November 2022 Garden Update

November is one of my favorite months. It’s typically the first month here that the weather starts to become obviously cooler, and the occasional tree changes color. I also love it because of special dates like birthdays, and of course, Thanksgiving. It’s also a great month for gardening, so today I’m sharing my November 2022 Garden Update.

November 2022 Gratitude

Every month during my garden updates I take a moment to think about what I’m grateful for. And I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on what you’re thankful for as well. 🙏

This month I was thankful to celebrate my niece’s first birthday. I was also thankful for a new contract that I recently started. And I was thankful to spend time with family on Thanksgiving.

I was also thankful to share my recipe, Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin, which is the go-to side dish that I make for Thanksgiving every year. There’s something special about learning something, and then being able to share it for others to enjoy — whether that’s art, music, gossip (🤣 kidding!), or in this case, cooking.

Garden Maintenance

One of the newer things I’ve been doing in my garden this month is spraying fish fertilizer. This fertilizer is a thick liquid that I dilute in water. For my vegetable garden, I do two tablespoons per gallon of water. Some fertilizers are more of a slow release (like bone meal), but fish fertilizer is absorbed more immediately. And I like that quality, especially if you’re seeing nutrient deficiencies in your garden.

I learned about this fertilizer from someone who swore by it in their garden, and I wanted to give it a try in my garden. I use my garden pump sprayer (which conveniently holds one gallon) to distribute the fertilizer throughout my garden. So far I like it. There is a fishy smell, and I do my best not to get any on my hands. But I can’t say I notice any smell the next day in my garden. I’ve been using it every couple of weeks, but I may increase it to once a week to see in I notice an increase in plant growth.

I also have an article on organic fertilizers, if you’re interested in learning more about other sources that you can use in your garden.

I’m currently growing 5 tomato plants in my 4’x4′ raised garden bed:

Brandywine – heirloom variety, large beefsteak tomato with tangy flavor. Indeterminate.
Cherokee Purple – heirloom variety, smoky flavor, medium-sized tomato. Indeterminate.
Money Maker – heirloom variety, small to medium-sized tomato. Indeterminate.
San Marzano – heirloom variety, paste tomato. Indeterminate.
Supremo Roma – compact paste tomato. Determinate.

I’m really excited about how this bed is doing. And I really believe the companion herbs and flowers I have growing in this bed are helping my tomatoes to thrive. The tomato plants have also started to blossom this month.

I decided this year to focus more on Chinese cabbage in my larger raised garden bed. I’m growing bok choy, tatsoi, and mustard spinach. I’m also growing mustard greens, broccoli, beans, and cucumbers.

What’s Growing?

This month I harvested Chinese cabbage, mustard greens, herbs, cucumbers, green beans, and one of my pineapples. And I have to take a moment to say, that pineapple was amazing! 🤤 The perfect blend of sweet and tart.

Here’s the breakdown of what was growing in November 2022 in hardiness zone 9b: