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Thompson & Morgan: Andrew Tokely's Weekly Gardening Blog

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Now that November has arrived there is a list of important jobs to be done, so I will be making the most of any nice days we may get out in the garden.

November is the time of year to move on to the planting of trees and shrubs. If you are planning to plant any this autumn, always remember to prepare the soil well before planting. Simply add plenty of peat or compost to the surrounding soil and in the base of the planting hole, and add a dressing of bone meal. This will give your plants a good start. After planting, always water in well and check throughout the winter to ensure that the plants don't dry out in the harsh winter winds.

newly-planted-raspberry

Newly Planted Raspberry Canes

It is also a good time to plant out soft fruit bushes and strawberry runners. If you are planning to plant soft fruit this year, T&M offer a wide selection in their Fruit Collection. Always prepare the soil well before planting and put up posts and wires for raspberries, tayberries and blackberries. Once planted, give the plants a good mulch of well-rotted compost. Any established bushes will also benefit from a feed of potash and a good layer of mulch at this time of year.

November is also the best month to plant Tulip bulbs. These should be planted at least twice the bulb depth in an open sunny site in borders or containers. There is also still plenty of time to plant Daffodils and Crocus if you have not already done so.

sweet-potato-david-cole

David Cole's Sweet Potatoes

If you planted some Sweet Potato slips earlier in the year, these will have been quite happily growing out on the vegetable plot throughout the summer, and will be ready for lifting as soon as the foliage has been hit by frost. A friend of mine, David Cole who lives near the coast in Felixstowe, sent me a picture of one of his plants that he has already lifted. The crop was very good with a mixture of large and small sweet potatoes. Once lifted, lay the sweet potatoes on some sacking or sheeting for a few days in the sun to ‘cure’ them before storing. If a cold or frosty night is forecast, move the tubers indoors at night. If the weather is bad after lifting, you can ‘cure’ them indoors in a warm room at a temperature of 23-29C (75-85F) for a few days prior to storing. Unlike traditional potatoes it is important to store sweet potatoes in a dry, cool place at a temperature of 13-15C (55-60F), because if the temperature drops below 13C (55F) the sweet potatoes will get a chill and often develop a hard inner core and a very undesirable taste when cooked.

Continue to harvest and store any apples and pears that remain on the trees. These should then be laid in trays in a cool room or garage until required for use.

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Water Butt Diverter

The leaves on the trees are really falling down now and require clearing up regularly. If you have a lot of downpipes with water butts attached, try to protect them from the falling leaves. This can be done by putting some wire mesh over the holes or you could even use an old pair of tights. This will stop leaves falling into the butts and stagnating in the water, plus it will prevent the water diverters fitted to my downpipes from becoming blocked. If you haven't got diverters on your downpipes from the house, it is worth adding some as you will be surprised how much water you can collect during the winter months for use next year.

Water Lily leaves are now gradually turning yellow as the plants retreat below the surface of the water for winter. If left to their own devices, the foliage will soon start to rot, increasing the nitrogen levels in the water and encouraging algae. I find it is best to remove the leaves as soon as they turn yellow, pulling off as much stalk as possible at the same time. This will keep the pond looking tidy and the water in the best possible condition.

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Polyanthus Ready to Plant Out

Finally this week, the Polyanthus plants that were sown in May, grown on in a coldframe and then hardened off outside, are now large enough to plant out in the borders. I will be planting these out around my rose bushes, offering some spring colour next year.

Listen to Andrew on BBC Radio Suffolk on Saturdays between 8.00 and 9.00am.