November garden jobs

Find out more about making leaf mould

Look after your lawn

Rake up leaves and tidy edges before winter. You can also use a rake to scarify the grass to remove as much thatch and moss as possible. This will help with drainage as well as improve the grass by bringing light and air to the roots. Come spring your lawn will thank you.

Find out more about autumn lawn care

Make your own leaf mould for free

To make leafmould gather up fallen leaves (avoiding diseased ones) and collect them in a bin ideally made from chicken wire so that air can circulate. 

If you don’t have a bin you can put them in black bin liners and then punch in some holes. Stash these away somewhere out of sight and in a few months they should have rotted down. 

If the weather’s been particularly dry you might need to water the leaves before storing. Another trick to help break them down is to chop them up before storing by running the mowing machine over the top. 

 If you don’t fancy raking the leaves try the new cordless Leaf Blower from G Tech. It’s quiet enough not to need muffles, light enough not to leave aching arms and shoulders and has a great blow on it. From one charge you’ll get almost 20 minutes blowing. The Gtech Leaf Blower (LB01) with charger and battery is £285.99 from www.gtech.co.uk or if you can buy the body only (£129.99) if you already owns the Gtech Lawn Mower (battery interchangeable)

NB: Do not make leaf mould using diseased leaves, rose leaves - which often harbour diseases - or evergreen foliage, which takes a long time to break down.

Containers

Remove saucers to avoid pots sitting in freezing water which can lead to rot.

Stand pots on clay feet to improve drainage. You can buy these from garden centres or save money by using broken tiles or similar to raise the base off the pots off the ground.

Protect vulnerable containers and plants from the worst weather by putting them in the warmest spot out of the wind against the house wall. You can also bubblewrap pots to protect against frost. If you hate the sight of this cover the wrap with a layer of hessian (perhaps saved from an old potato sack) and tie in place with string.

Plant up some winter pots with winter pansies which will keep going till spring.

Plant tulips.

Try these ideas for winter containers

Borders

If roses look as though they might be rocked by strong winds prune out the whippy stems.

Clear away slimy rotting foliage but leave other stems standing to provide winter interest and somewhere for overwintering insects.

Use a soft rake to clear leaves that have fallen on the soil. These can be added to the leaf bin as long as they are healthy.

Congested clumps of perennials can be lifted and divided now or in the spring. If doing this now use two forks, placed back to back, to prize the clump apart and divide it into several pieces ensuring each has a healthy area of root from which to regrow. If the clumps are really tough you can saw them apart using a saw or old bread knife.

You can also plant tulips in borders, marking where you have planted so you don’t dig them up in a fit of New Year enthusiasm.

Once dahlias have been ruined by frost cut down stems to about five inches above grown and either lift and store the tubers over winter or mound them over with straw or mulch to protect them from frost.

Find out more about storing dahlias

Fruit and veg

Prune red and white currants and gooseberries.

Use netting to protect brassicas from pigeons.

Stake any tall growing Brussels sprouts to prevent them being rocked by winter winds.

Weed and dig over veg plots, adding in well rotted muck or organic matter.

Find out about the best winter vegetables to grow

Hedgehogs

Watch out for hibernating hedgehogs. Always check bonfires before lighting.

Find out more about how you can help hedgehogs

Citrus trees

These should now be kept indoors or under glass in a light frost free place. It is important to continue feeding and watering as necessary using a proprietary Winter Citrus Feed. Only watering when the soil is dry. How often this is will depend on where the plants are being over wintered. Pick up and dispose of any fallen leaves.

Find out more about growing citrus trees

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