ACTIVITY DECREASES IN THE ORCHARD IN NOVEMBER

Although in this 2013 we have a somewhat strange climate and excessively hot temperatures, it is usually a month of sudden changes. You can smell the cold of winter looming in many areas of the northern hemisphere and the orchard is already changing its tone. The orchard in November may seem like little work but with the cold there are tasks that become hard. Let’s see what this month has in store for us at ground level.

WEATHER IN NOVEMBER

Reflecting on what has been said in the first line of this post, I realize that possibly November should be like that and not with the cold we have experienced in recent years. November whether we like it or not, it is still autumn . In fact, we are in the middle of the season and the winter cold should arrive towards the end of the month or the beginning of December if we are mathematically rigorous. I am not saying that it should not be cold but we have had November with very cold January. I heard someone long ago that humanity is experiencing two solstice seasons and two other equinox microstations. Autumns and springs are micro-winters and micro-summers, but there is no 3-month fall season as one might think in a normal climatic year.But what is a normal climatic year? I believe that to this day, it is still not known. There is always some variable that shoots above or below the usual averages. Be that as it may, November has those days when it is nice to be in the sun and days when it is better to stay at home, a situation that reminds us of what awaits us in a few weeks.

THE PADDING WILL SHINE … BY ITS ABSENCE

The cold is coming, the rain is present. Irrigation is less and less necessary and moisture is fairly retained in the soil. The mulches made throughout the year to optimize irrigation water and maintain adequate and constant humidity are beginning to make little sense. What’s more, they can be harmful in climatic zones with high rainfall during these months. The excessive accumulation of humidity can favor cryptogamic diseases among other things. So it is time to remove padding. And where can they go? What better place than the compost pile ! It’s a massive amount of compostable plant material that will add to our compost stocks next spring!

FROST WILL CRUSH REMAINING CROPS FROM SUMMER AND FALL

I know more than one of them whose tomatoes freeze in November . There are some late-ripening ones that can withstand benign autumns like this one in 2013, but in November there are usually days (in cold indoor climates) when the mercury drops below 0ºC and that ruins many of our own “residual” crops. of warmer times.

For this reason, our recommendation is that you do not try to rush these crops too much because now with the shorter days and the temperatures so low, their development is slowed down and they will not be able to mature before the cold crushes them. It is more advisable to finish pulling them off and prepare the plots or terraces for crops more typical of winter.

ADVENTITIOUS HERBS REMIT

The orchard in November begins to slow down all the biological processes of the plants in general and the adventitious plants do not escape this phenomenon either (thank goodness !!). After the spring and summer frenzy, the crops and their competitors begin to give us some respite. Although not entirely because we continue to sow, transplant and collect some things. Let’s see what.

WHAT TO SOW IN THE GARDEN IN NOVEMBER

The direct sowings are reduced to a few crops such as spinach, cabbage, cabbage, lettuce or radishes . Also beets in autumn sowing for warm southern areas. The fennel is usually cultivated in some areas of the south to September and October were sometimes the first half of November deadline. As you can see, the orchard is becoming more subdued in products but that does not mean that we do not have to continue working.

• Vegetable Grow Guide
• Table of favorable and unfavorable associations
• Planting and germination of horticultural
• Articles on composting.

THE ORCHARD PICKUPS IN NOVEMBER

In hot areas there is still the great luck of continuing to harvest tomatoes, aubergine and zucchini . Products that in colder areas no longer smell, unless we go to stores to buy them. Depending on the area (as always) there are still some crops to take advantage of such as cabbages, celery, artichokes, spinach, lettuce, radishes, beets … There is still a great variety of products that we can enjoy.

As we can see, the collections may still be somewhat abundant but the plantings are beginning to be much smaller, a symptom of the winter break. Fortunately, we have been able to adapt and take advantage of many crops throughout the year and we will always have something to draw on in the garden.