Final sprint: The best gardening tips for November

Tips & Tools
Final sprint before the first frost: These gardening tasks are important in November

If you want to start the new gardening year in a good mood in spring, you should try again in November. What work is due before the first frost and how to winterize spades, lawn mowers, etc.

Even the warmest October since weather records began ended after 31 days. His calendar successor is having a particularly difficult time this year. It can only get colder, wetter and darker earlier. In many allotment associations, the water is turned off in November. Mainly to keep the lines from getting damaged in the frosty winter ground. In most cases, however, it is also the right time to finally say goodbye to the garden year. Before the temporary farewell, however, a few construction sites should be worked on and garden tools should be put away for the winter. You can find out what these are and what you need for them in the following article.

1. Make good use of autumn leaves

The autumn wind is doing its best again this year and blowing the colorful leaves from the trees. They soar through the air and land on patios, lawns, flower beds or in the gutters of gazebos. You can find out how to protect the gutter from wet, annoying leaves and clogging here. Because fall leaves are organic matter, you can throw them in the compost—but you don’t have to. Because the colorful leaves can help both plants and animals that spend the winter in the fresh air. To do this, the leaves must first be raked into a pile. It works best with one leaf rake. And that’s the least you should do. In autumn and winter, the stalks thirst for every ray of sunshine, no matter how thin. The leaves take away the already sparse light from the lawn. Ugly yellow-brown spots can result. For practical reasons alone, it is best to move the pile of leaves to a corner of the garden or property. If there isn’t enough space for it, don’t do anything wrong if the leaves end up on the compost. Anyone who chooses the pile of leaves collects sympathy points from small and very small creatures, but above all from hedgehogs. In November, they comb allotment gardens with their short little legs and look for a cozy place to hibernate over the winter. And in the piles of leaves it’s not just warm. The prickly four-legged friends will also find insects and other small animals in it to fill their stomachs.

If you don’t just want to do something good for hedgehogs and your compost heap, you can also use the leaves as a warming “cover” and mulch material for perennials and beds that are sensitive to the cold. In the beds, the leaves perform three important tasks. On the one hand, they protect freshly planted strawberry plants from the cold, for example. They also prevent the soil from holding moisture longer. In addition, microorganisms decompose the leaves and turn them into valuable fertilizer for free, which gets into the soil and gives the plants a boost in spring.

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2. Winterize the garden pond

Having your own garden pond is a fine thing. If you want to enjoy it for many years, you should devote some time to the biotope, especially in autumn. Especially if you keep fish in the water.

The five most important tips for winterizing your garden pond:

3. Clean and maintain garden tools

Before spades, hoes and digging shovels are parked in the shed until spring, they should be thoroughly cleaned and prepared for their first use in the new gardening year. A wire brush or sandpaper is the best way to scrape the most stubborn chunks and minor rust spots off the metal. Then wipe with a damp cloth (a little soap helps) and rub with a little oil.

Electrical devices such as hedge trimmers or lawnmowers should also be subjected to a thorough winter check after the last mowing. Very important: take out the battery and store it half charged in a dry place. With a hand brush and wooden spatula, you can then free the mower and the grass catcher from all mowing residue. A soft brush and lukewarm water will do the rest. This is even easier if you dismantle the knives. A simple Allen key is usually sufficient for this. Also clean the knives thoroughly and rub them with a few drops of oil.

In order not to start the gardening season with blunt knives and scissors in spring, the blades should be brought back into shape with a sharpening stone. With knives, this works best with a fine 1000 grit. For pruning shears you use a metal or diamond file with a 300 or 600 grit. A splash of spray or penetrating oil also protects the moving parts from corrosion and prolongs the life of the scissors. Most scissors can be disassembled with small tools. This makes maintenance easier.

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