November in the Garden

Feel that brisk chill in the air each morning? November is the month that finally feels like fall has arrived here in Central Texas. If it cools down enough at night, we may even see some fall color in the trees and shrubs. Of course that also means that deciduous plants will begin to shed their leaves in earnest, providing plenty of raw material for homemade mulch and compost. The average first freeze for Austin (Camp Mabry) is anywhere from November 29th through December 5th depending on the period of record. See below for things that should be on your November gardening to-dos. Happy gardening!

November Garden Tips

Flowers to Plant

• Allyssum, Sweet
• Calendula
• Centaurea
• Johnny Jump Up
• Larkspur
• Pansies
• Snapdragon
• Sweet Pea

Vegetable Seeds to Sow

• Beets (early Nov)
• Carrots (early Nov)
• Fava Beans (early Nov)
• Greens – cool season
• Radishes
• Turnips (early-mid Nov)

Herb Seeds to Sow

• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Dill

Things to Transplant

• Garlic
• Shallots
• Strawberries

Things to Sow or Transplant

• Asian Greens
• Collards (early-mid Nov)
• Kale
• Kohlrabi (early Nov)
• Lettuce
• Mustard (early-mid Nov)
• Spinach
• Swiss Chard (early-mid Nov)

November Garden To-Dos

Fall is time for planting!

Fall is the best time of year to plant perennials, trees, shrubs, vines, or ground covers here in Central Texas. New stocks of perennials and grasses should be available at local nurseries, so plant early before frost arrives later this month. Plant spring blooming bulbs. It’s also time to plant wildflower seeds (you have until Thanksgiving). Many veggie gardeners find the fall season to be more productive than spring in our area, so check out the Veggie Planting Calendar to plan your fall veggie garden.

Average last frost date: November 27th

Get ready to protect newly planted plants, veggies, and tender landscape plants before a freeze. Inspect and clean up potted plants that are moved indoors, treating them first for any pests. Mulch everything – all plants and even bare soil. If a freeze is expected, water plants beforehand, as dry plants are much more susceptible to cold damage. Drape row cover, sheets or blankets over plants, sealing in the heat from the ground by securing the fabric well at the soil line. Buckets and other containers can be used in a similar manner, or special cold frames or hoop houses can be constructed.

In the veggie garden

Plant root crops, such as carrots, beets, radishes and turnips in small sections for continual harvest. After these seeds sprout and they get their first set of true leaves, thin so they are 2-3” apart. The thinned tops are edible and can be added to salads, soups, sandwiches, wraps, casseroles or quiche. Keep root crops well-watered for best flavor. Winter garden cover crop options include cereal rye, hairy vetch, fava beans, clover or Austrian winter peas.

Before the first frost

Harvest basil, parsley, and cilantro before the temperatures fall below 40°. Harvest tomatoes and other cold-sensitive veggies before the first frost too. Cover and protect the soil in unused vegetable beds with mulch, leaves, straw or cover crops.

Spray the landscape weekly with seaweed

We actually recommend doing this all year round to maintain the overall health and vigor of your plants. A good source of potassium and other micro-nutrients, it helps plants in the summer with the heat, and also with the cold in the winter. If doing traditional fertilizing, only cool-season vegetables should be fertilized, as needed, with a moderate application of 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio fertilizer.

Mulch those leaves

Use a mulching mower instead of raking leaves off the grass. Or, use the lawnmower and bag attachment to shred leaves for the compost pile

Prepare the soil winter weather

Check mulch and replenish if necessary. Stockpile leaves for mulch and composting all year. Prepare vegetable beds that won’t be planted with a mulch of leaves and compost to cover the soil completely. Take advantage of good weather to build up soil in other beds so they are ready for winter plantings.

Overseed for a winter lawn

Overseed lawn with winter rye. Use perennial rye for a thin bladed, slower growing green winter lawn. It will die in the spring as the weather warms up as it is not really a perennial in Texas.

Things to prune

Prune back chrysanthemums almost to the ground after blooming. Protect them from freezes and you’ll enjoy another show in the springtime.  When leaves are still on the trees the dead branches are much easier to spot, so now is a good time to prune out dead limbs from trees and shrubs before the leaves fall. Remove long, gangly shoots on shrubs. Remove dead and damaged wood from shrubs and trees to reduce debris from windstorms.

Last chance to plant wildflowers, divide perennials

Time is running to get those beautiful spring wildflowers in the ground. Get out there before Thanksgiving and get to it. You will be thankful you did next spring!

Garden Tips courtesy of The Natural Gardener and Texas AgriLife Extension.