A little care now could save much frustration next year. Make sure exposed mechanisms and, in particular, the blades are dry; rub them with a light oil to stop rust setting in. If you have a petrol mower, don't leave any petrol in the tank.