November heralds cooler weather and the first snow of the season for many areas of the Ohio Valley. Gardening tasks this month focus primarily on preparing for winter. Take advantage of those few remaining warm days to complete your November lawn maintenance.
November Ohio Valley Gardening
When you look around, you might be surprised to see a number of gardening tasks that still need attention in November. See the Central Ohio Valley job listing below for additional positions.
Lawns and trees
At the top of our November gardening to-do list is removing fall leaves from the lawn before snow falls. Some leaves are fine, but thick mounds can damage the lawn and kill weeds. Leaf mulch also promotes snow mold and encourages rodent damage. Be sure to check these additional things to do off your Ohio Valley to-do list before winter hits the region.
Feed the lawn with a slow-release fertilizer. This helps keep the lawn green all winter long. Once the leaves have fallen, check the trees and shrubs. Cut off dead or unwanted branches. Take preventative measures on trees and reduce winter damage from deer and rodents.
Flowerbeds
November maintenance in the garden includes resting flower beds for the rest of the year. By now, many mums and perennials have stopped blooming and most spring bulbs have been planted. Fewer weeds grow in the fall, making fall the best time to add flower beds to Central Ohio Valley gardening areas.
Once temperatures reach 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 degrees C), it’s time to winterize the rose bushes with a thick layer of mulch, leaves, or artificial rose cones. Water, dead mums, and blooming perennials. If you cut them back, be sure to put down a heavy layer of straw, leaves, or pine needles to protect the roots.
vegetables and fruits
By this time, the garden should be very low maintenance in November. You can take out any residual plant matter, tomato poles, or trellises.
If the plant patch has a significant pest problem this year, consider fallowing to reduce overwintering populations.
Crops, such as carrots, that can be kept in the ground over the winter will benefit from a thick layer of mulch.
November is the ideal time to add horseradish or garlic to your Ohio Valley gardening plans. Dig up and divide rhubarb plants. Mulch the strawberry plants with straw once nighttime temperatures reach 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 C.).
Miscellaneous Use these cool days of the month to do several November gardening tasks inside your garage or storage shed. This is a great time to clean up and organize tools, as well as review chemicals and gardening supplies.
Continue to care for houseplants, as many of them need less water and fertilizer in the winter. Of course, install those softwood cuttings that have sent up new roots.
Here are a few more items to cross off your Ohio Valley to-do list this month:
Choose a sunny day to unplug and remove the hose from the year. Radiant heat makes it easy to wrap.
Prepare your snow removal equipment for the upcoming winter season. Attach snow blowers to trucks or tractors with snow blades. Fill the equipment with new fuel.
Clean the gutters.
Wash garden gloves.