Things to do this month-November
Things to do in the Garden in November
In the vegetable garden – Sow seeds of Beans, Snow peas, Zucchini, Squash, Pumpkin, Radish, Turnips, Carrots, Sweetcorn and Beetroot. Plant seedlings of Spring Onions, Shallots, Tomatoes, Egg Plant, Chillies, Peppers, Watermelon, Rock Melon, and Silver Beet. Plant more potatoes and spray any earlier crop with copper to prevent Blight, which can also seriously affect Tomatoes. It is sensible not to grow Tomatoes near Potatoes. Apply slug bait. Apply mulch. Provide water and support for peas and climbing Beans. Harvest Broad Beans and blanch and store any surplus in the freezer.
In the flower garden – Plant seeds or seedlings of Petunias, Lobelia, Marigolds, Poppies, Alyssum, Dianthus, Lupins, Bedding Begonias, Candytuft Dahlias and Cleome. Apply fertiliser (Kahuna is ideal) to Camellias, Azaleas plus Rhododendrons and carry out any pruning now to generate flowers for next winter. For Natives, Bush Tucker from Neutrog is very good. Dead-head roses regularly to obtain repeat blooms and spray for Blackspot and aphids. Apply Sudden Impact for Roses at the end of the month after the first flush has been dead-headed. Natives, such as Bottlebrush and Grevilleas are best pruned immediately after flowering to gain good flowering next year. This is a good idea for all flowering shrubs.
Lawns – Control weeds with a broad leaf lawn weeder. Mow regularly but not too low now that warmer days are here. Any “Old Man” plants of Capeweed, remaining, should be dealt with now, dig them out and sow a little lawn seed if gaps are left behind in the lawn.
Fruit trees – Keep the base of all fruit trees free of weeds. Apply Citrus & Fruit Tree fertiliser to all fruit trees. Watch for aphids on plums, peaches & nectarines. Thin the fruit, where necessary, and treat any Scale insects that appear on citrus with White Oil. Ants running up and down the trunks of the trees are a sure sign there are Scale insects somewhere on the tree. The ants ‘farm’ them to obtain the sticky substance exuded by the Scale, which also allows the growth of black mould. Two sprays at a month’s interval may be needed for complete control.
- Ralph
Did you know? The nightshade family of plants includes tomatoes, eggplants (aubergines), potatoes and peppers. Hence if you plant tomatoes and potatoes near each other they will both compete for the same nutrients and are also susceptible to the same diseases. A rule of thumb is to use a minimum of 3 metres apart. Blight is caused by pathogens (eg fungi or bacteria) that results in sudden and severe yellowing, browning, or wilting of leaves, flowers, or stems. Late blight of potato can be caused by a water mould, a disease which led to the Great Irish Famine
