LIABILITY BROWN
  • Home
  • Dig It: Blog
  • Pixels and Pixies

November - last chance saloon!

29/10/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Jobs for November:

Flowers:
  • Start sowing sweet peas for next year as these can be overwintered, under cover or in the greenhouse. Sweet peas are a favourite of mine because it is good to see something growing over the winter months and the end result is [usually] abundant, colourful and fabulously aromatic.
  • I have yet to do this, but November is the perfect time for taking root cuttings from perennials like anchusa, phlox, verbascum, oriental poppy and acanthus.​
  • I am also over this task but it’s the last opportunity to plant the last of the autumn bulbs -but I’m not the greatest fan of tulips and daffodils anyway.  However, if you do like these, then don't forget to put some in pots too.  Also, if you are super organised, plant Paperwhite narcissi for Christmas and plant indoor hyacinths such as White Pearl.
  • Otherwise, November is the last opportunity to harvest tender perennial flowers like chrysanthemums and dahlias, as well as half-hardy annuals like cleomes.​​
Vegetable Patch:
  • Garlic such as Extra Early Wight, Picardy Wight and Germidour for autumn plantings) . Great companion plants for garlic include strawberries, nasturtiums, chamomile and dill – but I think these will need to be sown in the spring months unless you already have them in the veg patch.
  • Onion sets – Senshyu, Radar, Electric, Hybound, Red Baron, Stuttgarter, Sturon and Red Fen – to name but a few!
  • Broad beans Aquadulce Claudia is a reliable long pod that produces impressive yields from tall plants. Also, Luz de Otono, the early maturing De Monica and the Sutton are a good bet.
  • Rhubarb crowns are best planted in the spring and autumn months, but you can also plant a dormant crown now. 
Picture
  • November is also best for planting one-year-old dormant asparagus crowns and, preferably, in light, well-drained soils. Asparagus is notoriously a slow-burner, and it will take at least two years for tender spears to appear.  Varieties to consider are Gijnlim, Pacific Purple, Jersey Knight, Mondeo and Guelph Millennium is highly cold-tolerant, but the taste of asparagus is always worth the wait!​
​Planting in pots / containers:
  • Durham Early, a spring cabbage variety, is a good for overwintering and can be sown now, as can salad leaves such as mizuna and spinach 
  • Also, to enable harvesting in the early spring, sow peas such as Kelvedon Wonder and Meteor, and winter varieties of spring onions like Performer – which do well in pots too.

 On the windowsill or in the greenhouse:
  • Chilli peppers can be sown any time of year, but it is fabulous to grow them for their optimistic and bright colour.  These varieties sound dangerous but can be over-wintered in the greenhouse - Naga Viper and Trinidad Scorpion or sow smaller hot varieties such as sweet Medusa or dwarf scarlet Apache.  Good partners for chilli include parsley, nasturtiums, basil, beans and peas. 
  • Dark Opal basil is another one for the warmer windowsill and, in summer, is transplanted outside into raised garden beds or a large container with spinach or tomatoes.
 
Some November plants but I am not currently bothered with include horseradish, mushrooms and oyster plant. The latter is also known as sea mertensia or sea bluebells and generally grows in coastal areas but also does well in rockeries – and is increasing in popularity as a gourmet accompaniment, either raw or cooked, to fish dishes.  I might try it if I have room in the greenhouse!
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Dig It: Blog
  • Pixels and Pixies