After a hot and surprisingly wet summer in the Piedmont , most gardener were expecting a affectionate autumn . Not so , however . September was cool than expected and October , through mid - month , was more or less medium , though the oddment of the month has been surprisingly affectionate . The middling first hoarfrost appointment for our hardiness zone 7a is October 15 - 25 . If you want to keep sensitive plants salubrious , you would be wise to have your row covers or other protective devices ready as needed while keep back an center on the extended prognosis . Nevertheless , it is prison term to strip up the garden , prepare for wintertime and take steps that will be of benefit next spring . Here are a few recommendations .
Cleaning and protecting your layer
bed that no longer have a uprise crop and will be out of work this winter should be cleaned . Remove works and plant life rubble . It can be composted if white , but if it shows evidence of disease or pest infestation , it should be bagged for disposal or burned . It is too late now to establish a screening crop so covering grime with an constitutional mulch is the next safe choice . Mulched leaves are a dear and generally available choice . expend the packer on your mulching lawn mower to collect chopped leaves , or mulch and rake them . apply them as a mulch to protect soil or blend them with grass clippings and kitchen combat to start fresh compost batch . Chopping them up is important to allow water system percolation and reduce wind dispersion . They also intermit down faster , providing needed constitutive matter for the soil while cut down atomic number 6 loss , eroding and moderate soil temperature . Other mulch options include chaff , wood chips and aged saw rubble .
Cover Crops
Best soil building practice today is keeping alive roots in the soil , year - round . top crop are a recommended direction to do this when other crops are not being grow . A diverse winter - unfearing cover crop is a great grunge builder . The photo above demonstrate a craw that include crimson clover , a legume that will add nitrogen , daikon radishes that will relax compacted clay soil , annual Secale cereale grass for added root mass and mixed metric grain . There is also some ego - seeded Fagopyrum esculentum from the summertime cover song harvest that will be winter kill but will add organic matter to the soil next springtime so is a do - no - impairment invader .
When edit out before setting ejaculate in the spring , the vegetative material can be tilled in as a green manure , composted or used to mulch transplants . The tooth root are leave in the dirt to decompose , adding more organic matter .
It is former to plant a cover craw now , but if you have n’t done it , consider constitute one next capitulation . More information on cover craw can be found in the articleCover Cropsfrom the U of Maryland Extension .
extend the Growing Season for Cool Weather Crops
Winter intrepid crops including many greens like lettuces , spinach , kail and other brassicas planted in September or other October , should be harvestable now . mulch around the plants will avail reduce cooling and keep them productive into the winter . Using row covers maintains a temperature beneath the spun polyester fabric up to 5 or 6 ° F gamey than ambient , while still allowing rainfall and sunlight to reach the plants . For more info on course cover options include a uncomplicated DIY system like the one in the pic , see the articleRow Covers : A Gardening Season Extender With Benefitsfrom the November 2019Garden Shed .
append Compost
A couple of inch of clear compost , worked into the top 3 to 4 inches of dirt , then cover with an organic mulch will meliorate next spring ’s soil readiness . Best practice is not to till profoundly or change by reversal the soil over , but to stir the compost into the soil aerofoil , letting soil organisms decompose and carry the constitutive textile profoundly into the bottom .
To customary tillers , this seems counterintuitive . However , inquiry and the experience of organic market farmers demonstrate that tilling destruct land structure , reduce soil organism activity , and releases salt away carbon paper to the atmosphere . depart the crops get in specific garden localisation , using divers covert crop , adding organic matter , and amending as soil tests indicate , are the good mode to better and regenerate soils .
Start a New Compost Batch
With the copiousness of fall leave of absence , start a newfangled batch of compost that will be quick for next summer ’s garden . Final lawn mowing and leaf removal engender a great mixture of nitrogen- and carbon - base organic material to get decomposition started . Augment the nitrogen input it by mixing in kitchen fruit and vegetable scraps and coffee grounds during the winter . microbic activeness will definitely slow down down during the dead of winter , but with a little mixing to keep it aerated and good wet management , it will be primed to take off as temps rise up above 50 ° in other outpouring . The finer you chop up the materials , the faster they will discover down . Check out thisbrochure on home compostingfrom the VA Cooperative Extension for elaborated counselling .
Prepare a New Bed
One condition where tilling soil may be useful is in set off a new bed . loosen compacted grime and adding constituent matter can be beneficial . However , canvass compost or lasagna mulching provides a non - dig choice that may make sense for you . It involves scalping the grass off the bed area(s ) and cover it with alternating layers of carbon paper and nitrogen rich materials . The superimposed material will cold compost over a few months , providing a carbon - rich surface that help soil organism flourish and convey organic matter deeper into the ground . Crops can be planted directly in the surface stuff . get down the process now should ply you with a planting - ready layer for warm weather vegetable next bound . The photo above show a sheet of paper mulched plot using a paper roadblock on the soil , covered with 6 inches of composted arborist waste and 3 inch of wheat . For a elaborate description of the outgrowth , refer to the Garden Shed articleLasagna Mulching
Other tipsfor the calendar month admit :
I desire you find this information helpful and that you will ascertain in again next calendar month . Comments are welcome .
Sources :
“ Monthly Horticulture Tip Sheet : November,”VCE Monthly Horticulture Tip Sheets , Virginia Cooperative Extension , Albemarle County / Charlottesville .
“ Monthly Gardening Tips : November,”Piedmont Master Gardeners website , Gardening Resources .
