November is the time of year to wind up your fall gardening work and prepare for winter. Depending on where you live, this month may be chilly or mild; either way, there are still many things that you can do to keep your garden looking good through the winter.

If you want to add some colour to your yard, try planting a few flowers that bloom throughout the winter like pansies and polyanthus.

Plant Bulbs

Bulbs are a great way to brighten up the landscape when it is bare and dull. They come in a wide variety of colors and shapes, blooming at different times.

It can be tempting to think of bulb planting as a casual chore you get to do on a fine fall day. However, it is important to plan your bulb plantings carefully.

Before planting bulbs, work a few inches of compost or organic material into the soil for nutrients and drainage. Then plant the bulbs at the desired depth, and water them deeply to help settle the soil in the planting hole and give them the required moisture for rooting.

Harvest Vegetables

November is a good time to harvest vegetables. It’s when many fall favorites are in season, and you can start making a lot of hearty soups and casseroles.

This is also a great time to start planting cool-season vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and lettuce. The soil is still cool, and if you mulch well, these crops will stay in the ground longer and produce a bigger yield.

Plant Garlic

Garlic is a cool-season crop that does best in fall planting. It needs to go through a “chilling” period, a bio-chemical response that initiates flower formation and root growth.

Plant garlic cloves, pointed end up, about 2 to 3 inches deep and 6 inches apart in rows. Add a layer of straw mulch to suppress weeds and prevent frost-heaving.

Then side-dress with nitrogen fertilizer in May to promote good growth and high yields. Decrease watering as harvest nears to protect the outside layers of the bulb from decay.

Plant Christmas Trees

The Christmas tree industry is in a growth phase again. For home gardeners, this means a spike in sales of living trees to be planted in the landscape instead of buying full-sized fresh cut Christmas trees.

The trick to growing your own Christmas tree is to understand the basics of how a tree grows, including what soil it will do best on and when it needs nutrients added. A soil analysis is a simple and inexpensive way to get these details sorted out.

If you’re planning on planting your own Christmas tree in your garden, the first step is to choose a site with well-drained soils. Then, drill a hole that’s slightly bigger than the tree you want to plant.

Care for Perennials

Perennials come back each spring to bloom and add color to your garden, so it’s important to care for them properly in the fall. We’ll walk you through a few easy steps to keep them in tip-top shape, so they’re ready to go when planting weather comes.

Trimming herbaceous perennials in autumn helps them maintain their height and structure. It also removes potential winter interest, in the form of foliage and stems, as well as food and habitat sources for birds.

Care for Your Compost Pile

Composting through the winter can help you reduce food waste and give your garden and soil a head-start in the spring.

But the cold weather can make it difficult for your compost pile to heat up and decompose. The trick is to provide carbon sources so that your nitrogen-rich kitchen scraps can continue to break down and produce heat.

If possible, move your compost pile to a sunny spot that will help to heat it naturally. Also, cover the compost with a tarp so it stays dry.