November Gardening Tips
Ideas on what to plant in your garden during the fall and winter months.
Nashville, Ark. – November marks the start of the dormant season which runs through February. Perennials will need to be cut back as they finish for the year. If you have hardy trees or shrubs that need moved in the yard, now is the time to move them. The roots will reestablish quicker when they are not supporting any top growth. You must be careful while digging plants while the temperature is cold. You want to minimize the exposure of roots to cold temperatures or drying winds. A great way to do this is to have the new hole ready before uplifting any plant you want to move. Plants that struggle in winter weather such as hydrangeas, azaleas and figs should be moved at the end of the dormant season, allowing the bulk of winter weather to pass beforehand.
Trees
If you want to plant a new tree, now is the ideal time. Soils will still have some residual heat, and we often get ample rainfall throughout the fall and winter months. While the trees are dormant, they can get busy putting on roots. Choose trees based on their mature size. If you are looking for a particular fall color, choosing the tree while it still has some fall color will help determine what you want. Be aware of your surroundings when planting to make sure you avoid planting beneath power lines.
Annuals and Bulbs
If you haven’t planted winter annuals yet, you need to do so soon. There are many ways to add seasonal color to a garden including pansies, violas, flowering kale, or cabbage. You have through mid-December to plant seasonal color, but they will manage the cold better if they have a chance to establish a root system. November is also a wonderful time to plant spring flowering bulbs. The colder weather during the winter months provides dry bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths with the chilling hours that they need. This helps them grow and reach their full potential. Bulbs should be planted at two to three times the size of the bulbs deep. Bulbs do not require fertilizing because they contain everything when you buy them.
Garden Clean-up
Clean-up in the garden is an ongoing process. Typically, there will be a lot of plant material you can add to the compost pile if that is something in which you are interested. How happy and healthy you end your garden, can determine how well it starts back in the spring.
For more information, call the Howard County Extension Office at 870-845-7517 or visit our website https://www.uaex.uada.edu/. The Howard County Extension Office is a Division of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
By Dawson Bailey
County Extension Agent - Agriculture
The Cooperative Extension Service
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Media Contact: Dawson Bailey
County Extension Agent - Agriculture
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
421 N. Main Nashville AR 71852
(870) 845-7517
dbailey@uada.edu
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