A few suggestions for fall gardening

This time of year, plenty of folks are content to curl up under a blanket with a book or to spend the day in the kitchen making soup or pumpkin pie.

Not die-hard gardeners, though! We — yes, I do proudly count myself among this group — are still heading outside most days, rain or shine, to clean up and putter around.

If you’re still feeling that itch to work in your garden, you can find plenty to do. Here is a rundown of garden tasks that you can tackle even in November:

Love your leaves

Gardeners who are still dealing with fallen tree leaves can count themselves lucky. Leaves are like free, on-site mulch or compost in the making.

Those that are lying in heavy, wet mats on your lawn or garden should be raked and gathered so they don’t suffocate whatever is underneath.

Otherwise, collect leaves to spread around your garden or add to your compost pile. To increase their surface area and speed decomposition, shred them if possible.

To make leaves magically disappear into your lawn, run over them once or twice with your mower — they will crumble into small pieces, fall between the blades of grass and enrich the soil.

Do more planting

Just because a snowflake or two has fallen doesn’t mean you have to stop planting.

Don’t dawdle, but you can still get trees and shrubs into the ground. Although they might lack leaves and look dormant on top, their roots still have time to grow.

And you can add spring-blooming flower bulbs — such as tulips, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths and others — to your garden through November.

Battle weeds

Show weeds you are just as tough as they are by not letting a little chill in the air deter you. Now that we have had some rain and the soil is soft and moist, they might be easier to pull than they were during the dry days of September.

Or at least remove the tops of weeds where seeds might be lurking. You can quickly and easily remove hundreds if not thousands of seeds this way and prevent more weed woes in the future.

Keep harvesting

It can be easy to forget about your veggie garden once the days turn dark and chilly, but keep harvesting as long as you can. Broccoli, carrots and Brussels sprouts, for instance, might be waiting for you to whisk them into the kitchen.

And don’t give up on leafy greens such as spinach and arugula. Even if you haven’t checked them for weeks, they might surprise you with some succulent new leaves.

Evaluate and plan

Before the growing season becomes a distant memory, take a little time to remember and reflect.

Perhaps you tried a new kind of marigold, say, or tomato — and it was a roaring success. Make a note of it now so you can grow it again next year.

On the other hand, perhaps a new plant, technique or piece of equipment was a flop. Add it to your notes so you don’t forget and repeat the failure.

Allow yourself to slow down and cogitate. Maybe what you found yourself longing for during summer was a deck where you could relax after work, a lawn service that would do your mowing, or a rose that blooms in your favorite shade of pink.

Start planning now to make those dreams a reality next spring.

Diana Lockwood, a freelance writer covering gardening topics, posts on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ mrsgardenperson.

PROVEN WINNERS Lilacs, along with many other trees and shrubs, can still be planted now.

UNSPLASH Your vegetable garden may still be yielding tasty morsels such as Brussels sprouts.

UNSPLASH It’s not too late to plant tulip bulbs so you can enjoy flowers like this in spring.