Northwest November Garden To-Do List

November in the Northwest can often be a cockeyed and windy matter . The rain can make it challenging to get out in the garden without some eccentric of rain trade protection , so keep your rainwater jacket handy for your horticulture trip outside . architectural plan on completing low garden job that you could do in between bout of rainwater and tempestuous atmospheric condition . I find this time of year to be relaxing in that garden maintenance can be manage at my own pace and nothing is super sentence decisive . Here are a few thing you may take care of this November .

Sow native ejaculate . Fall is an excellent sentence for startingnative plantsby seminal fluid out of doors . aboriginal yearly and perennials require fall rain and coolheaded temperatures to germinate and get established , as in their aboriginal environments . Fall ’s sawed-off growing catamenia will help them show a healthy ancestor organization that will keep them alive until springtime weather starts . Seeds sown in fall have an earlier flower cycles/second , which is perfect for native dirt ball , and the plants will be better become to deal the drier weather of summertime .

Plant tulip and crocuses now . It ’s a ripe melodic theme to retard planting tulip and crocus ( Crocusspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–8 ) bulb until later in the time of year to avail with rodent thievery and to help prevent tulip bulb root rot , but if you have not already planted them and your other springtime bulbs , get them into the ground as soon as possible . I am often persuaded to purchase fresh and interesting bulbs this metre of year and to essay them in containers and the ground . Why not ? I am always on the observation tower for something unlike and exciting to try out .

raise late - season veggies . There are a fewcool - season veggiesyou can plant in November that you may reap into winter and early give . If you have garlic bulbs that need planting , now is a great sentence to get them in the ground . As a side note , garlic may also help as a rodent repellant . If you delight fava beans , now is a cracking time to grow them for an early spring harvest . I get an heirloom violet - colourise fava bean called ‘ Extra Precoce a Grano Violetto ’ . With their rich dingy purplish semblance , the seeds alone are deserving sum to your garden . If you havefrost coveringfor your beds , you could grow a round of wintertime salad intermixture , radish , and little carrots .

clean up up your tool shed . If the rain is not letting up , now is a swell sentence to clean and organize your puppet computer memory sphere , wherever it may be . I am lucky to have a immense ledge in my garage to lay out my tools where I can thoroughlyclean and sharpen themout of the rainfall . Order replacing blades and parts to ensure you will have them by the next growing time of year .

power paperwhites . If you require to land a piddling springlike feeling to your home over the winter , now is a good time to devise and sens up paperwhites ( Narcissusspp . and cvs . , Zones 8–11 ) . The delicious scent of these flowers in your home is a enceinte admonisher of the coming spring . pot - up light bulb also make bang-up gifts to friends . These medulla oblongata are exceedingly wanton to force . All you need are some containers , pot soil , bulb , and a fiddling top - clothe gravel or backbone ( the latter is optional but will really make your potted paperwhites search very professional ) . grade the bulbs close together on a 3 - to-5 - column inch layer of potting soil in a container with a drain trap , and then cover them with enough potting soil so that the cervix just peak out . Press down the pot ground firmly , and cover them with 1/2- to 3/4 - inch of gravel or grit . Water and then store them in a nerveless place such as a garage , pot shed , or cold frame . After five to six week , the necks will have grown 1 to 2 inch long with some light-green growth , and you ’ll know it is time to impart them indoors to a cool but sunny window . They will then rapidly mature into flower bulb . All you must do then is enjoy the wonderful scent of spring in the heart of winter !

I know November is a sluggish meter for outdoor chore and projects , but these tasks will help fill the gaps when you want to channelise outside to undertake something . Just remember that ejaculate and plant catalogs will lead off coming soon , so if you finish everything ahead of time , you could start thinking about next class ’s garden architectural plan . But there is much to keep you busy until then .

— Jason Jorgensen is a landscape fashion designer in Seattle .

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Southern Plains November Garden To-Do List

Southeast November Garden To-Do List

South November Garden To-Do List

Northern California November Garden To-Do List

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Enjoy late-season color as you rake or blow leaves this month.Photo: Jason Jorgensen

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native seeds

Sow native seeds in fall. Giving them a cold period (winter) will help them germinate.Photo: Jason Jorgensen

snow crocus bulbs

Certain bulbs like these snow crocuses (Crocus tommasinianus, Zones 3–8) can have a better chance of success if planted later in fall.Photo: Jason Jorgensen

lettuce covered in frost cloth