November’s drop in temperature signals our last chance to put gardens to bed for the winter. These are the tasks to undertake right now:
1. Rake up the last of those pesky leaves and shred them for your flower and vegetable beds. Mulch beds just as the ground starts to freeze but before the first significant snow falls. Save one or two bags of leaves for your composter over winter.
2. Cut back all plants, except those that will give your garden winter interest or feed the birds over the next few months.
3. Remove stakes from vine-type plants and over winter in garage or garden shed.
4. Prune roses to prevent snow damage. Do not compost the leaves as they may carry disease. After a hard frost causes most of the leaves to fall off your roses, hand-remove remaining leaves and then protect the crowns with 10-12 inches of soil. When the soil freezes, protect with another 6-10 inches of leaves or evergreen branches.
5. Plant spring bulbs.
6. Prevent future plant disease by emptying and washing all garden pots. If possible, put them away in a garden shed or garage.
Catalogue Cover from Rareseeds.com
7. Wipe down and cover outdoor furniture.
8. Clear gutters of leaves and debris.
9. Sweep and hose down decks, driveways, walkways and courtyards.
10. Clean, oil, replace and put away all gardening tools.
11. Plug in heat tape.
12. Order seed catalogues or visit seed catalogue websites to select your top picks for next spring’s planting.
13. Fill and hang bird feeders outdoors.
About kaybecomingbeehive
Hi. Thanks so much for visiting Becoming Beehive.
My husband and I moved to Utah a little over seven years ago with two kids in tow. Before taking the plunge, we used to spend about ten weeks a year visiting all around the state. Summer was our favorite time to be here because it was always so quiet…not at all like Jackson Hole. And, being skiers, we liked winter here too. So, we thought…why not live the dream?
Well, “the dream” wasn’t nearly as easy to obtain as it looked on paper! Yes, we made a spreadsheet of "Pros" and "Cons" before packing up our belongings and moving. On paper the "Pros" won out…the reality was very different.
What we didn't count on was how long it would take us to adjust. New schools, new friends, new environment kicked our butts. To be fair, my husband took to Utah like a fish to water...it was me and our kids who did not.
But, I'm happy to write, that finally, seven years later, the clouds of doubt have lifted and we're all enjoying our new hometown. We've got lots of friends, our kids have settled into their respective schools, and we love the weather because it's ideal for living large outdoors.
And that takes me to the point of Becoming Beehive. This blog has evolved since it first started and it will continue to evolve as the months slip by into years. I'm still an organic master gardener and scratch cook...but that's not all I want this blog to be about any more. This blog is about what our family is discovering, what we’re doing, and how our life in transition is going (isn't everyone and everything always in transition?). I'm writing it for myself, for our friends who live elsewhere in the world, and for people who might be thinking about doing the same thing we did ~ making a crazy big move.
I hope you enjoy what you read here. I welcome your comments and questions.
November’s drop in temperature signals our last chance to put gardens to bed for the winter. These are the tasks to undertake right now:
Becoming Beehive 