November in your Brevard yard: What to plant, what to prune | Sally Scalera

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November is almost here, and we have already received our first batch of cool temperatures. Hopefully, those temperatures, with lower humidity, will stick around.

This is a great time of the year to work in the yard.  Here are some suggestions for gardening activities to do this month.

Shorter days mean less mowing. The good news is that the days are still getting shorter, so the lawn may only need to be mowed every 10 to 14 days.

Shorter days mean less water. As the days continue to get shorter, the lawn will require less water. When Daylight Saving Time ends, and we move the clock back one hour on Nov. 6, change your irrigation timer to water only once a week to follow the St. Johns River Water Management District’s watering restrictions, which can be found  sjrwmd.com/wateringrestrictions.

Over-seed the lawn. Consider purchasing annual ryegrass seed this month so you’ll be ready to over-seed your lawn when the temperatures get cooler. Warm-season grasses go dormant during the shorter days of winter, so broadcasting annual ryegrass seed will create a green lawn throughout the winter.

When broadcasting the seed, walk in one direction to sow half of the seed, and then walk at a 90° angle to broadcast the second half of the seed. To ensure that the seed contacts the soil, sweep the grass with a stiff broom after broadcasting.

Proper watering is crucial for germination. Lightly water the over-seeded lawn for 10 to 20 minutes once or twice a day for seven to 10 days to improve seed germination. In late spring, when the ryegrass dies, it will provide additional organic matter to the soil. This is an easy way to enjoy a green lawn through the winter and add some organic matter to the lawn after it dies. For more information, visit sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu and search for "Overseeding Winter Lawns."

More by Sally Scalera:

• Ornamental grasses can beautify your yard, benefit your environment

• These plants can attract beneficial insects to provide free pest control

• Don't let invasive ambrosia beetles kill avocado trees with laurel wilt

Spray vegetable plants. Continue spraying your vegetable plants and fruit trees weekly with liquid trace elements (i.e., Maxicrop, Liquid Kelp, Nitrozime, etc.) to keep them healthy. Use a hand pump-up sprayer and thoroughly spray both sides of the foliage.

Wait a little longer to prune. Don’t prune temperate fruit trees, shrubs and vines until they have shed all their leaves.  Check out our Fruitscapes site at trec.ifas.ufl.edu and search for "temperate fruitscapes" for detailed information on pruning the various deciduous fruit trees, shrubs and vines.

Protect your fruit trees. Help your fruit trees, especially citrus, avocado and mango trees since they have insect/disease pressure (and all trees for that matter) by drenching the soil with a liquid product that contains a variety of endo and ectomycorrhizae (i.e., Bushdoctors, Plant Success, Xtreme gardening, Mycoapply, etc.) to the area below the branches (and further out if possible). The mycorrhizae will establish a symbiotic relationship with tree roots, benefiting the tree in numerous ways. Feel free to do this around shade trees, shrubs and the lawn using a hose-end sprayer.

Turn out the lights. To guarantee that your poinsettias and Christmas cacti bloom in December, make sure they receive total darkness throughout the night, starting now. If there is any light nearby, cover the plant with a box or blanket overnight, every night, and remove it in the morning, until you see evidence of colorful bracts or blooms.

Flowers to plant. Flowers that can be planted this month include alyssum, calendula, dianthus, dusty miller, geraniums, flowering tobacco, pansy, petunia, phlox, snapdragon, stock, viola, sweet peas and ornamental cabbage.

Bring out the rake. Rake your leaves up and use them as mulch, add them to your compost pile or put them in your worm bin to increase the fungal component of the worm castings.

Herbs to plant. This month is a great time to plant herbs and start annual herbs from seed. Here are some herbs to consider planting this month; chervil (start from seed and grow them in the shade as a winter annual), chives, garlic chives, cilantro/coriander, parsley, mint, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram, lemon grass (I recommend planting it in a container), thyme, fennel, salad burnet, dill, oregano, lemon balm and Mexican tarragon. You can plant lavender also, though hardy lavender, L. angustifolia, and its cultivars are not good choices for our area. French, Spanish and sweet lavender do much better.

Vegetables to sow. Vegetables that can be sown in November for planting in the garden in December include arugula, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, Endive/Escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, English or snow peas, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips.

Vegetables to plant. Vegetables that can be planted in November (as either seeds or transplants) include arugula, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive/escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, bunching onions (green and shallots), English or snow peas, Irish potatoes, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips.

Visit the farmers market. Check out some of the fresh produce and delicious edibles that could be available at our Brevard County Farmers Market in November, including fresh herbs, microgreens, shoots, wheatgrass and microgreen growing kits and fresh vegetables.

There could also be honey, mushrooms, seasoning blends, beef jerky, fresh salsas, candied jalapenos, sweet relish, cupcakes and other sweets, homemade jams, apple butter and jellies and a variety of homemade nut butter.

On the second Thursday of every month, Deep Roots Meat comes to the market with their Florida-grown, grass-fed Angus beef.

The Brevard County Farmers Market is from 3-6 p.m. Thursdays at Wickham Park Pavilion. To stay up to date with current information, follow the Brevard County Farmers Market Facebook page at facebook.com/brevardcountyfarmersmarket.

Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences. Email her at sasc@ufl.edu.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: November in your Space Coast yard means less mowing, less water