End of the season gardening chores sometimes seem endless. We think that we have all the time in the world to disassemble what took 3 months to assemble.  I try to pace myself and do a little bit each week.   I could keep on lugging “stuff” into my garage, and one more little thing into the basement, or covering and digging out the Dahlia’s, or mulching the beds, cleaning the tools, raking the leaves etc. This year however, there was more urgency than usual to complete these tasks as quickly as possible, as winter came early to the North Country.  Today marks the fourth snow storm to hit us with substantial amounts of white stuff and it’s only November 27th.  A lot of the garden chores got missed this year as I hurriedly tried to prioritize what to do before the next impending storm or freezing temps hit us.

So things got missed, and the autumn leaf piles blew wildly instead of being neatly layered into the compost, but I am trying to accept the fact that Mother Nature dictates when a season ends, not me.  Never the less, this months Horticultural Tips are more a list of “should do’s” as opposed to “done.” So while you, like me, might not have been able to complete all of the usual  garden “buttoning up” tasks,  just remember….many of them can still be done just as easily in the early Spring, and let’s hope for just that…an early spring.

Task #1 Enrich garden beds with compost or manure.  Just spread a thin layer evenly over the old exposed soil.  Winter’s freezing and thawing, (with help from earthworms and soil bugs), will work it into the garden bed by springtime.

Task #2 cut back most perennials. Definitely cut back anything that looks diseased or insect infested. Do not discard diseased cuttings into your compost pile.

Task #3 Clean bird feeders and prepare them for use.  Do any small repairs, buy some newer fancy anti-squirrel feeder and stock up on suet cakes.

Task #4 Gather herbs and seed pods.  Bring in any flowers for drying like Hydrangea and Yarrow and Lavender and Heather.

Task #5  Clean, sharpen and oil all garden tools.

Task #6   Clean out cold frames and raised beds and add a layer of compost or manure.

Task #7  Spray the broad leaf Rhododendrons and Azaleas with Wilt-Pruf to protect them from winter dehydration and wind burn.  This plant protector is an anti-transpirant that acts as a film to prevent wilting from water loss when plants are under stress due to drought or low temperatures.

Task #8  Take some plant cuttings now that you would like to winter over in the house.  They will hopefully develop over the winter and be ready to sow in the spring.

Task #9  “Got Leaves”?  Now is the time to make your Leaf Mold compost.  Rake your leaves into a wire bin or any other contraption that will contain them.    Leaf mold is simply fully decomposted leaves.  It is rich, earthy, dark and crumbly and a super soil amendment.  It doesn’t provide much in the way of soil nutrition, so you will still need to add compost or fertilizer to your garden.  In the mean time, pack the leaves tight into the container, keep it wet, turn the pile every month or so, stand back and let them ROT! A 3’ x 3’ bin of leaves should be ready in 6 to 10 months depending on the type and size of leaves and the weather.  I shred my leaves into tiny pieces to speed up the decomposing process.  Introduce 2-4 inches of leaf mold into the top 6” of garden soil, let the earthworms do their job of excreting Nitrogen, and all of this magically will enrich the soil and increase water retention by 50% to  the area.  Leaf Mold is free and a renewable alternative to peat moss.

Task #10  Mulch for winter insulation.  This year winter arrived before I could use my leaves to mulch around the base of some tender plants.  Usually pine needles,
or ground up leaves work great as insulators against harsh winter winds and are easy to remove in the spring or work into the soil.  This year however I am trying a new form of insulation called SNOW.  My father used to call “snow” the poor man’s fertilizer.  It is also a good insulator and protector of plants from harsh winds (if the snow completely buries the plant).  Finally, the snow will also provide lots of moisture to the plant as spring time temperatures rise.  Take heart, there are 21 days until the days start getting longer.