This month I'm picking and eating what I planted in early spring, and I'm continuing to sow my summer seedlings; double win!

 

November Planting & Sowing

In late spring it can be worth planting lettuce and salad greens and fast growing herbs like basil, coriander and parsley to ensure your salad harvest continues through summer.  This way you’ll have a variety of salad ingredients no more than a quick pick away. Remember to stagger your planting if you can so that your harvest doesn’t come all at once.

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It's the perfect time to plant your Kumara shoots or tubers in November as the last of the frosts has gone.  Plant them in a warm sunny position in free draining compost above a hard soil base, spaced about an arms width apart.  They'll need a bit of watering as they get established, then once they get going they'll fend for themselves.  The only care as they grow is to periodically lift their runners off the soil to discourage them taking root on the surface.

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Seeds you can sow

Basil, beetroot, beans, carrots, coriander, kohlrabi, lettuce, melon, mesclun, parsley, pumpkin, radish, spring onions and squash.  In a warm space in trays sow corn, cucumber and zucchini. (As a general rule, allow eight weeks to seedling stage).

​Seedlings you can plant

Beans, beetroot, capsicum, chilli, coriander, corn, cucumber, eggplant, kohlrabi, lettuce, mesclun, parsley, pumpkin, spring onions, squash, tomatoes, radish, and zucchini.  (A good handful of blood and bone on planting will benefit your leafy seedlings).

 

November 'can do' Garden Tasks

• A switch to warmer weather can mean remembering to water becomes more important as young seedlings with smaller root systems can wilt.  Try to water first thing in the morning if you can, this way your plants will benefit from a drink before the heat of the day sets in, and the water won’t sit on their leaves as it does with an evening watering.

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• Covers to protect any seedlings are a real help as your new plantings can become prey to a selection of hungry birds and insects.  These can be as simple as your used plastic milk bottles with the tops cut off.

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• With lots of sun and watering you might find that weed growth increases too, so a quick weed often can save you time in the long run.

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• Feed your growing plants such as your tomatoes with blood and bone, and seaweed tonic.  Seaweed tonic can be added to the base of the plants, or sprayed onto the leaves.

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• Remember to mound your potato plants to protect your growing potatoes from the sun, and encourage a larger crop.

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​November Harvest

Here’s where the fun really starts!  Broad beans and fresh peas as well as perhaps an early zucchini or two can change the look and flavour of your vege dishes from now on.

 

New potatoes are coming on as winter-sown spuds start to reach their productive phase. Parsnips will be ready if you planted these, as will florence fennel.

 

We're still enjoy broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale kohlrabi and lettuce in November too.  If you're lucky your first few strawberries will be ripening;  a yummy sweet treat.