Garlic
Get every clove in this month. It needs the cold to split into a bulb.
November in the garden
The beds are going to sleep, but there’s still plenty to get in the ground before the frosts set in properly.
“Leave your parsnips in until after the first frost. The cold turns them sweet.”
Sow this month
Broad beans
A hardy variety like Aquadulce, straight into the bed, for the earliest beans next spring.
Onion sets
Autumn sets, just the tips showing above the soil.
Pea shoots
A tray on the windowsill. You’ll be cutting them in about two weeks.
Plant this month
Bare root fruit bushes
Currants, gooseberries and raspberries are cheapest now, sold bare root.
Rhubarb
Plant a crown with the buds just at soil level, then leave it alone for a year.
Pick now
Also ready: cabbage, chard, celeriac and swede.
Your space this month
One job for each kind of grower. Not sure which you are? Tap yours for the quiz.
Cook it
Honey roast parsnips
Serves 4
You’ll need
- 750g parsnips
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- A few sprigs of thyme
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Cut the parsnips into long wedges and toss with the oil, salt and pepper.
- Roast at 200°C (180°C fan) for 30 minutes, turning once.
- Drizzle over the honey, add the thyme and roast 10 minutes more until sticky.
Jobs to tick off
- Plant garlic
- Net kale and sprouts against pigeons
- Mulch empty beds
- Bag up fallen leaves for leaf mould
- Lift pots onto bricks
- Clean and oil your tools
- Check bonfire piles for hedgehogs before lighting
