November Potager Tasks

You guys, what is up with this weather, eh? I was planting garlic and flower bulbs in the double-digit weather on Sunday but had a foot of snow on Tuesday! It has kept on snowing and boy is it cold. Mother Nature always makes us pay for nice weather!

My fall garden tasks came to a screeching halt but here are some tasks you can be doing in your November potager if you are not yet buried in snow.

Rake your leaves onto the garden beds as mulch, put them in a pile to break down into leaf mould (garden gold!), rake them around your shrubs to provide winter protection and to give beneficial insects a place to overwinter, or just mulch them up with the lawnmower and leave them on the lawn.

Dahlias can be lifted after the first frost has gotten to them and turned them black. Brush or wash off the soil and place in a dry, warm, airy place to dry and cure for a week or two. I use a table in the greenhouse or place them on some newsprint on the floor in the furnace room.

Once they are dry, I shove them in a cardboard box and pop them under the greenhouse table to wait for spring. At this new house, I think I will be putting them in a cardboard box and pop them into the cold room in the basement. Choose a spot

that is cool and dark for them to overwinter in.

You can put a bit of potting soil, sand, or vermiculite over them to insulate them a bit and keep them from going mouldy. I cover them sometimes and other times I don't. Doesn't seem to make too much difference one way or another.

Prune your roses down by half to prevent them from rocking in the wind or breaking in case of snow load. You will prune them again in spring, so don't worry too much about where to cut for the best shape. Remove any broken or damaged branches at the same time.

Do not wash your potatoes after you harvest them as that can cause them to go mouldy. Place them in a wheelbarrow or on a table in sheltered area to cure, like the garage, some place out of the sun.

Brush off the dry soil, store the potatoes in a cardboard box with the flaps down to keep them from going green. Store them in a dark, cool area that is above zero but not too warm so that they sprout. My aunt used to keep them in a wooden box in the barn. I have no barn, so I put them in the garage, and they keep nicely all winter long. Do not put them into a container that has no air flow, or they will go mouldy. If you do not have a suitable cardboard box, use a tote bin and drill holes all around the top of the bin to let out the moisture.

For carrots, if you are in a zone 7 and up, leave them in the garden all winter, harvest as needed. If you are in a colder zone, pull them, take off the tops, wash them well, let them dry, place in a tote as above.

If you have not yet done so, it is time to plant your garlic. It has been a really odd year with October being very warm in most parts of Canada, too warm for planting garlic. I got the last of mine in literally 2 days before winter came.

Stop fertilising your indoor plants from now till February. If you have not fed them for a while, feed them today and then leave them be for a few months.

Water them less often as the days are short, they are not using as much, and most plants prefer to be kept on the dry side.

Citrus trees inside. We brought my citrus trees (Meyer's lemon, Key lime, and Yuzu) indoors at the end of September, when we started getting cool at night. My greenhouse is not happening until next year but if you have a heated one, or one that you can keep above freezing, they will much prefer that to being kept inside. Here is how to over-winter them.

They like to be kept around +10 C in a perfect world and the house is most definitely warmer than that, so I put them close to a window and shut off the heating vent (in the spare bedroom).

They like bright! Mine are in a south facing window and are doing fine but as the days get shorter, I will be giving them some extra light. Try to give them 12 to 16 hours of (day)light daily.

They like to be on the dry side, do not like wet feet or they will start losing leaves like no one's business. This is not the ideal time, spring would be best, but they really prefer a pot that breathes rather than the plastic that they come in. Buy some nice-looking terracotta pots and pot them up in good porous potting soil mixed with compost or worm castings. I am watering mine once or twice a month only. Stick your finger in the soil. If it is dry, give it a good drink. If not, wait a few more days.

Just as with the houseplants, if you have not fed them recently, give them a good feed now and then let them rest for a few months. I use this Evergreen and Citrus food but here are some spikes for potted citrus that also look good, and super easy to use.

If they are easy to move, put them in the tub and shower them off once a month. They will love it!

If you missed Sunday's post, check it out for the info about these awesome smudges, hydrosols, and this lovely sign.

Happy Gardening ..

or Happy Hunkering Down if you are on the prairies ~ Tanja