Anna"s November Garden Journal

November in your edible garden.

November is a month of growth, usually the month before the real heat sets in and all the gardens are lusciously green. It’s the month I plant most of the vegetable garden. I keep my raised beds covered for about four weeks while the young plants are getting established, protecting them from the birds and the late frosts we get here in Wanaka.

It’s heartbreaking to lose all the plants and have to start all over again. By the end of the month I will be harvesting (outside grown) leafy greens; pak choi, snow peas, spinach, drunken woman lettuce, mizuna and mesclun. There is already an abundance of fennel, thyme, coriander, parsley, rocket, chives and mint.

 Rocket is plentiful in my garden. To make good use of it, I  have been making delicious rocket pesto. It’s simple to make and super versatile. It’s great on a cracker or slice of cucumber, whipped through pasta or to have on the side with a steak. The colour is so vibrant.

I plant out my first seedling courgettes, cucumbers and chillis later this month. Runner beans will go outside, too. Basil, which I have been nurturing in the glasshouse, goes into pots at the front door, under the house's eaves. 

I loved presenting at Garden Marlborough on November 8 and 9, and it was lovely to meet you all. I  will also have my gorgeous edible kitset products at the Wānaka Fete on November 30. If you are attending, please stop by and say hi. This market will be an excellent opportunity to get Christmas shopping done.

 

In this issue:

  •   Start dedicating 10 minutes a day to these three Ps
    • Pest control
    • Pulling a few weeds
    • Planting slow and steady for a long season

 Pest control. Wander around and check for pesky pests such as slugs and aphids. Soon the white butterflies will start laying eggs on the backs of the leaves. They, in turn, will hatch into decent-sized, hungry caterpillars whose eating habits cause so much destruction. I actually don’t plant brassicas at this time of year to try to avoid this problem.

Pull the weeds. Sorry to say, but the weeds will grow as quickly as your gorgeous plants this month. If you get into the habit of pulling a few weeds daily, it does help to keep this part of gardening manageable. Just select one spot and focus on weeding that zone only, even if it is just for ten minutes.

Planting out. As I mentioned last month, keep planting younger plants beside and beneath more mature ones, filling all the gaps, as it will help suppress those pesky weeds. This will set you up for a continuous supply into autumn. As the weather gets hotter, it will also help protect the plants which are susceptible to heat.

 Bare soil isn’t your friend. It always tries to cover itself, usually with weeds. So the more the soil is covered with plants, the less space there is for weeds. Planting slow and steady wins the race. Every few weeks plant more salad and leafy greens. 

From now on, herbs like coriander are best planted in more shady spots. The same goes for pak choi. This helps to stop plants bolting in the heat. Less frequently, such as monthly, plant cucumber and courgette to ensure you have a continual supply right through autumn.

Happy gardening. Enjoy every minute of this growing month.

Until next month.

Anna xxx