What to Plant in November

Written & researched by Elena Marsh Gardening & Landscaping Editor

Updated March 2026

What to plant in November depends on your zone: cold-region gardeners in zones 3 to 5 get in a last-call garlic planting and turn to indoor microgreens and planning, temperate zones 6 to 7 plant garlic early and keep cold-frame greens going, and warm zones 8 to 11 continue the cool-season garden of lettuce, spinach, brassicas, peas, and fava beans — with the far south still transplanting tomatoes. November closes the outdoor season in the north while the southern cool-season garden stays productive. Here is the crop-by-crop plan for each climate band.

We do not test or physically handle the plants and products we cover; our guidance draws on horticultural extension research and the aggregated experience in thousands of owner reviews, as explained in how we rank.

November is the month the growing map of America grows starkest. Across the north and much of the temperate middle the outdoor planting season has essentially closed — the ground is freezing or frozen, and the work turns to a last-call garlic planting, harvesting hardy crops from under cover, putting beds to rest, and moving fresh production indoors to microgreens and sprouts. In the warm South, meanwhile, the cool-season garden keeps rolling productively, with greens, roots, peas, and fava beans all going into mild soil, and the frost-free tropics of Florida, south Texas, coastal California, and Hawaii are at the peak of their planting year. The through-line for the temperate band is soil care: what you do with your beds now, from cover crops to compost to mulch, shapes how healthy and workable they are next spring. Garlic that missed its October window can still go in early November under heavy mulch where the ground remains diggable. As active growing eases, November becomes the ideal unhurried time to build next year's soil and, in the mildest zones, to keep harvesting. Below, each climate band gets its own crop-by-crop plan.

November planting at a glance by zone

Find your band, then read the matching section. By November the growing map is stark: frozen or freezing in the north, mild and productive in the south.

Cold regions (zones 3-5): last garlic and the move indoors

Outdoor planting is basically finished in the north, but November still has a couple of jobs, and the windowsill becomes the new growing space.

If you missed October garlic and the soil is still diggable, get cloves in now under a heavy mulch. Otherwise, November is for microgreens and sprouts indoors, harvesting hardy crops from under cover, ordering next year's seed, and cleaning and storing tools before deep winter.

Temperate regions (zones 6-7): garlic window closes, covers carry on

Early November is the last dependable garlic window in zones 6 and 7, and the cold-frame and low-tunnel greens started in fall keep the harvest going.

• Garlic — plant early in the month, a few weeks before the ground freezes, then mulch.
• Cold-frame greens — harvest spinach, mâche, arugula, and hardy lettuce grown under protection.
• Overwintering crops — spinach and mâche sown earlier settle in under cover for spring; kale and leeks hold in the ground.
• Fava beans — in mild parts of zone 7, a fall sowing overwinters for an early crop.

Carrots, beets, and leeks left under a thick straw mulch can be dug through winter and taste sweeter after repeated frosts. Vent covers on mild, sunny days so plants do not overheat. For the hardy lineup and protection methods, see fall vegetables to plant.

Warm regions (zones 8-9): the cool-season garden rolls on

In the warm South, November is still an active planting month. The cool-season crops thrive in the mild weather, and there is plenty going into the ground.

Succession-sow salad greens and radishes for a steady winter supply. Fava beans are a standout November sowing here: cold-tolerant, nitrogen-fixing, and cropping in spring. Keep an eye out for the occasional hard frost and have cloth ready for tender transplants.

Frost-free regions (zones 10-11): peak planting continues

In south Florida, deep south Texas, coastal southern California, and Hawaii, November remains a peak planting month. Transplant tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant; direct-sow beans, cucumbers, and squash; and plant the full cool-season range of greens, roots, brassicas, peas, and fava beans. The mild, frost-free winter is the productive growing season here, so November plantings will produce steadily through the coming months. Cool nights actually improve many crops now, sweetening greens and root vegetables, and pest pressure is far lower than in the summer. Keeping a rhythm of succession sowings — a short row of lettuce, spinach, or radishes every couple of weeks — turns November into the start of a long, continuous harvest that runs through the mildest and most reliable stretch of the gardening year in these regions.

Fresh greens indoors when the garden sleeps

For cold-zone gardeners, November is when indoor growing keeps fresh produce coming. Two quick options need little space or equipment.

• Microgreens — sow densely in shallow trays of moist mix on a sunny sill or under a light; harvest tender greens in one to three weeks.
• Sprouts — rinse seeds twice a day in a jar; broccoli, radish, and alfalfa sprouts are ready in a few days with no soil at all.
• Windowsill herbs — chives, parsley, and mint hold on a bright sill through winter.

These give a taste of the garden through the darkest months and keep the growing habit alive until spring sowing resumes.

Common November planting mistakes

Putting beds to rest and building next year's soil

In cold and temperate zones, November's most useful work happens at soil level. The way you close down beds now determines how healthy and workable they are next spring, and a few hours of effort in late fall save weeks of remediation in March.

• Never leave soil bare — exposed ground erodes under winter rain and snowmelt and loses nutrients. Cover empty beds with a mulch of shredded leaves or straw, or with an established cover crop sown earlier.
• Add organic matter now — spreading compost or well-rotted manure over beds in fall lets it settle and integrate over winter, so soil is ready to plant in spring without a last-minute scramble.
• Collect and use fall leaves — shredded leaves are free organic matter; piled on beds or composted, they become leaf mold that dramatically improves soil structure.
• Mulch overwintering crops — a thick straw layer over garlic, carrots, and hardy greens prevents frost heave and lets you harvest roots from the ground into winter.

Fall soil care works with nature's own rhythm. Freeze-and-thaw cycles over winter break down clods and help incorporate the compost and leaves you add now, so beds mulched and amended in November are looser and richer than those left bare and dug in spring. It is also the time to clear the last spent plants — old vines, frost-killed foliage, and fallen fruit that would otherwise shelter overwintering pests and disease spores. Empty the compost bin's finished layer onto beds, and start a new pile with the fall cleanup and leaves. None of this produces an immediate harvest, but it is the quiet foundation of a productive next season, and November — with the pressure of active growing gone — is the ideal time to do it unhurried.

Related: look back at what to plant in October, ahead to what to plant in December, review the full fall planting guide, or read how we rank.