GV Gardening: November activities in the garden

Have you noticed how far south the sun has traveled in the past few weeks?

There are still 30-degree temperature swings during a day, but consistently cooler weather is not far away.

The first frost of the season commonly occurs before the end of N ovember.

As the days get shorter and the nights cooler, it becomes time to listen carefully to weather forecasts, especially the expected low temperatures.

It is not too late to spread wildflower seed, preferably by mid-month.

Continued light hand-watering of developing wildflower seedlings is important, even on cool days.

Winter annuals such as petunias, pansies, stock, dianthus and snapdragons are still available at nurseries.

If already planted, be ready to start the on-going process of deadheading, which promotes more bloom.

Cold-hardy and native woody shrubs such as Texas ranger, Texas mountain laurel, cassias, jojoba, fairy dusters, hop bushes, and Apache plume can still be planted this month.

For the vegetable garden, there is still time to plant lettuce, chard, spinach, carrots, beets, radishes, peas, and cabbage seed.

Follow planting instructions on the package, and keep soil evenly moist.

Even without a garden plot, leafy vegetables can add a decorative element to containers.

A few lettuce leaves in a pot of snapdragons can soften its appearance, and then proceed to the salad bowl!

Varieties of developing citrus fruit are getting attention now.

Citrus color is determined by temperature, so knowing when to begin harvest can be a trick.

Tangerines usually ripen first, followed by navel oranges and tangelos.

Lemons and limes actually ripen in November, but may stay green in color until March warms them.

Grapefruit often begin turning yellow this month, but are not at their eating best until sometimes as late as April or May.

The ultimate determination of when to harvest is the “taste test.”

If the fruit tastes good to you, pick and eat.

The tree is the best place to store your citrus until ready to be eaten.

The longer on the tree, the greater the sugar content.

If you have more citrus fruit than you can use, why not donate extras to the local Community Food Bank?

It is not too early to have a frost protection plan ready for citrus, roses, and any other cold-sensitive plants.

When frost is predicted, water tender landscape plants so they will be well hydrated and better able to resist the cold.

The use of low-watt lights, old blankets, newspaper, sheets, or frost cloth is suggested.

Used bedsheets purchased inexpensively from a thrift shop are ideal.

Commercial frost cloth is available at garden centers and hardware stores.

Keep in mind that plants will freeze at the point of contact with plastic, so its use is not recommended.

If you have columnar cactus in the yard, be prepared with a supply of large Styrofoam cups.

At the first frost warning, invert a cup over the growing tips of these cactus, and leave the cup in place until spring.

Small potted plants can be moved under the patio cover or house eaves, or even beneath an evergreen tree or large shrub.

A location near a masonary house or yard wall is good, because the wall will absorb the sun’s heat during the day, then slowly release it at night when temperatures dip.

Larger containers can be protected by a bath towel, blanket or sheet thrown over.

Other than commercial frost cloth, covers should be removed daily as temperatures rise.

Frost cloth may be left on plants for days, because it will allow air circulation and about 85 percent of available light.

Neither fertilizing nor pruning are recommended during November. It is however, time to adjust irrigation timers to increase the number of days between waterings (frequency)… but leave the amount of time (duration) of each watering the same.

In many parts of the country, this time of year begins “gardener dormancy.”

However, because here in the desert we have one growing season after another year around, there is always something important to be done in the garden.

Mary Kidnocker is a Master Gardener who writes frequently about the subject from a local perspective. Her columns are featured each Sunday. She is currently president of The Green Valley Gardeners.