November Gardening

It's early November in Southern Ontario, Canada, and the recent heavy overnight frosts over the last couple of weeks have already killed off our delicate annuals and most of the remaining, unharvested vegetables left in our gardens. Our time in the gardens now involves raking the leaves out to the curb and pulling out the rotted plants to throw onto our compost piles - that is, when we can bring ourselves to get outside in the incredibly unreliable weather we have at this time of year. Some would say it's a depressing time while we grieve the passing of a season of warmth, beauty and tasty fresh veggies from our gardens. Most of the brilliant fall colours of reds and oranges have fallen from the trees leaving only the sparse die-hard yellows to try to bring light to the mostly grey scenery now.

Some people might wonder why I might choose the end of the season to kick off a new gardening blog... I say, why does it have to be the end??? Isn't this the best time to begin to plan for next year? Let's grasp this opportunity to look ahead to next year's bounties and work with what is left to keep things beautiful throughout the remainder of fall and winter. It's time to plant our tulips, daffodils and other spring bulbs and begin to plan and design next spring's gardens. After all, it's only a month or so before we need to start seeding our impatiens, geraniums, peppers, tomatoes and other plants into peat pots and flats in the sunniest windowsills we can find during our bleak winter season. Within days of seeding the first seedlings poke through the soil and there is hope and promise for another season of gardening! In fact, if you have a sunny windowsill, why not start some lettuce or herbs right now and have them ready to eat by January?

November is a good time to reflect and record what went well and what went... hmmm... maybe not so well. Were the 5 tomato plants too many for a 2 person household when they all came in at once? What about 2 green bean plants - were they enough or did they just leave you wanting for more? Did you start your sweet peppers early enough to guarantee a harvest? What about the location? Did everything get the right amount of sun? Was there overcrowding? Could you have timed things differently so that your tomatoes, peppers and basil were all ready at the same time to take advantage of them in your sauces, or was your basil past its prime before the first tomato ripened? And what about those hot pink impatiens? Did their colours really go well with the orange and yellow perennials, or should you consider something else next year?

Record these things now while they are still fresh in your minds and plan for next year's and future year's successes. A gardening journal is an invaluable tool for helping you to maximize the benefits or your gardens - for your vegetables and your flower gardens.

Remember, a picture paints a thousand words. If you didn't take photos of your gardens this summer, sketch them out to the best of your artistic ability, making notes of row spacing, plant names, colours, heights, sun/shade areas or any other pertinent information. You'll be glad you did this next spring at planting time!

I am not an expert gardener. No... not even close! Nor do I have an education in horticulture or botany or any other plant related field. I am merely a novice gardener, a lover of beautiful things, nature and good, wholesome eating. I an avid, year round runner in good health, and I want to remain that way for as long as I can. I have a keen interest in learning how to protect myself from cancer and other diseases.  I also have a firm belief that exercise and eating well are our best defences against most diseases - you are what you eat - and preventative maintenance is key to staying healthy. I learn by doing, and plan to share with you through my own trial and error what works and what doesn't.

I hope that some of you who are more 'seasoned' or educated in the field have patience with me, but more importantly, I hope you share your own experiences and advice with me and my readers.