Despite the colder, shorter days, November can be a great time for gardeners to start getting ahead for the coming months and following spring. Here are some of the varieties you can start to sow this month!
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Broad Beans for Overwintering
Preparation: Ideally sow in well-drained soil and keep them protected with a fleece or cloche.
Sowing: Sow your broad beans roughly around 5 cm deep and 15 cm apart.
Care: Water plants well just as they start to flower and then again around a week later.
Harvesting: Start to harvest when pods are full but still small. Regular picking will encourage more pods to form.
Peas for Overwintering
Preparation: Choose a spot that gets nice & sunny. Peas prefer a neutral to alkaline soil.
Sowing: You can start your peas off indoors by sowing them in modular trays or plant straight outside. When planting outside, sow seeds around 5 cm deep and about 15 cm apart.
Care: Once your peas are growing they shouldn’t need much watering. (except in particularly dry spells). But give them a good water once they start to flower and again around two weeks later to help the pods swell.
Harvesting: The pods should be ready to harvest once they’re filled and roughly 7 cm long. Plants should crop for several weeks.
Microgreens
Microgreen Radish
Preparation: Microgreens should be started in a small seed tray lined with kitchen roll or felt (this should help to hold the water well).
Sowing: Wet your kitchen roll or felt and sprinkle your seeds on top. Keep your seed tray on a warm windowsill or in a greenhouse.
Care: Make sure seeds are regularly kept moist by regular watering or misting.
Micro Tomatoes for Growing Indoors Under Grow Lights
Preparation: Growing micro tomatoes indoors over the winter will require grow lights.
Sowing: Fill your seed tray with peat-free soil and scatter your seeds just over the soil and cover with a light covering of compost.
Care: Water lightly every few days and check regularly for germination.
Harvesting:
Edible Houseplants
Pink Banana, Passion Fruit, Prickly Pear
Preparation: These crops are ideal for growing in a conservatory, greenhouse or polytunnel.
Sowing: You can start these plants off indoors in containers that are about 30 cm wide. They require warmer conditions no lower than 10-15℃.
Care: Water once a week. You should re-pot every 2-3 years.
Harvesting:
Edible Trees
Pomegranate, beef & onion
Preparation: These edible trees will require a warm, sunny spot to grow and well drained alkaline soil.
Sowing: Seeds should be planted in loose soil around 2 cm deep in a container.
Care: They will require at least 10 hours of light a day and lots of warmth so keep them in a nice sunny spot.
Harvesting:
Basil
Preparation: Basil plants like warmth and sunshine so choose a windowsill that gets plenty of sunlight.
Sowing: Sow your basil seeds into module trays, fairly shallow and cover with a small layer of peat-free soil.
Care: Basil is a nice easy one to care for, just keep it nice and warm and water regularly.
Harvesting: Harvest leaves as required on a cut and come again basis.
Cut and Come Again Lettuce for Container Growing
Preparation: If you’re sowing your salad leaves in containers, use a peat-free multipurpose compost or garden soil mixed with compost. When sowing in the open round, you can improve soil by digging in compost.
Sowing: You shouldn’t need to sow your seeds too deep (around 1-2 cm) and cover with a thin layer of compost.
Care: Seedlings should be kept weed free and well watered. Water regularly to help the production of new leaves.
Harvesting: Use scissors to cut leaves once they are a good size.
Sowing these varieties in November should leave you with plenty of crops for harvesting throughout winter and in good stead for Spring. Happy gardening!