Tips for your November Garden

• Bring any Mediterranean-type plants into the green house.
• All tender plants should now be in a sheltered place, greenhouse or wrapped in frost fleece.
• Prepare new beds by digging over the ground, working in compost and spreading a protective layer of leaf mulch

• Delay harvesting winter vegetables such as sprouts and green cabbage until after the first frosts.
• Tidy up the herb garden, loosen the soil and add compost. Mark the position of non-hardy herbs and cover lightly with a light mulch.
• Plant garlic.
• Check fruit and veg stores for rotting items.
• Cut back dahlias after the first frost, then lift tubers and store in a dry frost-free place.
• Keep a check on any stored tubers and bulbs.
• Perennial plants that are past their best should be cut right down, remembering to clear away all remains and add them to the compost heap.

Maintenance

• Water-logged areas of the lawn can be treated with sand and pricked with a garden fork to make drainage holes in compacted areas.
• Clean and repair any tools like shears and secateurs
• Clean garden furniture and store away safely for the winter months.
• Clean out and tidy up the tool shed ready for the winter.
• Clean out nesting boxes, first checking that they are not being used by hibernating animals, such as dormice. Once the nesting box is clean, fill it with fresh straw, wood shavings or sheep’s wool.

• Trim hedges and shrubs one last time.
• Plant new bare-rooted trees and shrubs now. Water thoroughly.
• Make a well around the base of the plant to hold the water and cover with a layer of mulch.
• Prune roses slightly to prevent wind rock and winter damage. Prune back in spring.