Gardeners Checklist: Here Is What to Do on the Week of Nov. 11

By Ron Kujawski

* Finish the planting of spring flowering bulbs.  Soil temperatures are still quite warm for this time of year and newly planted bulbs should have time to develop roots before the ground freezes.

* Keep mowing.  I didn’t think I’d have to say that at this time of year but grass is still growing.  As long as it’s growin’, keep mowin’!

* Make an application of fertilizer to lawns if no other applications have been made since early September.  Use a “winterizer” lawn fertilizer.  It will have an analysis of something like 24-3-12 or 24-0-12. Studies have shown that grass responds to this late-season application by developing a strong root system. This fertilizer application eliminates the need for an early spring application.

* Sort through vegetables in dry storage.  Cull onions that may be sprouting but don’t throw them away.  The sprouting shoot can be cut off and used in recipes calling for green onions.  Sprouting onion bulbs can also be potted up and grown on to get larger green shoots.  Potatoes that are sprouting should be used right away.  Break off the sprouts, peel the potatoes and cook them before they get soft and shrink.

* Check on winter squash in storage.  If kept in a dry place at a temperature near 50 degrees F, they should keep for three months or longer. If that is not possible, cut each squash in half, remove the seeds, cook the squash in a pressure cooker or bake it in the oven until soft. Then remove the edible pulp, mash it, cool it, and place in freezer bags. Yes, freeze it.

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If killing rosemary was a crime, I’d be writing this column behind bars. Before I go any further, I must point out that it is rosemary with a small “r”. Keeping rosemary alive during the outdoor growing season was never a problem but for many years I could not get the plant to survive the winter indoors. Apparently, many gardeners have had the same problem.  Recently I read an article suggesting that rosemary be treated as an annual, discarded in the fall and purchased anew in spring. I disagree. Fortunately, years ago I discovered the secret to keeping rosemary alive in winter.  Having decided not to nurse a rosemary plant along through the winter, I relegated the plant to a cold spot in the basement near a window and pretty much forgot about it except for a dose of water about once a month.  To my surprise, the plant survived the neglect with no ill effects.  Since then, I’ve had no trouble over-wintering rosemary indoors.  As long as the plant gets bright light, occasional watering, and is kept at temperatures in the 50 to 60 degree F range, it survives.

Ron Kujawski began gardening at an early age on his family's onion farm in upstate New York. Although now retired, he spent most of his career teaching at the UMass Extension Service. He serves on Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Advisory Committee. His book, Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook, is available here.