As months go, November is part of winter. No longer can we hope for cool, crisp, sparkling blue skies as a backdrop for oranges and yellows on the trees. Its time to batten down the beds.

Fallen leaves can be left on the lawn if they can be chopped with the mower and you can still see the grass through the pieces. Collect any excess leaves to use later this month to stuff around caged roses and to cover perennials. You can heap them now into annual flowerbeds and vegetable gardens as a winter mulch. If first chopped by your mower, they will decompose enough by next spring to simply work them in to improve heavy clay soil.

Clean up the mower and garden tools before storing them for the winter. Pesticides should be moved to a dry spot where they won't freeze. Be sure they are securely out of the reach of children, too.

Cornstalks, ornamental gourds and pumpkins that may have been nipped by frost and therefore will not store for long can be enjoyed as seasonal decorations until it is time to replace them with evergreen boughs and wreaths.

 

First Week

The most important fertilizer application of the year for your lawn is the one in late October or early November. Apply 1/2 to 1 lb. of nitrogen per thousand square feet. Select a product that has more slow-release nitrogen than fast release nitrogen.


Take soil samples for testing to your county UW-Extension office or other State approved lab. Separate samples should be taken from areas that are used differently or have different light and moisture conditions. Combine several individual samples from a single area to make a composite sample.


Fertilize trees and shrubs that showed signs of stress this year such as early fall color or smaller, paler or fewer leaves. Using a fertilizer with 12 - 20 percent nitrogen, deciduous trees need 1 - 2 lbs. per 100 sq. ft. of area over the root zone. Evergreen trees only need one pound. Give shrubs growing alone 4 oz. per foot of height or spread, whichever is greater. Shrubs grouped in beds need 2 lbs. per 100 sq. ft. of bed area.


Cole crops like Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and kale are made sweeter by frost so harvest them as long as possible.

Root crops are insulated from frost by the ground so they can be left in the garden and dug as needed. A thick layer of mulch will prolong the harvest. You may even find yourself shoveling off the snow to gather a few last carrots and parsnips.

Finish mounding soil around hardy garden chrysanthemums to a final depth of about 8". Then cut stems leaving them approximately 2" longer. After Thanksgiving add a 2" layer of mulch or cover with evergreen boughs.


Spring flowering bulbs can still be planted as long as the ground is not frozen. For something different, try the 'minor bulbs' like Serbian Squill, Glory of the Snow, Snowdrops, and Puschkinia.


Pot up some spring flowering bulbs for indoor forcing. Crocus and hyacinth bulbs stored for 8 weeks in the back of your refrigerator will produce blooms three weeks after they are brought into a warmer room. Narcissus (daffodils) and tulips require 12 - 14 weeks of cold treatment and should be potted up before chilling.


Check houseplants for insects that may have come indoors as you brought the plants inside. Pick pests off by hand or use insecticidal soap or Sunspray (ultrafine) oil to control. Give foliage a sponge bath or shower regularly to keep leaf pores clear.

Outdoor planters, hanging baskets, and window boxes should be emptied and washed thoroughly with soap and a mild bleach solution before storing for next year. Store plastic, clay and concrete containers where they will not get wet or freeze.

 

Second Week

Lawns left too tall over the winter encourage disease problems like snow mold and tunneling of meadow mice. Mow one final time at 2 - 2 1/2 inches.

Mark or make a mental note of lawn areas infested with crabgrass this year so you can spot treat with a pre-emergent herbicide next spring. Crabgrass is easy to see now since it turns purple and then brown when killed by frost.

Prune everbearing raspberries if you did not do so after this fall's harvest. If you cut or mow all canes to the ground now there will be no spring harvest but a much larger fall harvest next year. It also reduces insect and disease problems.


Water all needle and broadleaf evergreens one last time before the ground freezes since winter wind and sun will continue to demand water from these plants through their leaves all winter. Excess water loss can lead to "winter burn" or death.

Amaryllis bulbs that have rested for at least 10 weeks can be repotted, watered and brought into a bright room to produce flowers for the holidays.


Keep checking tomatoes and other produce in storage discarding the rotting fruits and using those that are mature
 

Third Week

Wrap the trunks of young and tender trees to prevent sunscald. Paper tree wrap can prevent the rapid temperature changes in the bark that cause frost cracking and sunscald. They do not provide protection from the chewing of mice, voles, rabbits and other pests. For this use plastic or wire applied at least 1 - 2 feet higher up the trunk than the expected snow level. Clear away weeds, tall grass and leaves from the trunk area to reduce nesting sites for these pests, too.
   

Move pesticides and plastic equipment to a place where they will not freeze. Always store pesticides in locked cabinets or up out of reach of children. Keep them in their original containers. Cover labels with clear plastic tape to keep them clean and legible. File supplemental label information where it can be easily found and referred to before application next season.
 

Stop fertilizing indoor plants now since they will use less water and nutrients due to the lower light levels.

Keep flowering Thanksgiving cactuses well watered and out of drafts. Avoid moving them while in flower since this may cause them to drop flower buds.
 
 

Fourth Week

Mulch layers can be applied to perennial vegetables and flowers as soon as the top 1 - 2 inches of the ground are frozen. Apply at least 2 - 4 inches of mulch to help moderate temperature fluctuations that can heave plant crowns out of the ground as it freezes and thaws during late winter and early spring.

Rose bushes caged in chicken wire and mounded with soil earlier in the season can be mulched with leaves now that the soil is probably frozen.


Delay all unnecessary pruning until late winter or early spring just before budbreak since wounds will heal most quickly when the tree or shrub is growing most vigorously. Elms, maples, birches and black walnut can be pruned after the sap has stopped "rising". Sap running from wounds does not harm the tree.

This is a good time to clean, sharpen, and oil garden tools and equipment. Oil and store gas powered equipment like lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Repair shops are in a slow period (at least until the snow flies and snow blowers need repair) so arrange for a tune-up and blade sharpening now.