Gardening in November

As I sit here and look at the calender i'm like what is there to do in the garden for Nov. I took my ? to the web and evidentially things are still to be done no vacation yet fellow gardeners lol.


Protect cauliflower curds by folding over the leaves. This will keep the cauliflowers a nice creamy white.

Brussels sprouts ready
for picking


Turnip


Clay forcing pots were
traditionally used for
forcing seakale and rhubarb


Make your own leafmold

Winter cover

Make sure that bare ground is covered. Autumn leaves make a good winter mulch spread over the soil protecting it from heavy rainfall.

You can use leaves collected last autumn, or, when they fall this year. Your local council may deliver leaves on request to allotments and other sites where lorry access is possible. Ask for parks and cemetery leaves, rather than street swept ones.

Vegetables that can still be planted this month

Garlic

Plant in November, or even later on light soils. The sooner the better for the best crop. It is preferable to plant named varieties of garlic, such as Thermidrome and Printantor, rather than using left-over cloves from garlic bought from the greengrocer. This will avoid the risk of introducing disease, and help ensure you are growing a variety suited to the UK. Some varieties of garlic, such as Printanor, can also be planted in early spring, but will give much better yields if it goes through a cold period over winter. There is a useful article on garlic growing in issue 169 of The Organic Way (pages 29-31). Members can download back copies of The Organic Way here.

Broad beans

Broad beans are traditionally sown in autumn (late October to early December) for an early summer crop. Autumn sown plants are also less attractive to blackfly. But their success can be variable; mice and wet conditions can cut plant numbers considerably. Sow in November in a well drained spot. Dress soil with a potash fertiliser if chocolate spot disease is a regular problem. Use extra hardy cultivars such as Super Aquadulce, Aquadulce Claudia, Imperial Green Longpod, or The Sutton (a bush variety good for small gardens under a cloche). If autumn sown crops tend to fail in your garden, don't despair; some of the spring sown cultivars can produce a crop that is almost as early.

Hardy peas

Round seeded, hardy peas can be sown now for a June crop. Suitable varieties include Douce Provence, Feltham First, Meteor and Pilot. They can also be sown in the spring. Pea seeds are a favourite with mice, so it is not worth sowing them now where mice are a problem.

I have planted Roses yall

This year was my first introduction to planting roses I have 3 rose bushes (later i will get into the varieties) I want to draw attention to taking care of them the reason it has taken me so long(3 years to be exact) is because every Gardner I came in contact with would tell me its hard to grow roses, you have to do this you have to do that but so far so good so i'm crossing my fingers for next year here is some tips to help you create a rose garden.


Black Spot: Black spot is a fungus that is very common during humid weather because it is a water-bourne disease. As its name implies, small black spots form on leaves and stems, eventually causing the leaves to drop and weakening the plant.


Treatment: Choose black spot resistant varieties and be meticulous about sanitation. Water the roots of the rose, avoiding the foliage. Water in the morning, so that splashed leaves have time to dry off. If Black Spot is an annual problem, try a dormant spray of lime sulfur at the end of the season and again in early summer. Once Black Spot appears, it is hard to stop. Neem oil and Sprays containing Potassium bicarbonate are somewhat effective.


Downy Mildew: Downy mildew is a very serious disease that spreads rapidly and can defoliate a rose plant in days. It is not as common as Black Spot and favors cool, wet weather. Purple spots with yellow edges form , often on the veins on the top side of the leaves and along the stems. Pale gray fuzz can form on the under side of the leaves. The leaves will eventually become brittle and fall.


Treatment: The good news is that Downy Mildew often clears up with the weather. To reduce the chance of Downy Mildew, practice good garden sanitation and keep the rose plants well pruned for air circulation. As with other diseases, a dormant spray may help.

Rust: A Rust infection is easy to spot. Small orange pustules spots form on the undersides of the leaves. This fungus can also cause defoliation. Rust is most prevalent when nights are cool.

Treatment: Treatment of Rust is similar to treatment of Black Spot, above: Good sanitation and a preventative dormant spray after pruning. Once infected, remove all infected leaves and try Neem oil for control.


Mosaic Virus: Once a rose is infected with Rose Mosaic Virus, there’s not much to be done except check with the nursery for a replacement. Rose Mosaic Virus shows up as yellow mottling on leaves and deformed new growth. It can stunt growth or it can be a mild infection. If there are only a few affected leaves, the plant may continue growing and blooming fine. The really good news is that it won’t spread to your other roses.

Garden QUOTES

I love a great quote which is why I have chosen this topic. Quotes can inspire and make you see the world in a whole new way so these are a few quotes i have ran across about Gardening enjoy.



My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~H. Fred Dale (Thanks, Anne)


Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. ~Lou Erickson


Science, or para-science, tells us that geraniums bloom better if they are spoken to. But a kind word every now and then is really quite enough. Too much attention, like too much feeding, and weeding and hoeing, inhibits and embarrasses them. ~Victoria Glendinning

In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful. ~Abram L. Urban


Weather means more when you have a garden. There's nothing like listening to a shower and thinking how it is soaking in around your green beans. ~Marcelene Cox

God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done. ~Author Unknown


Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. ~Lindley Karstens, noproblemgarden.com

10 uses for orange peels

10 Unique Uses for Orange Peel

Orange is a delicious fruit. Not only the inner part of orange (fruit) but also the outer part (peel) is useful in many ways. Here are the ten unique uses for orange peels.

As A Bathing Powder Dry some orange peels and make them as a powder. Use this powder

regularly for bathing to make your skin glow.

Mosquito Repellent Apply orange peels over your exposed skin on nights to repel the mosquitoes.

Get Rid of Ants Take few orange peels in a cup of warm water. Make it as puree in a blender. Pour this solution into the anthills to prevent ants.

As a Scent Boil orange peels on the stove with a few cloves to make your home filled with scent.
Keeps Brown Sugar Soft If you place a piece of orange peel in your bag of brown sugar the sugar will stay soft.

As Bath Oil Dried orange peels can be used as homemade bath oils. Orange peels can be used in dried flower arrangements.

Household Cleaner Limonene, a carbon-based compound that makes up around 95% of the oil found in orange peel is often used to give household cleaners a citrus smell.

For Kindling in Winter Dried orange peels can be used as kindling at fire places. The flammable oils found inside the peels enable them to burn much longer than paper.

Protects Leaves of Household Plants From Cats Rub the leaves of your house plants with orange peel once a month and put some orange peels on the surface of the soil in potted plants which prevents them destroyed from cats.

Make Delicious Oil You can make delicious homemade oil with orange peels. Place some orange peels and cranberries in olive oil and close it with a cork. You can observe a wonderful flavor to the oil after some weeks.

Orange peels can help us lower environmental pollution: Scientists are researching to make plastic from orange peel (orange peels have a carbon compound limonene) which is eco-friendly.

Seed Tape

It's difficult to space tiny seeds, such as carrots, in the garden. The best way to solve this problem is to make homemade seed tape. Here's how to do it:

1. Unroll a strip of toilet paper on a table (double ply works best), mist it with a sprayer, and place the seeds along the center of the strip. Be sure to space the seeds based on the seed packet's recommendation. Tip: Alternate carrot seeds with radish seeds because when the radishes sprout, they help to mark the row and break the ground.

2. Starting along the strip's long edge, fold a third of the paper over the seeds, then fold the other third over to cover the seeds completely. Lightly tamp the paper, misting it again to secure the seeds. Make as many of these strips as you need. Then carefully carry them to the garden.

3. Make shallow furrows in the prepared soil, lay the strips down, and cover them. In a jiffy, your small seeds will be planted and perfectly spaced.

Sweet Mace or Mexican Mint (Tagetes lucida) Enjoy this late-blooming marigold in teas, drinks; a great flavoring for many dishes. This old Hispanic heirloom is hard to find nowadays, but is still a great garden plant that is easy to grow and quite flavorful.

The plus to this flower is that it repels pest.

Other uses have included treat-ment for colds, fevers, coughs, wounds, infections, rashes, and wasp and bee stings.

Marigolds are very easy to grow from seed. The seed is fairly large and easy to handle. It germinates quickly and the resulting seedlings are large and easy to identify. Transplanting marigolds grown from seed is a pleasant garden task, as the seedlings have well developed root systems, strong stems and tough leaves.

Marigold seed may also be sown directly in the flower garden. Wait until all risk of frost is past, sow the seed, cover lightly and water in well. Germination outside in the garden will be slower than in the seed flat, and expect a lower germination rate. The marigold seedlings may come in closer together than you wish. The seedlings may be transplanted to other areas of the garden

They are also the wedding flower in India.

gladiodias a must grow flower

GROWING GREAT GLADS
For the gardener with little time to spend in the yard, gladiolus are a colorful, easy care plant, perfect for borders and large containers. They make great cut flowers, too! Selecting a variety of glads and staggering their planting dates will produce a succession of height and bloom from spring through fall.


GLADS ARE EASY TO GROW!
Most garden soils that will produce a good crop of vegetables or weeds
will also grow good glads with little or no added fertilizer. Glads prefer
good air circulation and full sunlight but will do reasonably well with a
little high shade in early morning or late afternoon. Choose an area
with good drainage. Glads don't like wet feet! Raised beds are an
ideal solution.
Plant only clean, plump gladiolus corms (also known as bulbs).
Here in the valley, foothills, and Bay Area, plant a few glad corms
every week or two, from late January through early April. That way,
there will always be a gladiolus in bloom throughout the warm weather months.
Plant gladiolus corms three to five inches deep and from four to six inches apart, with the tip side facing upwards.


GLADS ARE EASY TO CARE FOR...AND ENJOY!
Water regularly while they are growing or blooming, perhaps once a week.
Water twice a week during heat waves. Weed by shallow cultivation
and hand weeding. A three inch layer of mulch of bark, straw, leaves,
grass clippings, etc., between rows will discourage weeds and help conserve moisture.
To get the most enjoyment of glads as a cut flower indoors, cut off the flowering
stalk when the lowest buds begin to open. Be sure to keep at least four leaves
on the plant to allow the corm to renew itself for the following year.
At the end of the season, cut off the stem just below the lowest flower buds.
This keeps the energy from the leaves flowing towards the corm, not to seed production.

GLADIOLUS CAN GET BUGGED!
Thrips are one of the most damaging insects to glads, especially in the summer.
Look for silvery flecks on the foliage and silver or brown blemishes on the flowers
and buds. You may also see their black droppings on the leaves.
These tiny (less than 1/20th of an inch long) creatures scrape away the plant tissue,
suck the juice and lay their eggs inside. Control thrips with a blast of water from
the hose or insecticidal soap. Healthy plants can outgrow thrip damage.



CAN YOU DIG IT? SURE! BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO EVERY YEAR!
Here, where the ground doesn't freeze in the winter, you may choose
not to dig up your corms. However, disease brought on by too much
rain and too cool of a soil, as well as eventual crowding, may reduce
the amount and quality of next year's bloom.
It is suggested that you dig and divide your corms every couple of years
in the fall, being sure to discard any damaged or diseased corms.
The plant should be separated from the corm as close to the corm
as possible, either by hand breaking or cutting with pruning shears.
Store any lifted corms in a cool, dry place, in single layers in a flat or
ventilated tray. Then, replant those corms the following February or March.