By Kerry Peetz, Colorado Master Gardener
As the calendar flips to November, the Colorado Springs gardener faces a stark reality. The blissful days of sun-warmed tomatoes are over, replaced by the steely, grey promise of frost. This month is less about nurturing new life and more about giving our gardens a dignified send-off.
Gardening at 6,035 feet has its own special brand of chaos, where we can experience all four seasons in a single afternoon. November is where that chaos comes to a head.
The annual purge
First, the cleanup. If you haven’t already, now is the time to remove those annuals that have turned into sad, crispy croutons. We’ve had a good run, but our petunias have earned their retirement. If any of them are diseased, don’t put them in the compost pile. Treat them like a bad ex: dispose of them completely and never, ever let them back in. For healthy plant matter, embrace the compost pile. It’s the circle of life, the great compost bin of existence, where our dead veggies become next year’s bounty.
Winterizing our investments
Next, it’s time to winterize. This is where we become a horticultural helicopter parent. Newly planted trees and shrubs need a good, deep watering before the ground freezes. The goal is to fill them up so they don’t get thirsty over the long winter. Think of it as a pre-winter hydration party for your plants. Also, wrap the trunks of young, thin-barked trees to prevent sunscald. Use a tree wrap, not the famous grandmother’s afghan and duct tape combo, no matter how tempting. For evergreens, a burlap bag can protect them from the harsh winter winds, which apparently have nothing better to do than bully young trees.
Planting for the future (and procrastinators)
Believe it or not, there’s still a tiny window for planting. This is your last call for spring-blooming bulbs before the ground turns into an impenetrable ice block. Get your tulips and daffodils in the ground now. For those of you who planned ahead, congratulations. The rest of us will be planting frantically in the freezing cold, cursing our autumn selves for not getting this done in October.
The aftermath
After all the raking and wrapping, it’s time for the final, and most crucial, November gardening task: accepting it’s over. The weather is a fickle immortal in this town, and some of your hard work might be undone by a surprise snowstorm or a dry, windy week. But that’s OK. This winter you can always get a head start on planning next year’s garden from the comfort of your couch. The key is to laugh, drink some hot chocolate, and remember that, come spring, we get to start it all over again. Fortunate are we!
Submit gardening questions via ask.extension.org or call 719-520-7684. The in-person help desk is closed for the season. Questions submitted via Ask Extension will be answered remotely, and phone messages will be answered biweekly.
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