Judy's Garden Calendar November
Warm days are here and everything’s growing!
Vegies to sow in November – Chillis
No matter how tiny your garden, you’ll be able
to grow some chillies – just one or two plants
will fulfil the chilli requirements for most
families. And now that it’s warm, chilli seeds
can be sown straight into a pot or garden bed.
Harvest when green or leave until the fruit are
fully coloured – and hotter! In warm areas, chilli
plants will survive and continue cropping for at
least a couple of years.
Flowers to sow in November – Sunflower Dwarf Sensation
On the Yates packet, Sunflower Dwarf
Sensation is aptly described as ‘potted
sunshine’. The plants grow easily from seed,
reach only about 40cm and make a stunning
show in the garden or containers. They’re much
more manageable than their tall sunflower cousins.
Feed in November
Orchids are in one of the most important growth
periods of their annual cycle, so they’ll really
appreciate some Yates Orchid Food or a
sprinkling of Dynamic Lifter pellets. Leafy
vegies and herbs like basil, coriander and
rocket need to be kept well watered and fed
with liquids (Thrive All Purpose or Yates Fish
Emulsion) to encourage maximum growth and
prevent them rushing to seed.
Prune in November
Rambling roses and lilacs. Rambling roses are often contained by grafting
them onto tall standard trunks. They have a
massed display in late spring and should only
be pruned once this is over – winter pruning will
cut off the incipient flowers.
Perfumed lilacs produce a wonderful
show in mid-to-late spring. Prune after
flowering, feed with Dynamic Lifter (DL
Advanced for Roses would be ideal) and, a few
weeks later, sprinkle some Yates Lime or
Dolomite around the plants. They’ll love it!
November pest watch
In warm areas it’s time to start thinking about
fruit fly control. These days the low toxic lures
like Yates Nature’s Way Fruit Fly Control make
this much easier as they don’t have to be
applied directly to the fruit. Just follow the
instructions.
In cold climates pear and cherry slug is more
likely to cause problems. This is a slug-like
grub that grazes the top of the leaf surface,
leaving the plants looking chewed and tattered.
Fortunately, Yates Success provides an
effective, low toxic option for controlling this
problem.
Plant of the month – Star jasmin
Suffering under the botanical mouthful of
Trachelospermum, star jasmine is a well-
mannered climber that, unlike others, doesn’t
have ambitions to take over the world. Trim
and feed after flowering and these plants, with
their pleasantly perfumed flowers, will re-bloom
a few times through the warm weather.
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