tofino gardening in november

Tofino gardening in November

by Trina Mattson

the letter 'W'Well , being weather dependent will determine exactly how much or how little we can work in the garden at this time of year.

I've worked out a system that on nice days, those with little to no rain, I go outside and do what I can or what I have to , to clean up and start to winterize the garden. You know, raking leaves, pulling the remaining weeds, planting up the last of the bulbs in the gardens, throwing some mulch on the beds, cutting back perennials, wrapping my shrubbery with rope to prevent splaying if we get any snow, and getting covers ready for those plants that are a little more tender and can't be wrapped, and then more raking leaves.
On the rainy days, I catch up on dreaming about what I'm going to do when the sun is shining, what should be done, and what has to be done. Think about what seeds to plant for next year's vegetables crop, make an inventory list of what types of fertilizers I am low on, and what tools I broke and need to replace next year. Make sure all the pots are emptied out, cleaned and stored. And have a supply of slug bait on hand for early spring when they reappear in February / March. Still busy but prioritizing, and then playing catch up, cause we all know, if there's one day of rain it takes 2-3 days to dry out enough to work in the garden at this time of year.

In November here we are normally still warm enough to plant up bulbs for Spring, transplant trees and shrubs, and kinda shuffle about our gardens, applying a handful or two of lime to the lawns and gardens can still be done. By the end of the month, we should have finished any pruning in the garden, and tools should be cleaned up sharpened and put away for the winter, except when we have drag them back out to take some cuttings for Christmas greenery. Start to think about planting amaryllis and narcissus for forcing by the middle of the month to have blooms by Christmas as well.

Ponds should be cleaned out of any debris and foliage, and if the water temperature has dropped to below ten degrees, you should stop feeding your fish as well. The birdies will need to be fed over the winter, so stock up on some good quality seed for them and a suet bar or two.

Happy Fall/Winter

Trina Mattson runs the Ordinary Corner Nursery in Tofino.

Tofino Time November 2009

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Tofino gardening expert Trina Mattson writes about gardening in November. Published in the November 2009 issue of Tofino Time Magazine.

tofino time november 2009