Gardening by the Moon in November

NEW MOON
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Garden: 
  • Check for water stress - the less stress, the less pest problems.
  • Transplant last of Spring plantings - late crop tomatoes, beans and corn, basil, courgettes, cucumbers and leeks.
  • Watch for young, black shield bugs – use neem oil spray when shield bugs are very young for best results.
  • Take care of liquid fertiliser barrels; keep stirred and refilled with comfrey, manure, seaweed etc. Tomatoes, corn, pumpkins may need a boost now.
  • Plant seed into trays for late Summer harvesting of dwarf and climbing beans, courgettes, carrots, beetroot, lettuce (tree lettuce will take the heat), basil, tampala, corn  (if you have celery, parsley, Golden Purslane (salad green high in Omega oils).
Orchard: 
  • Check young trees carefully for moisture stress. Water stress now will mean damage from cicada, shield bugs, pear slug, woolly aphids and die back on young trees.
  • Watch fruit carefully and net trees where you need to. We use 10m squares of knitted bird netting, raised over the trees with a bamboo pole on two corners of the netting and pulled in together underneath.
  • Watch carefully for branches of stone fruit showing signs of silver leaf - often just one limb of a tree will have silver leaves. Now is the time to cut that limb off, burn it and inoculate the tree with Trichopaste and/or Tricho dowels.
FIRST QUARTER
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Garden: 
  • Plant vege seeds for continuity…. beans, lettuce (tree lettuce at this time), courgettes, not too late for tomatoes in many areas, basil, herbs, magenta spreen.
  • Finish planting any flower seeds needed for continuity including late sunflowers and flowers for Autumn colour (zinnias, gaillardia, cosmos, and marigolds).
  • Keep up regular watering and nutrient maintenance.
  • Foliar feed three days before full moon - regular foliar seaweed could save many pest and disease problems if your soil health is not yet ideal.
  • Watch for shield bugs.
  • Check moisture levels on all young trees, look at the soil and leaves.
  • Watch for bronze beetle damage, pear slug and cicada damage.
  • Foliar spray.
Orchard: 
  • Check moisture levels on all young trees, look at the soil and leaves.
  • Watch for bronze beetle damage, pear slug and cicada damage.
  • Foliar spray.
FULL MOON
Monday, 22 November 2010
Garden: 
  • Give foliar feed and keep up with watering.
  • Last chance to plant main crop potatoes onto trenches of comfrey if not already in.
  • Feed tomatoes and peppers with liquid comfrey weekly from now on for maximum crops.
Orchard: 
  • Monthly foliar feed  as necessary to prevent disease and strengthen cell tissue and soil micro-organisms in the orchard.
  • Summer prune stone fruit as the fruit has finished on each tree - you’ll have less disease issues and the Autumn growth will grow where you need it.
LAST QUARTER
Monday, 29 November 2010
Garden: 
  • Prick out seedlings as necessary.
  • Keep up watering.
  • Carefully observe all plants - they’ll tell you if they need some more water, nutrients, help with pest control, tying up or more space. This is a very important time to good care of the tomatoes and peppers.. if they are standing still there is something missing, probably either water or nitrogen, which is needed to mobiles other major nutrients in the soil.
Orchard: 
  • You should be able to have a break for a few weeks now if you’re up to date with all the above jobs. Time to begin picking the fruit and enjoying the season!