We are well into fall, and as I look outside into the yard, the message is very clear: November is the last chance to prepare your garden and yard systems for winter and possible freezes, and the last chance to prune, to clear, plant and spray. Here are all the gardening tasks you should do in November.

Plant new trees, shrubs and bulbs

Fall provides an ideal location for planting. It rains, so the ground is soft and easy to handle, until it freezes. Plant these new trees, shrubs and perennials like bulbs and low flowers now. Mulch them well, giving the soil around the new plants a few inches of wood chips or leaves, but be sure to clear around the trunk itself.

Conversely, if you plan to pull out your dahlia and begonia tubers for the winter, take the time to do so now. Both bulbs are winter hardy to a certain extent, but there is always a risk in severe frost that you will lose some of them. Given the value of these tubers, many people dig them up, dust them, and store them in a cool garage all winter.

Put the planters in place

With the garden going dormant for the winter, it’s nice to have a little color around the joint, and planters are a great way to do this. There are winter annuals like pansies, dusty miller, flowering kale, and even herbs. They won’t last all winter, but they will make your porch a little more welcoming to vacationers.

Clear flowerbeds

If you’ve been a little lax this year (I’ve been) about cleaning up the summer flowerbeds, it’s time to get to work. First, remove anything edible. It’s time to make some pasta sauce in the kitchen sink (I throw in any leftover veggies). Then begin cutting back the plants, leaving the roots in place to compost over the winter. These tall plants become a threat once they become heavy from ice and flap in the wind. Clear away what is above ground level, then compost and mulch the beds for the winter. Consider cover crops if you want, but install them now. It’s too late for anything else, except maybe kale, and I firmly believe there is already too much kale in the world. Make sure to pull out any weeds so they don’t have the chance to develop a root system or drop seeds.

Prune dormant trees in summer

The rule when it comes to pruning is to wait until the plant is dormant, which is usually the season after it blooms. For summer flowering or fruit trees, now is the time, but be sure to choose a dry day, not when it is damp or wet, which encourages viruses and fungi. Without leaves, you gain visibility into the tree’s branch structure so you can identify which branches are aiming anywhere except up and out and cut them back. If one branch crosses another, you have to go there. You want a vertical, open structure. These cuts will heal better this time of year; You want to make sure pruning is done before early spring when the trees begin to grow again.

Spray Plants That Have Fungal or Pest Problems

At this point you should not fertilize anything. This encourages new growth, which we don’t want because we are in a dormant period. The new shoots would be particularly sensitive to wind and cold. What you may want to consider are treatment sprays for plants that have fungal or pest problems. This is called “dormant spraying,” and it simply means that we spray while the plant is dormant to avoid problems. If you have a stone fruit tree with curled leaves, for example, you can spray it with a copper fungicide. Your nursery can help you determine what is needed for your particular problem and whether a topical spray can help. For some pest problems, there are also topical sprays. Again, your nursery is the best place to get a diagnosis and treatment plan.

Winterize your watering or irrigation system

If you haven’t flushed your sprinkler, drip, or irrigation system and you live in an area where there is a risk of freezing, go ahead. Drain and store pipes, cover faucets and store tools, trellises and other gardening equipment.

Leave the lawn alone

If you haven’t stopped mowing, stop now. Stop watering, fertilizing and sowing; the lawn should enter a dormant state for the winter.