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by Jack McKinnon

November is harvest month. It is also planting and cleanup time on the Coastside. There is plenty to do in our gardens. Plenty of shopping in the nurseries and hardware stores, plenty of crafts to engage in that will make the season fun and colorful. I can almost smell the bread baking and the pies cooking. Let’s get to work and we will have a wonderful winter to look forward to. Here are this month’s tips.

1. First of all, get out and clean everything up. Prune dead or scraggly growth, rake up debris, deadhead everything and do some preliminary pruning to thin out excess growth. Don’t do your winter pruning yet, though; it is too early.

2. Stop fertilizing roses now. This will give them a chance to slow down and go dormant.

3. If you have worm boxes, this is a good time to separate them out and clean everything up. You can then give them a new bed of green and dry matter — leaves and produce trimmings — and they will get working on that. Use the worm castings and juice to prepare your beds for winter crops and flowers.

4. Prepare your winter beds. This means digging them up, adding compost — including worm products from above — fertilizer and plants or seeds.

5. Check deer fences, gopher wire and any bird netting that may still be up. Don‘t leave bird netting up after harvest; plants need growing room. Make sure deer fences are secure at the ground level. I have actually seen deer crawl under fences; it’s pretty cute.

6. Make your front porch decorations now. Bundle up a few corn stalks on either side of the door and place an assortment of gourds and pumpkins at their base. A cornucopia is nice too. A cornucopia is a conical basket of fruit, veggies and gourds.

7. It’s time to go snail and slug hunting.

8. Plant bulbs and over plant the beds with primroses, pansies and violas.

9. Plant winter vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, onions and peas. Divide artichokes and replant to give them a fresh start.

10. I have been often asked what the heck to do with those huge seed zucchini that seem to hide until they are too big to slice up for a stir-fry. Here are a couple of ideas. My first suggestion is to cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seed-filled middle. Sauté up some kasha or wild rice with onion, carrots, Swiss chard and other vegetables you might have around. Stuff the hollowed-out zucchini with this mixture and put it back together with some toothpicks. Bake it in the oven until done and serve it as a harvest tradition. My second suggestion is to hollow the zucchini out as above, fill both halves with soil and plant flowers in them.

Good gardening!

Jack McKinnon is a garden coach who worked in Sunset’s gardens for 12 years. Visit his website at www.jackthegardencoach.com, call him at 650-455-0687, or send email to jack@jackthegardencoach.com.