Get Ready For Winter! Gardening Notes

November dawns cold and frosty – a great time of year for feeling energetic and inspirational! Most people may believe this is the time of year to simply put the garden to bed for the winter. However, it is also the time to begin preparation for the next gardening season.

For those growing carrots, beets, turnips or Jerusalem artichokes and wish to harvest into winter apply a heavy mulch of straw to the crops to prevent the soil from freezing inordinately deep. Parsley will continue to grow well into December, especially if covered by a basket on particularly cold nights.

Fertilize the lawn. November is the ideal time to develop a proper root system to get your lawn through next summer’s droughts.

Remove heavy accumulations of leaves from lawn areas. Minor amounts can be shredded and allowed to filter through the grass to the ground. These leaves have been found to be a good source of organic matter and minor nutrients for lawns.

Now that we have had a good rainfall throughout New Jersey, don’t forget to bring in all the hoses and to drain outdoor pipes and irrigations systems.

For Roses, Peonies, and other plants that may have had black spot, powdery mildew, or other foliar diseases, make certain that all the leaves, which could overwinter disease organisms, are removed from the base of the plants.

Shred and mulch your beds with newly fallen leaves. Why send your leaves to the dump? They can be shredded and serve as a great mulch for annuals, perennials and shrubs.

Cut back Asters as soon as they finish flowering to prevent self-sowing. As the frosts become more severe, more perennials will require cutting to the ground to keep the border neat and tidy.

Finish planting bulbs. It always takes longer than we think, and some garden centers may offer sales towards the end of the month.

At the end of the month, pot up Paperwhite Daffodils and Amaryllis for Holiday displays.

I have always felt that gardeners live a long life since they are always thinking about how to make the garden better for the year to come.

Bruce Crawford
Director of Rutgers Gardens

Our experts are always on hand to answer any of your gardening questions, please submit them to rugardens@aesop.rutgers.edu or visit the Rutgers Gardens web site at www.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu for additional plant information.