November 2007 - Slowing down for winter

November, Winter's here so things have slowed down now, it's mainly a case of keeping things tidy this month. Don't forget if you're going to have a bonfire this month, especially on the 5th, and you've been making it for a while, make sure that there are no hedgehogs in it before you ignite it.

Lawns if it's dry and your lawn still needs a cut then you're still OK to do so, just make sure that you do not cut it short (leave it about 1.5 inches/3.5cm long). If it hasn't grown that much though it's best to leave it alone. Keep leaves cleared up, this will stop the grass going yellow underneath. Hopefuly we'll see that most of the leaves have fallen by the end of the month. If you have any bare patches on your lawn it is now too late to sow grass seed but you can still lay turf, but don't do this either if the weather is too cold.Try to stay off your lawn first thing in the morning, until any frost has gone because if you do walk on it when frosty you are likely to leave brown marks on your lawn and damage it.

Greenhouse If you did plant Sweet Peas last month they should be up by now. Once they are 4-5 leaves high, pinch the tip out to encourage bushy growth.Once this is done then they can go into a cold frame if your greenhouse is heated or stay in the greenhouse if it is unheated, as heat will make them grow too much. Just keep an eye on them to make sure that they do not dry out. Keep an eye on the greenhouse to make sure it stays at the temperature that you want it to if you are heating it and keep an eye on any plants to make sure that they also do not dry out.Any Pelargoniums you have kept can now be cut back, don't water them too much though and do not feed them either.Any other plants you have, make sure that any dead leaves and flowers are removed.

Vegetable Garden Leeks, parsnips and brussel sprouts can all start to be harvested now.If you have any root crops like carrots, swede or beetroot then lift them out and store them in dry sand in a frost free dark place, to use as required.Depending on what variety of garlic you are growing, most can be planted out now, some though are best left until Spring.This month you can continue digging over your soil if you didn't get round to it last month, making sure that you incorporate any compost. You can still leave this chore for another month if you wish to do so.Any frost now will help to break up the soil and any insects in the soil will then be eaten by the birds.

Borders Continue to cut down any herbacious plants that may be left. Don't cut down any Penstemons you may have though, just dead head them and leave cutting them back until Spring, doing this will ensure that the old tops help protect the crown over Winter.You can plant Tulips if you want them to bloom in Spring.Basically November is the last chance to plant any Winter bedding.

Pruning Prune apple and pear trees now. If you haven't pruned your roses back a bit then do it now as it will stop them from being rocked by the Winter winds

Birds Continue to ensure that you keep your bird feeders and water baths clean and stocked up with different feeds. The temperature is now colder and the nights have drawn in so the birds that you have been feeding all through this year need as much help as you can give now as they try to fatten up over the Winter periods.

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