Gardening in November

Unless you're lucky enough to live somewhere tropical (or in the Southern Hemisphere, where spring is coming around!), November is not a big month for gardening.  However, there is a lot you can do to get your garden and your yard ready for next year.

• Mulch: do it after the first frost, but before the first snow.  This will keep your plants from being completely damaged by freezing.  By waiting until after the first frost, you'll keep animals from nesting in the mulch.
• Clean up: Remove your stakes, dispose of any string you were using in the garden, compost your annuals.
• Paperwhites: If you start paperwhites in late November, they'll be flowering in time for Yule or Christmas.  Potting and forcing bulbs in doors now will give you a bit of cheer through the winter!
• Hand tools: Now is the time to get them cleaned, repaired, blades sharpened and put away so they'll be ready for next spring.
• Seeds: Order your seed catalogs now and start planning for next year!
• Bird Feeders: Give them a good cleaning and get them filled up.
• Hoses: Drain your garden hoses and store them for the winter.  Turn off your outside faucets before the first freeze.
• Planters and Pots: Anything you aren't wintering over, give a good scrub and store. Dirty pots can spread disease to your new spring plantings.
• Give one last offering to your land guardians or the fairy folk.  Ask them to look after your property through the cold months.
• Consider putting a spirit house on your property.  Popular in some Asian countries, spirit houses are small houses that give shelter to your land guardians.
• Check out your snow shovel.  If it needs replaced, do it now, before the first snow.
• Stock up on salt for your front porch/stairs.

I'd also suggest stocking up on plenty of books to keep you busy through the winter!  I tend to hibernate the cold NJ winters away indoors, so I make the winters a time to learn new things!  Pick up a new form of divination, learn about a new pantheon, explore an form of energy healing or practice your psychic self defense.  And don't forget to get out at least 15 minutes a day in the sunlight to help stave off the winter blues!

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