Fall in the Midwest will soon be finished. Before you know it, snow flurries will be replacing the falling leaves. Time to tackle last of the garden chores.

Author's Note:

This post was written in early October, but due to a minor issue with my knee since late last summer I ran behind on things and this wasn't posted.  My knee finally has healed and was able to catch up on the things that I could.  This was fortunate timing, as I was able to do the fall yard and garden clean-up and safely put stuff away for the long, cold Midwest winter.  Although late, I'm going ahead and posting "November Gardening"  for posterity.  

Remove Weeds From the November Garden

Most weeds still thrive in the November garden. Therefore, staying diligent and removing weeds as they pop up will save time in the long run and make spring clean up that much easier.

Plant Bulbs and Mums

Imagine pops of color in a few months! Plant spring-blooming bulbs until the ground starts to freeze.

Plant perennial garden mums (also known as hardy mums) in your garden. If some of your fall pots with garden mums have faded, plant the mums directly in the garden for fall color year after year.  Then cut them back to about 6 inches.  Plant the mums in fertile, well drained soil and full sunlight. Here's more on how to plant and care for your garden Chrysanthemums.

Which type of mum do I have? Garden mums don't have smaller blooms and look a bit more wild or un-groomed.  Florist mums on the other hand have large blooms and are quite neat looking in appearance.

Prepare for Winter; Wrap and Mulch

Wrap trees that are two years or younger and fruit trees with protective tree wrap will protect trees from winter scald and rabbit damage. Remove in the spring.

Wrap tender types of roses in burlap. For least cold-hardy roses, such as tea roses use chicken wire to make a 2 feet high collar around the rose. Fill the collar with straw or chopped autumn leaves. Mulch all roses by heaping 6 to 12 inches of loose soil or compost over base to protect them from winter extremes. Do not use oak leaves to mulch roses, they are too acidic until fully composted.

Strawberries can be covered with shredded leaves.  Place some large branches on top to keep the leaves from blowing away. Go ahead and use shredded oak leaves to mulch your strawberries, they love the acid.  It's best to protect strawberries with the mulch before temps drops to 20°F.

Fallen Leaves; Best Shredded

Too many leaves can suffocate the lawn. If you have a bagger on your lawnmower, you can chop the leaves up while mowing then add them directly to compost pile or whatever bed you want. However, if you are picking up grass clippings with the leaves and have had your lawn treated with non-organic chemicals, use a separate compost pile from the one used for the vegetable garden.

Last year I experimented with using chopped up leaves and grass clipping to expand large tree beds. After many years the trees have grown so much, they create a lot of shade, making it harder for grass to live under them. And since our yard already requires 17 or more yards of mulch every year, I wanted to see if I could "subsidize" with a free resource. It worked well, there was a little bit of blow off until we received a good rain that weighted the leaves down. In the spring, I added a sprinkle of mulch and it looked great. Couldn't even tell it was a bed of chopped leaves. I definitely plan to keep doing this.

Although, letting leaves pile up in the flower beds will help protect plantings, the leaves tend to blow all over the place. I feel guilty when they blow in the neighbors yards, so I blow out the beds and chop them up with the mower. Then, when the grass is no longer growing and the lawn mower bag is free from any grass I will dump the chopped leaves in the beds. With either my hands or a small rake I will spread them around the base of the more tender and favored plants.

A Good Drink Before The Winter Sleep

Trees and plants need a good drink before going into their winter sleep. If rainfall has been short in your area, provide a good soaking two or three times a few days apart before ground starts to freeze.

Clean Out Beds; Jump Start Spring Cleanup

After the first hard frost; take out the annuals and cut back perennials. If you have tender bulbs, dig them up and store in sawdust filled paper sacks. More on how to store tender bulbs. Before cutting everything down, consider leaving some standing through winter for interest.

Remove debris in the vegetable garden. Till the soil, this will help expose bugs and lessen chances for diseases and fungi to grow in next year's garden. Cover with straw or thin 2 to 3 inch layer of leaves.

Clean And Put Away Tools

There are a few more chores to do before putting the 2019 garden to rest. Tools are a gardeners friend. Take good care of your tools before putting them away for the winter

Clean metal tools, rub them with linseed or vegetable oil; sharpen if needed.

After the final mowing and leaf pick has been done, service the lawn mower. Clean the it well, don't forget the underside. Sharpen the blades or have it done.  Do manufacturer's recommended maintenance for oil and air filters, etc. Then, when all that is done, run the mower until it's out of gas. This will reduce the moisture build up in the fuel over winter and keep the mower in better condition for longer.

Disconnect hoses to prevent freezing damage to pipes. Drain and store them for winter.

For The Birds

Hang and fill favorite bird feeds. Keep them filled. Find out what different type of birds like to eat and the feeders they prefer. Provide fresh water all winter long with a heated birdbath or bird bath heater.

Gardening Journal

Don't forget to jot down any garden notes you want to remember. It's amazing how we forget the little details. Writing them down will help you better remember them. Haven't a garden journal, here's a simple one to get you started.  

Coming soon...beautiful watercolor Gardening Journal