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The best planting hole for a tree or shrub has slanted sides, is at least twice as wide as the root ball and is not any deeper than the root ball of the tree. A layer of bark nuggets over the root zone is helpful.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension

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Some nurseries offer colorful plants like the cyclamen as alternatives to the traditional poinsettia for the holidays.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension

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Purchase and start your amaryllis bulbs at the beginning of November to get blooms for the Christmas season.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension

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When is the best time for transplanting a small peach tree that popped up this spring? What is the best way to do that? I know the fruit won’t be equal to the parent tree, but we want to try to see what happens.

Wait until the tree is dormant — leaves have dropped and temperatures are in the very low 40s or mid- to upper 30s. If the soil is dry, you’ll want to water a few days ahead of time so the soil doesn’t break apart when you dig up the tree. Water the new planting location, too.

Your tree is very small, and the job will be pretty simple for you, but for the benefit of other readers, let’s look at how to manage a tree that’s been growing for a few more years.

You need to dig out the largest root ball you can handle without breaking any roots. First, push straight down into the soil (at the right distance for the root ball size you need) all the way around the tree. Then go back around your ring of cuts and angle your shovel in and under the tree.

Using your hands or a couple of shovels, lift the tree out of the soil and into a pot or onto a small tarp or something similar that you’ve spread out close by. Pull the wrapping up closely around the root ball to prevent the root ball from breaking. Move your newly liberated tree to its new location, but don’t lift or carry it by the trunk as the weight of the root ball may tear roots away inside the root ball.

Your new planting hole should be least twice as wide but no deeper than your root ball. Plant and backfill with the same soil you took out of the hole. Don’t add compost, “planting mix,” sand, fertilizer, root stimulator, plant vitamins or anything else to the soil. Avoid leaving air pockets as you backfill. Water in deeply.

Cover the planting area with a 3-inch-deep layer of bark nuggets to help reduce evaporation and slow down the freezing of the soil this winter. If the weather is mild, check the soil moisture 3 to 4 inches deep once every week or so. Water slowly and deeply if the soil is not moist, but don’t water if the soil is frozen.

Timely tips for November from Master Gardeners

• Use tree wrap to protect the trunks of young trees and other trees with tender, smooth or dark-colored bark.
• There is still time to plant trees and shrubs. Remember, make your planting hole at least twice as wide as the root ball but no deeper. Backfill with the same soil you removed from the hole.
• It’s not too late to plant spring-blooming bulbs (you can plant if the ground isn’t frozen) and you may still be able to find bulbs available at nurseries and garden centers.
• If you haven’t already done so, clean and put away your hummingbird feeders and set out seed and suet bird feeders for the local birds that overwinter here.
• If the weather has been dry and mild, there isn’t snow cover and the ground isn’t frozen, deep-water evergreen trees and shrubs at the end of the month.
• Plant amaryllis bulbs in early November for Christmastime blooms.
• Ensure leaf litter is mulcher-mowed or removed from lawn areas to discourage pests and reduce disease.
• Clean out window wells and outside stairwells to reduce spider problems indoors. Make sure all windows and doors fit snugly and caulk as needed. Replace worn thresholds and door sweeps, too.
• Harvest any remaining cool-season vegetables that you aren’t going to overwinter in the garden, such as broccoli, cabbage or lettuce.
• Shop for poinsettias, cyclamen and Christmas cactus during the week after Thanksgiving for the best selection of healthy, beautiful plants. Remember to protect them from chilly temperatures when taking them from the store to your car.