Central Plains Gardener's November Checklist
Mulching, seeding, feeding — several small tasks to ensure a winter of activity, and a good spring start.
Benjamin Vogt
October 27, 2012
Houzz Contributor. I'm a big advocate for bringing the tallgrass prairie into our urban lives -- only 1% remains, making it more threatened than the Amazon rainforest yet also as effective at sequestering CO2. I own Monarch Gardens LLC, a prairie garden design firm based in Nebraska and working with clients across the Midwest. I also speak nationally on native plants, sustainable design, and landscape ethics while hosting online classes. I'm the author of A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future. In the coming years we want to restore a 40+ acre prairie and host an artist residency program.
Houzz Contributor. I'm a big advocate for bringing the tallgrass prairie into our... More
If you’re like me you, you feel conflicted about the November garden: one part of you would like to get outside and grab some fresh air, the other part of you is tired at the end of the gardening season. Lucky us — there are small yet important things to do if you’d like to brave the chill.
A large “small” thing is to mulch. Common wisdom says to mulch new plants after the ground freezes to prevent frost heave, but I’m not a common sense sort of guy. I mulch as I plant so I don’t have to be outside when it’s cold.
But if you haven’t mulched new plants, do so now, and also freshen up those sun-soaked pathways where mulch decomposes faster. Go ahead and give your garden a good watering too if you've had a dry summer and fall — this will increase the odds of plant's survival if it's a hard winter.
But if you haven’t mulched new plants, do so now, and also freshen up those sun-soaked pathways where mulch decomposes faster. Go ahead and give your garden a good watering too if you've had a dry summer and fall — this will increase the odds of plant's survival if it's a hard winter.
If you’ve been thinking about a new bed, a warm late fall afternoon is a good time to get one in. Dump at least half a foot of compost over the lawn, or turn over the lawn and then dump new soil on top. Over the winter it will settle in and get incorporated by worms and microorganisms, setting up a successful spring planting.
Make sure you take out water pumps from fountains and streams. They are mighty expensive to replace if they freeze and break. If you have a concrete fountain, a waterproof cover works wonders to keep out freezing ice that could crack and shatter it.
Don’t cut down the garden. It will be better protected against ice and snow if left standing, will provide cover for wildlife and will look stunning in winter. Trust me.
Have any leftover plant containers? I use 10- to 20-gallon pots to start new plants. Many seeds need to be cold and moist stratified — which means they need months of freezing, wet weather to break dormancy in spring. Toss some potting soil in a container (or a mix of clay and compost), drop in some seeds, stir them up a bit on the soil surface and leave until spring. You’ll have many free seedlings come April and May.
Most people think about daffodils, tulips and crocus bulb planting in fall, but tiny iris reticulata are another possibility and bloom in March here in USDA zone 5.
Right now birds are scouting out food and water sources for the winter, some even remember them year after year. Make sure you put out birdseed consistently in your feeders, and …
… invest in a 60-100 watt birdbath heater. If you have both seed and open water in winter, I guarantee quite a show, and probably birds you’ve never seen before (like this yellow-shafted northern flicker).
Tell us: What other winter prep tips do you have?
More guides to Central Plains gardening | Find your U.S. garden checklist
Tell us: What other winter prep tips do you have?
More guides to Central Plains gardening | Find your U.S. garden checklist
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Thanks for the permission to not clean out the garden! Had that on my to-do list but now will work on planning next year's garden instead.
I have to clear the vegetable garden for deposit of winter snow removal but I leave other gardens and receive many spring surprises. One surprise I struggle with are the volunteer tree seedlings. If I get to them soon enough I can just pull them out but when life gets in the way they get bigger and pulling is no longer an option.
QUESTION.....i do try to dig as many seedlings as I can and replant in to gallon to 20 gal. containers to grow for transplant around the farm. If I can't dig them I have to cut them to prevent them from shading sun loving flowers. That just encourages their roots to grow! How can I rid the flower gardens of these volunteers without also killing surrounding perennials? I hear Targon can kill surrounding plants as well.
TIP to all......don't rake and burn or dispose of all those leaves. I use mine to mulch my flower gardens and the Hosta around my trees. I gently rake (what has not decayed and fertilized the ground) in the spring to reveal new sprouts to the sun. Some beds I leave mulched as the plants grow through the mulch and it helps keep weeds and grass in check.