November Ideas, Tips & Guides

My plants must know, better than I do, that winter is on its way. Yet they’re showing little signs of giving up hope yet. The edible dahlias – which in theory I should be lifting this month – are still unbelievably floriferous. I took this picture on yesterday morning, after chopping back the floppiest ones yesterday. Ryan took the ‘discarded’ flowers round to his mum.

I haven’t spent a lot of time in the garden recently (that seems to be my refrain this year!). I keep nipping out to fill up the bird feeders, but that’s about as far as it gets. To be honest, I am suffering under the deluge of hate and horror that’s been in the news this year. Brexit and Trump both appear to be be both disastrous and unstoppable, every day brings fresh stories of vulnerable people being subjected to sexual harassment (and many other forms of exploitation) by the rich and powerful, and the evidence that we’re doing irreversible harm to our beautiful planet just keeps piling up.

There’s something nice about the idea that there’s not much to do in the garden in November. That the gardener can potter around doing little bits and pieces, and justifiably spend the wet ones indoors. It’s like a holiday from the garden, after a long season of hard work.

Dahlias are having a good year due to the summer rain. Slugs permitting my Cactus Dahlias will have given one of the best shows for several years by November when they get cut down and stored. As I expect the flower power will still be present until the first frosts in November I am going to give them a foutnightly tonic of liquid fertiliser and a further mulch.

“Never Underestimate the Healing Power of a Quiet Moment in the Garden.” ~Anonymous~

Rob Last reports, “Strawberry crops continue to develop well with minimal pest and disease pressure so far. Fall vegetables are progressing towards the market. We continue to see pest pressure from caterpillars, and a few isolated aphids have been spotted during scouting. As we progress towards the holiday season, scouting of crops remains of vital importance to catch insect infestation and disease progression early for treatments to be effective.”

“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.”  ~William Cullen Bryant~

Sasanqua and camellia hybrids are beautiful fall flowering, evergreen shrubs.

The “Jurassic Garden” at the South Carolina Botanical Garden represents plant groups that trace their lineage back to at least the late Jurassic/early Cretaceous — a place where you can see dinosaur tracks, fossil casts, and the plants.

Zack Snipes reports, “After a long Thanksgiving nap, I was able to waddle out in the fields and look at some strawberries. We have had some really good strawberry growing weather especially considering most folks got their plants out somewhat late this year. We need some cold weather to slow them down a bit in places. I have seen a tiny bit of plant collapse and death in some spots within the fields. It is very important to send these plants into our lab to get a positive identification of the pathogen. Phytophthora crown rot and anthracnose crown rot can cause similar symptoms but are managed differently. For information on how to submit a sample during COVID times, click here. I am also keeping my eye on a good bit of leaf spotting in some fields to make sure it’s not the new disease, Neopestalotiopsis. I don’t think we have it yet, but being proactive is better than being reactive. More information on that disease can be found here.”

Can’t travel right now to see the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona? Come for a visit to the South Carolina Botanical Garden to see selection of the interesting native plants at the Chihuahuan Desert Garden Display.

“As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see.” ~Vincent van Gogh~

“It is always the simple that produces the marvelous.”

Zack Snipes reports, “It feels like winter showed up this past week with cold, windy, gloomy days. Most, if not all of our strawberries have been planted. With the cool weather showing up and our later planting dates this year, some growers are opting to use lightweight row covers to push their plants along a little bit. A few things to remember if you opt to do this: use lightweight row covers, make sure all disease and insect issues are taken care of before putting the row covers on, and only leave them on for a few weeks. We want to encourage some growth of our plants, but we don’t want our plants getting too big and succulent going into the winter. I visited several farms this week with poor-quality fruit trees. A common thread between these plantings is planting depth. In our sandy soils, plants will sink over time, so as Phillip Carnley says, “plant them proud,” which means plant them higher than you think they should be planted. Over time, the plants will settle into the correct depth. Pecans, blueberries, and other crops will not grow roots from their trunks, so over time, the plant will rot, and pathogens will get into the plant when they are buried too deep.”

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“Autumn carries more gold in its pockets than any other season.” ~Jim Bishop~

“Everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.” ~Elizabeth Lawrence~

Rob Last reports, “In our area, pest and disease pressure have reduced in response to cooler dryer conditions. Keep an eye on soil moisture and continue to regularly scout crops.”

The Last Gasp of Fall Color

Rob Last reports, “Crops are continuing to develop well with few insect or disease problems. The disease pressure may increase given the welcome rainfall forecast today. Please remember to scout regularly and thoroughly. Problems caught early are easier to manage.”

A Recent Garden Tour of Historic St. Francisville, Louisiana.

Architectural Tour of the Beautiful Historic Town of St. Francisville, Louisiana

Zack Snipes reports, “We missed a lot of rain and wind from the hurricane that came through. The rain was much needed. We got pretty chilly last night, which will really help all of our fall crops.  Strawberry cut-offs are starting to push out, which is always a relief for growers. I’ve gotten many questions about using products to manage phytophthora root rot in strawberries. Unless you have had specific issues in a field before, your plants are suspect of the disease, or we have copious amounts of rain, I’m not sure there is a good return on investment for running products through the drip. When we preventatively apply these products, we also run into resistance issues in seasons down the road.”

Rob Last reports, “Strawberry plants have arrived in the last two weeks and are in the ground. Overall, the plantings look good. One thing to consider is using overhead irrigation to establish the plants. Given the dry soil conditions, irrigation will be critical. We did receive some welcome but variable showers over the weekend, totaling between 0.1 and 0.3 inches of rain, which will be insufficient for the strawberry establishment and crop development. Fall brassicas in the area are currently developing well with few disease issues. However, I am finding increasing numbers of diamondback moths, imported cabbageworms, and a low incidence of whitefly activity. Remember to rotate the modes of action for insecticides to prevent resistance. Remember to treat early, as smaller larvae may be easier to control. Scouting is critical.”

The effect of row covers on spider mite pest problems is not entirely clear. Studies in NC found that row covers did not influence spider mites during cold winters and when transplants were NOT infested with spider mites initially. Mite-infested transplants will likely fare worse. During warmer weather, extended row cover use appeared to exacerbate spider mite problems. Lastly, if you plan on buying and releasing predatory mites, you must release them when spider mite populations are still low and also avoid using broad-spectrum insecticides (e.g., pyrethroids). Some acaricides are also safer than others (e.g., Acramite and Nealta are safer than abamectin products). Furthermore, sulfur-based fungicides can also be harmful to predatory mites, so avoid spraying these fungicides immediately before or after releasing any predators.”

Today’s update will be our final update of 2022. With things slowing down in the field, we will take some time to focus on other projects, and the Weekly Field Updates will resume in January.

A tour of Rosedown Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana. The house was built in 1834 and was completed by May 1835. It was the home of Daniel and Martha Turnbull.

Recent Fall Foliage at Crooked Trail Farm in Upstate South Carolina.

Whatever tool you choose and however hard you work, thanks to that prankster the wind there is no perfection possible, though, and maybe that’s a good thing, because leaves left to lie where they fall can be a home to unseen beneficial creatures (more on that below).In go the last bulbs this month (including garlic, if it hasn’t yet); into the cellar go the last tender things. I’m still weeding (true; until the ground freezes and I can no more), mowing (until it stops growing, I’ll persist)—and also saving some seeds for

One of the very enjoyable results of this frost-free autumn is that the nasturtiums are still in perfect condition – better actually than earlier on when caterpillars were chomping holes in them.  Now the caterpill

November in the Garden

Welcome, flower enthusiasts and November babies! Did you know that every month is associated with a particular flower that represents it? And for those born in November, you have not one but two gorgeous blooms to call your own. So, let’s take a moment to appreciate the beauty and symbolism of November Birth Month Flowers! Let’s dive in!

Check out the best Best Balcony Garden Pictures of November 2021 from Instagram that will surely help you to get ideas on how you can revamp yours!

Started from October, this is third in the monthly series where we pick the best gardening ideas from social media and bring them to you. Here are theTop Balcony Gardens of November 2020! 

Around the country in November, the weather turns cooler and outdoor gardening may fade from top of mind. But the fall season is still a productive time for planting in many warmer regions around the United States — as long as you’re strategic about it.