November Gardening Tips & Jobs for Guernsey Gardeners
By the time November arrives Guernsey our Autumn winds are well on the way to downing off all those leaves – so keep gathering them for leaf mould!
Although the days are shorter, our weather still tends to be quite mild, so on good days make the most of the daylight hours – it’s still a great time for planning ahead and planting out trees, hedges, and soft fruit. Here are some more November gardening jobs and tips…
The weather can be getting tougher for our feathered friends, so give them a helping hand with some feeders and bird food from our large range.
Plants on sale now and looking good this month:
- Real cut and potted Christmas Trees arrive in the last week of this month.
- Cyclamen – ideal for winter containers.
- Soft fruit is now in stock and is in it’s dormant period – an ideal time for planting.
Top jobs for November gardening:
Clear up fallen leaves – especially from lawns, ponds and beds.
Pop them into plastic bags (why not re-use old compost bags) with a few holes in the bottom (for drainage) and leave to make excellent leaf mould. Make sure they’re good and wet when you pop them in.
Leaf mould is perfect for adding structure to your soil, but adds less nutrients than compost.
Raise containers onto pot feet to prevent waterlogging.
We stock pot feet in our outdoor pots area that are perfect for the job.
Plant tulip bulbs for a spring display next year.
Tulips grow best in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun, sheltered from strong winds. All dislike excessively wet conditions. Incorporate organic matter into the soil before planting to improve both clay and sandy soils, making them much more suitable for tulips. Coarse gravel can also help improve growing in clay soils. Apply Growmore or chicken manure pellets before planting to help nutrient-poor soils.
Last chance to plant other Spring flowering bulbs.
Prune roses to prevent wind-rock.
Plant out winter bedding.
Bedding plants provide a temporary decorative seasonal display for beds, borders, containers and hanging baskets. We stock a wide range of bedding packs which are great value.
Cover brassicas with netting if pigeons are a problem.
We sell netting in pre-cut sizes or by the metre.
Stop winter moth damage to fruit trees using grease bands around the trunks.
These are available from our Garden Chemicals section.
Put out bird food to encourage winter birds into the garden.
We stock a wide range of seed and fat based feeds. As the weather gets colder, high calorie fat balls will be really appreciated.
Plant new hedges this month.
We stock several varieties that cope well with our high winds and sea air.
Cover garden furniture.
If you can’t put furniture inside, covering it will allow you to whip the cover off and sit in the garden whenever the sun shines! Wooden furniture should be cleaned down and treated with good oil when dry.
Cyclamen are at their best this month!
They are perfect for cool rooms or conservatories. Water only from the base.
Plant Soft Fruit.
Particularly raspberries as value for money and availability is best at this time of year. Planting now also allows their roots to settle in to give better growth next year.