November - last chance saloon!

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. 

• 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!