VEGETABLE CARE IN NOVEMBER 2011

CHRISTMAS GIFTS
EXCLUSIVE TO GARDENACTION

GardenAction Laminated Action Sheets
Designed exclusively by GardenAction, these laminated action sheets feature one vegetable or fruit per page. They can be kept in the garden shed and wipe clean at a stroke.
All the important facts, including a calendar of action dates (planting, sowing, care and harvest). The dates are personalised to your home town. All for only £1.99 per plastic sheet. An exclusive, useful and lasting Christmas present for the gardener in your life. Click here to make your selection.

 

BEETROOT
Prepare the ground for next year's beetroot in November. Beetroot stores very well so go to the link below on how to store them.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS
November is prime time for harvesting Brussels Sprouts. You may wish to wait until just after the first frost has arrived which will improve their flavour. Remove any leaves near the base of the plant which turn yellow to help avoid pest and disease.
When harvesting Brussels Sprouts, use a knife to cut them off - simply pulling the sprouts off may well damage the plants. Generally, harvest the sprouts from the base of the plant upwards.
If your area suffers from strong winds then it is best to stake Brussel Sprout plants.
Click here for more information on Brussels Sprouts.

CABBAGE - WINTER
November is a great month for harvesting Winter Cabbage. If any of the leaves are turning yellow, pick them off to avoid pest and diseases.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

CHICORY / RADICCHIO
Some of the chicons forced last month should be ready for harvest in November. Continue to remove chicory roots from storage and start forcing them.
Click here for instructions and advice on how to grow this versatile vegetable.

LEEKS
Start to harvest leeks this winter. The harvest should be over the next three months. A good idea if you have an allotment is to take a few leeks home, dig a shallow trench and heel the leeks in. This will give you a supply of leeks to hand without the need to visit the allotment each time.
Click here for easy to follow information about growing leeks.

ONIONS
Lift any remaining onions to prevent frost damage. Plan for where and how you will store them over the winter.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

POTATOES - MAINCROP and NEW
Some maincrop potatoes can still be harvested in November. Towards the end of this month prepare the ground for next year's potatoes. Also, do a little research on potato varieties because late December onwards is the time to buy your seed potatoes..
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

RADISHES
Winter radishes should be ready for harvest around mid-November.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

RHUBARB
Rhubarb crowns should be planted towards the end of November onwards. Give them a try - rhubarb produces a crop in late Spring or early summer when other fruit and vegetables are not ready. If you already have rhubarb it will appreciate being divide every five years or so. If you can't use the extra crowns produced by dividing a plant, maybe a friend or neighbour can use them.
Click here for easy to follow instructions on rhubarb care.

SPINACH
Spinach sown in September should be ready for harvest some time this month. Pick the leaves when they are young..
Click here for easy to follow instructions on how and when to harvest spinach.

TOMATOES
If you still have any tomatoes left, and a frost threatens, harvest them, bring them indoors and ripen them on the window sill. Make a note now of which varieties did best so that you can order those again later in the year for the next season.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

FRUIT AND HERB CARE IN NOVEMBER 2011

APPLES
November is a great time to plant your new apple tree. The GardenAction article has over 60 pictures of different apple varieties. It also has extensive coverage of when and how to plant your apple tree. Apple tree rootstacks are also covered in depth.
November is also the time to put greasebands round the trunks of apple trees to guard against the Winter Moth. It's also best to sweep up all fallen fruit and leaves regularly this month to prevent the spread of disease next year.
If you live in a cold area then winter pruning of apple trees can begin mid to late November. In most areas though, December and January are the best months for this task.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

PLUMS
October to early December is the best time to plant a new plum tree. Give it a go, they are delicious! Do check out the link below when considering which plum tree to grow - some plum trees can grow to 9 metres (30 foot) tall and you would need a ladder to reach the fruit! Choose carefully for the size of your garden.
Click here for easy to follow instructions on plums.

BLACKBERRIES
October to November is the best time to plant new blackberry bushes. Blackberry bushes are strong growing plants and will last for many years. With the correct preparation and planting techniques they will repay you many times for your effort. Click on link below for details on which variety to choose, how to plant it and where.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

BLACKCURRANTS
November is the ideal month to plant your new blackcurrant bushes. Did you know that blackcurrant bushes should be planted a few centimetres deeper than they are in the pot? Click the link below for details of this and other information on planting blackcurrants.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

CURRANTS (red and white)
Up to Mid-November currants bushes can be planted. Ideal for the small garden, they are tasty and full of vitamin C.

HARDWOOD CUTTINGS
Take hardwood cuttings from bush fruit such as gooseberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, and whitecurants.
Click here for our detailed article with advice and pictures on how to take blackcurrant bush cuttings.

PEACHES
Early November is still a good time to plant new peach trees.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

PEARS
November is the ideal time to plant your new Pear tree.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

RHUBARB
Towards the end of November onwards is the time to divide rhubarb plants which are five years old or more. Over time the crown will have become congested so a bit of radical divion will improve crops for the next few years. You will also end up with spare plants for your garden or your neighbours. Our article has stpe by step advice and pictures.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

PARSLEY, ROSEMARY and MARJORAM/OREGANO
Harvest these herbs in November
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

GARDEN PLANT CARE IN November 2011

This month the spotlight is on:
CUTTINGS FROM DECIDUOUS SHRUBS
November is a great month for taking cuttings from deciduous shrubs. This includes Buddleia, Cornus (dogwood), Deutzia, Forsythia, Roses, Spiraea, Viburnum and Wigleia. November is the best time because most of the leaves are or have dropped off but next years buds have not yet begun to form. Taking a cutting at this time of year ensures that the cutting will put all its efforts into producing roots.

The cutting process is simple. Select a healthy stem and cut it to about 30 cm (14 ins) long - choose a portion that has three buds in it. Trim up the cutting and then insert it carefully into a patch of dug soil. Choose a spot which will be out of direct sunshine in the summer. Leave it there until next autumn and you will have more free shrubs! It really is that simple.
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

GARDENACTION ADDRESS:
1 Gaydon Hill Farm Cottage, Gaydon, Warwick CV35 0HQ

This Month's Recipe

Chicken Biryani

This is probably our most ambitious recipe but it is worth the effort. It looks spectacular and tastes even better, this is Indian cuisine at its very best. Forget the restaurant vesrions and spend a very enjoyable few hours cooking our Biryani recipe.
Click here for this sumptuous recipe illustrated with lots of step by step pictures.

THYME FOLKLORE

The name Thyme is derived from from the Latin thymus, which goes back to Greek thymós "spirit", originally meaning "smoke".

Its name has also been attributed to Theophrastus, the Third Century B.C. philosopher and naturalist, though it was well known and well used prior to his naming it. Thyme has been given several properties by the Greeks which include its use to restore vigor and clarity to the mind, and its ability to clear the air of illness and disease.

Thyme was burned as a religious incense, and also to give courage in difficult circumstances. It was one of the chief ingredients in ritual altar fires, purifying the animal sacrifices to make them acceptable to the gods, and also to season them.

Thyme was also used to mark the key human events - at funerals, placed in the coffins of the dead. It was thought that the souls of the dead took up residence in the flowers of the thyme plant.

IDEAL FOR YOU, IDEAL AS A PRESENT
Ever been in the garden or the allotment and wanted some key facts about the vegetables you grow? Well our plastic laminated vegetable sheets can be stored in the shed or the garage, ready when you are.
There is a sheet for each vegetable or fruit and they wipe clean so easily.
At only £1.99 per fact sheet they are ideal for you or as a present. To cap it all, all the dates are personalised for your home town. Click here to order yours now.