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Undercover

The gardening year winds down in November and it can be tempting to close up the polytunnel or greenhouse and forget about gardening for a while. But if you can summon the enthusiasm, a little bit of work now will set you up for the spring. Make the structure secure, clean up inside, sow a few seeds and keep harvesting – no under-cover grower should be short of fresh, healthy vegetables.

Tomatoes

These can crop well in November, even in an unheated structure. Cherry varieties crop longer than large ones, but in my experience some small plum varieties do best of all. Plum varieties seem to have slightly thicker skins, which don’t split so easily. Remember that you don’t have to clear all plants at once, even though some may need removing. Leave the ones that are still cropping and remove the ones that have finished. You can plant other crops in the gaps between.
A few hard frosts and sub-zero temperatures will blacken the foliage. At this point, pick all remaining fruit, evict plants and be thorough about removing any fallen fruit and leaves.

Hot tip for the month

A healthy soil will grow healthy crops, but we expect a lot from our covered borders. When one crop is lifted, another goes in, and constant demands are made on the soil. The borders don’t contain an endless supply of nutrients. Although we may add liquid and dried feeds from time to time, the soil will run out of steam if it doesn’t get a good bulky feed such as manure, compost or seaweed on a yearly basis.

November is a good time to do this – beds aren’t so jam-packed and there is plenty of time for the material to break down and be incorporated into the soil for the year ahead. You can spread the manure or compost around growing plants, or make a pile and spread it out as any patch clears. Compost and manure can be bought in bags if you don’t have access to a fresh supply.

Peppers

Chilli varieties should be covered in ripe fruit, but their days are numbered as temperatures fall. You can harvest all the chillies at once – they freeze really well and they also dry if left on a plate in a warm room. I usually freeze half and dry the rest, finding both forms equally useful.

If a cold night is forecast early in November and you can’t bear to wave your chilli plants goodbye, dig the root-ball out with plenty of soil attached. Put it in a pot and bring it inside. You’ll be able to watch those green peppers turn red and can even pick ripe fruit to spice up the Christmas dinner.

Lettuce

Summer varieties may still be growing well, but it is worth picking these before they reach full size. If you leave them to grow bigger, they will start to rot as temperatures drop.

For a continuous supply of salad crops, you have to keep sowing and planting out every few weeks. It may seem late in the year, but you can make successful sowings of winter lettuce varieties in an unheated structure in November. These will provide pickings in late winter or early spring. 'Winter Density', 'Lattughino' and 'Winter Gem' are varieties that are well worth trying. Provided temperatures are above 5C (40F), some seed will germinate although some may fail – sow plenty to take this into account.

A cool bedroom window ledge might give better germination rates, but don’t provide too much heat, or seedlings will be too soft to survive the transfer to a colder environment. Sow in a pot of good compost to reduce problems with pests and diseases. Cover with bubble wrap or fleece to provide extra insulation if temperatures are low. As soon as young plants are two or three inches tall, they can go out in the border soil. Before that, make sure the compost doesn’t dry out in the pot – if a young plant is put under stress at this time of year, the leaves are more likely to taste bitter.

Holly time again

This may be a familiar tip at this point, but it is well worth repeating. Holly bushes are full of glorious red berries in November, but before you know it, the blackbirds and fieldfares turn up for a late autumn feast. If you want to keep any berries for Christmas, then now is the time to act. Cut a few laden branches, with plenty of woody stem at the lower end. Push the cut stem down into damp earth in the polytunnel or greenhouse. There should be enough moisture to keep the berries fresh until Christmas. Provided the birds don’t find a way under cover that is!

For much more advice, see this month's issue, available to buy online!

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