With the arrival of November we experience the beginning of winter. Diminished hours of day light and a marked drop in temperature especially at night though in our area, in recent years, a real frost before Christmas has been quite rare. However it is wise to bring in all frost tender plants and provide some protection, in the form of horticultural fleece, for those that have to remain outside.
Early in the month is a good time to plant new fruit trees, bushes and canes provided the soil is not too wet and there is no frost.
With fruit trees dig a hole twice the size of the root ball. Add well rotted compost and plant to the same depth as it was previously. Firm down , water and stake.
Cover new fruit canes with a good layer of garden compost.
Trees will be shedding their leaves. On lawns they should be raked regularly in order to protect the grass but in other corners of the garden a pile of leaves offers a haven for wild life and especially for the gardeners friend , the hedgehog, an avid devourer of slugs and snails. The collected leaves make an excellent addition to the compost heap.
With fruit trees such as apples and pears it is possible to start winter pruning when all the leaves have fallen. Pruning always seems very complicated but in essence what you are trying to do is open up the centre of the tree into a bowl like shape and keep it to a manageable size. Remove crossing and diseased branches. Try and keep an area a couple of feet across at the base of the tree as bare soil and give it a feed of magnesium sulphate, a general fertiliser and a covering of garden compost.
Interestingly I think 2025 has been the best year in my lifetime for an abundance of apples , pears ,plums and soft fruit. One local farm shop that offers to juice customers apples has already produced over 8,000 litres of juice.
Keep an eye on the brassicas and remove yellowing leaves and protect from the birds. Also remember that the flavour of sprouts is greatly enhanced by the first frost.
Keep checking onions and potatoes in storage for any signs of rot.
Finally as the nights draw in it is a good time to start reflecting on the passing year; what has worked, what hasn’t and start planning for 2026.
Good Gardening
Peter Estcourt
pge44@icloud.com