November 2024: Getting Ready For Next Year

ByKen Cooper

As mentioned in the newsletter, the first thing to do is get a soil test. The article by Mike McQueen, a retired local former Extension Agent pretty well covers all you need to know to get this very important first step done. The two local sources for getting a soil test are at Old Tyme Feed (19580 S Greeno Rd, Fairhope) and the Auburn Gulf Coast Research & Extension Center (8300 AL-104, Fairhope). Both take about 1-2 weeks to get the results, and the cost is about $10 per sample. If you need to apply lime, and we are in drought conditions, be sure to water your bed as moisture is necessary for a lime-soil reaction to change the pH.

Mulching is discussed in the March 2024 newsletterr and the corresponding web site. As mentioned therein you can get a lot of your mulch just by driving around Quail Creek as people start putting their leaves and pine straw by the curb to be picked up by the city. Matter of fact, I just got a load of pine straw this week. over on Quail Creek Dr. To get pine bark mulch in bulk you can drop by Old Tyme Feed. They have pine bark mulch by the cubic yard. I would suggest that if you use leaves spread them out on your beds, run over them with a lawn mower to help pulverize them as this will help them decompose faster.  If you use oak leaves, do not worry about changing the soil pH. Yes, oak leaves are slightly acidic but will have little effect on your soil pH as they decompose.

If you want a good soil amendment, Old Tyme Feed has plenty of this, again by the cubic yard. This would typically be used to mix into the soil of your flower bed or garden to help it hold moisture, make the soil more fibrous, and add organic material to the soil. I would certainly add the lime and fertilizer requirements, from the soil test, at this time and save you a lot of time and effort as you will only have to rototill or use a shovel to turn all of this into the soil at the same time.

Other tasks that you should do now besides preparing your soil is to prepare your garden tools. Clean them and make sure they work – I hate trying to use a rusty pair of pruners! Keep your eyes on the weather and if it gets cold, I suggest 35 deg, to bring your prized potted plants into the garage or house. I mentioned in an earlier article on bougainvillea that there is no need to throw them away as they can easily be overwintered. For example, there is a gentleman on Club Drive that cuts his bougainvillea to a few inches above the ground and heavily ‘insulates’ the plant and come spring his plant is back and is stunningly beautiful. My brother in Foley does the same thing and within a month or two, in the spring, it has already reached the eves of his house.

This is also the time to start looking in various catalogs for bulbs to be planted now for your spring blooming flowers. Get some of the catalogs from the companies below, from your neighbors, and from the web, and sit down and enjoy searching for what you want. Be aware, we are located in planting zone 9 or 8. Most publications specify zone 9.

Some places to look for bulbs are below – and this is NOT an all-inclusive list! Browse the web for more and look in our local garden centers and big-box stores for a lot more.

For your vegetable garden, consider planting lettuce, kale, collards, beets, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, turnips, radishes along with herbs that are persistent through most of the winter such as parsley, thyme and oregano. Cool season plants will tolerate some frost, and the harvest will continue for several weeks after frost. A really easy to read planting calender may be found here and here. Be aware, we are located in planting zone 9 or 8. Most publications specify zone 9.