The passing of autumn doesn’t imply the gardening season is over! For growers in zones 6-8, there may be nonetheless a small window to get cold-hardy greens, garlic, bulbs, and canopy crops within the floor, although some may have safety. For southern growers in zones 9 and hotter, November is the prime planting season for cool-weather brassicas, herbs, flowers, and root crops that may’t deal with your traditional summer season warmth.
Let’s dig into the greatest 17 crops to plant in November primarily based in your rising zone.
17 Crops to Plant in November
As you enter the winter season, a soil thermometer will turn out to be your greatest pal. Frequently checking the soil temperature of various beds and places will assist you to gauge whether or not or not you may plant sure crops.
Should you use season extension chilly frames, row covers, raised beds, or greenhouses, the soil temperature is a way more correct reference level than the ambient climate temperatures. Even when the nights begin to cool, loads of crops are nonetheless desperate to courageous the coolness!
Zones 6-8
Mâche
Also referred to as corn salad or lamb’s lettuce, mâche is a well-liked winter inexperienced in Europe however is lesser identified in the US. This can be very chilly hardy and really prefers the cooler temperatures of November.
Seeds can germinate in soils as chilly as 50°F and can go dormant in soils hotter than 70°F. As soon as established, the crops can deal with a stunning 5°F and readily defrost earlier than harvest.
Mâche was as soon as thought of a winter weed in corn fields (therefore the nickname “corn salad”), however it’s now a classy connoisseur inexperienced with the sturdiness of a wild plant. The leaves are barely nutty and candy, with a tenderly crisp texture that balances spicy arugula or bitter endive properly. I like the gorgeous little mâche rosettes for salads, toasts, or braising greens drizzled in French dressing and nuts.
Claytonia
Few crops can deal with the chilly, damp, dim atmosphere of late fall and winter in northern gardens. However claytonia doesn’t thoughts barely waterlogged situations so long as it has a little bit of safety. Though they may develop fairly slowly in areas with little daylight, the crops reliably develop fairly rosettes that may be harvested slightly below the basal plate and regenerate for a second development in early spring.
Also referred to as miner’s lettuce or winter purslane, claytonia is a wild edible inexperienced introduced into cultivation for its succulent, tender leaves. The vitamin-rich greens are a particular salad deal with in late winter and early spring when few different issues are rising.
Garlic
Should you haven’t planted your garlic, it’s not too late! Zones 5-9 can nonetheless reliably tuck garlic into the bottom, however zones 3-5 have often missed the planting window by the point November rolls round. Garlic is a novel crop as a result of it operates on the other schedule of most veggies: you plant in fall and harvest in peak summer season!
Garlic bulbs benefit from the cool soils of autumn, however they want a while to get anchored in earlier than the bottom freezes. On the flip aspect, an excessive amount of fall heat could be unhealthy for garlic as a result of it causes the younger crops to exhaust their vitality, sending up fragile shoots that can shortly die when the climate turns frigid. Planting garlic too early is likely one of the commonest errors.
October is good for center and northern-zone gardeners, however November can nonetheless work for those who present a thick layer of straw or leaf mulch to maintain them cozy.
Order seed garlic from a good supply and gently separate the cloves, protecting as many wrappers intact as attainable. Optionally, soak your cloves in apple cider vinegar or a diluted kelp answer earlier than planting to forestall illness threat. All the time place cloves butt-down (roots down) and pointy aspect up. Area at the very least 6” aside to get the most important bulbs attainable.
Fava Beans
Favas are an superior cool-season annual legume that may be grown as a harvestable bean crop or as a canopy crop. Favas style like buttery lima beans and are often harvested whereas younger and inexperienced in early spring. The edible varieties are likely to have big seeds, whereas the duvet crop varieties are smaller.
Fava roots type a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing micro organism known as Rhizobium to remodel atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available fertilizer within the soil. Whether or not you “chop and drop” them as cowl crops or harvest the beans and compost the crops, your backyard can nonetheless benefit from the added nutrient increase from the leaves.
Flower Bulbs
It’s onerous to imagine that delicate spring flowers like daffodils, tulips, and crocus want winter chilly to advertise their vibrant blooms. Certainly, most spring-flowering bulbs are planted in fall, roughly 6 to eight weeks earlier than the soil freezes. Relying on the climate, gardeners in zones 6-8 often plant in November.
I like planting daffodils alongside the borders of my backyard to assist deter ground-burrowing rodents. Daffodils (Narcissus) are toxic to animals and assist create an underground barrier for pests. Bulbs like decorative allium and grape hyacinth make a stunning early spring pollinator patch for hungry bees and butterflies rising from hibernation.
Usually, bulb planting might coincide with digging up your frost-sensitive bulbous crops (like canna lilies and elephant ears) to retailer indoors over winter. Deal with the basis buildings rigorously, it doesn’t matter what species you’re coping with, as a result of nicks or cuts could make the bulb susceptible to rot whereas within the floor or in storage.
Onions
As you chop up onions for autumn soups and stews, you can too plan to get overwintering onions within the floor for the spring. This allium household root is surprisingly cold-hardy, nevertheless it’s necessary to supply day-neutral or intermediate onion varieties that can type bulbs even with the lowered daylight hours of winter. ‘Cabernet,’ ‘Sweet,’ and ‘Flat of Italy Bulb Cipollini’ are nice choices for many areas of the US.
Typically, fall onions want 4-6 weeks to determine their roots earlier than harsh frosts hit. In case your fall has been delicate in zones 4-6, November-planted onions mustn’t have an issue for those who give them a pleasant raised mattress and a layer of mulch. Zones 7-8 can reliably seed or transplant onions all through November.
Should you’re new to onion rising or need a faster, simpler plating course of, think about rising from onion units. These child bulbs are able to plant, very similar to garlic, and yield faster outcomes of recent inexperienced onions for winter garnishes or dependable bulbs for early spring harvests.
Arugula
Also referred to as rocket, this peppery brassica-family inexperienced completely loves the coolness! There are two essential forms of arugula: salad sorts and wild sorts. Each have the basic peppery taste, however wild sorts are spicier and last more in your fridge.
The seeds germinate in soils as chilly as 50°F, however in most northern zones, there may be not sufficient gentle to render any dependable pace of development till spring. They’re greatest lined with row cloth on the time of planting.
Flea beetles are likely to assault arugula typically, particularly when rising underneath greenhouse cowl, so be sure you shield them with row cloth, as there should not as many predatory bugs actively looking when the climate turns chilly. The material additionally retains the younger crops heat sufficient to anchor their roots.
Kale
Whereas I wouldn’t advocate direct seeding kale within the November backyard, you may actually transplant established seedlings into a chilly body or an indoor windowsill container. Kale varieties like ‘Purple Russian’ and ‘Siberian’ are exceptionally frost-hardy and even get sweeter because the nights get colder.
In most zones, you’ll doubtless wish to cowl your kale with a low tunnel or a beneficiant layer of row cloth to assist it get established this late within the fall. Ideally, overwintering kale would have been established in late August or September. Nonetheless, the crops might develop slowly, however they may proceed to provide greens till they bolt in spring.
Zones 9-12
November planting is way more thrilling for zones 9 and hotter as a result of the cool season lastly gives a window for the basic autumn crops that southern growers often should keep away from. These cool-weather veggies are desperate to proliferate through the chillier temperatures and lowered pest stress of late fall.
Broccoli
In heat zones, broccoli is raring to flourish by the winter. Aphids are much less lively, and the crops are much less prone to bolt attributable to warmth. You may seed or transplant broccoli any time in November in frost-free zones and use row cowl to assist younger crops get established.
Constant moisture and correct selection choice are key to profitable broccoli. Don’t let the soil dry out, and choose a range that produces over an extended interval. ‘Di Cicco’ yields good 3-4” central heads about 50 days after sowing, then produces aspect shoots all through late winter and early spring.
Cauliflower
Like broccoli, cauliflower craves the delicate autumn climate. This brassica is virtually inconceivable to develop as a spring or summer season crop in actually sizzling areas, however it may do remarkably properly when seeded or transplanted in early November.
My private favourite is ‘Romanesco’ cauliflower, which appears to be like like a psychedelic conical broccoli-cauliflower cross. The swirly creative florets have a uniquely nutty taste and yield 75-100 days from a fall planting, that means you’ll harvest the heads by February.
On this video, Kevin explains the significance of timing and the frequent errors in his San Diego (zone 10b) gardens:
Cabbage
Whereas cabbage moths might destroy spring cabbage crops within the southern US, winter gives some respite. These brassicas are carefully associated to broccoli and cauliflower (they’re the identical species, only a totally different subspecies!) and thrive in the identical loamy soil, constant moisture, and funky climate. Be sure you correctly area them to get stable heads. Don’t harvest too early, or your cabbage could also be “unfastened” reasonably than a agency globe.
Celery
For zones 9 and 10, celery is ideal for late fall planting. These finicky stalks love persistently delicate climate (not too cool, not too sizzling) and common moisture to correctly yield. The soil ought to by no means dry out, or the celery might turn out to be stringy or bolt (go to seed) prematurely.
It’s greatest to begin celery indoors in November and transplant out after they have two units of true leaves. Plant 6-8” aside in rows 24-36” aside and have loads of persistence. Celery can take as much as 150 days to mature and desires constant irrigation for the entire time!
Chard
These beet cousins take off shortly with November plantings in southern areas. Chard germinates greatest in heat soils round 70-80°F, so I like to begin them on heating mats indoors and transplant them out as soon as they’ve 2-3 units of true leaves. It’s good to develop a mix of types or strive ‘Celebration Swiss Chard’ for rainbow-colored stalks.
Carrots
Should you’ve had problem rising candy, juicy carrots from spring sowings, strive direct seeding them in November. Carrots germinate greatest in soils round 70°F and want steady moisture till they emerge, which might take 1-3 weeks.
The probabilities of germination drastically cut back if the solar is consistently drying out the soil. Fluctuations in moisture are additionally detrimental as a result of the soil can type a crust that stops the seedlings from sprouting. To forestall these points, generously amend the mattress with compost, use overhead irrigation or a hose, and sow the seeds about ½” deep. Cowl with a layer of row cloth and verify it day by day till seedlings seem.
Skinny to ¾ to 2” aside to make sure you get strong circumference carrots. Sowing carrots too densely can lead to spindly, skinny roots that by no means get giant sufficient to make use of in recipes.
Cool-Season Flowers
Petunias, snapdragons, and pansies are just some cool-season flowers that eagerly take off from November sowings in subtropical zones. Their tender foliage and petals can not deal with the warmth of spring and summer season, however they may gladly develop in containers, hanging baskets, or border beds through the fall. Most species take pleasure in an ambient temperature vary between 45 to 65°F.
Snapdragons particularly thrive when planted in November as a result of the cool climate stimulates these younger perennials to anchor their roots and produce loads of foliage in preparation for early spring blooming. Though they may cease flowering when the climate heats up, snapdragons reliably return yr after yr in zones 9/11.
Cilantro
Though we regularly consider cilantro as a summer season crop alongside tomatoes, this herb loves chilly climate. Cilantro tends to bolt and wimp out within the warmth. To save lots of cilantro for summer season salsas and tacos, direct seed in November or December and harvest the flavorful leaves all winter. Protect cilantro by freezing or drying so you should use it along with your tomatoes subsequent season.
Though heat climate will set off cilantro to bolt, the recent seedheads are delicately scrumptious. Extra importantly, cilantro seeds are what we name coriander! Fall-planted cilantro that bolts in spring additionally serves as a superb floral useful resource for early-season pollinators.
Fennel
This last cool-season crop is often off-limits for southern growers except planted within the fall. Fennel will bolt through the lengthy, sizzling summer season days, nevertheless it produces good refreshing bulbs and fronds when overwintered in zones 9 and 10.
You may direct seed, however I want to transplant from cell containers. Watch out to not disturb the roots an excessive amount of, as this stress can set off bolting. Fennel tastes wonderful when the bulbs are harvested younger, thinly sliced, and seasoned with olive oil and balsamic in a yummy early spring salad.
Ultimate Ideas
For northern gardeners, November is just too late for many crops to be planted open air. Nonetheless, utilizing season extensions like row covers, low tunnels, or chilly frames, you will get away with late plantings of a number of frost-hardy crops like mâche, claytonia, and kale.
In hotter southern zones, November is prime time for planting your cool-season brassicas, herbs, and flowers to allow them to flourish with out the stress of sizzling climate and pests.
It doesn’t matter what you plant, be sure you monitor your seeding dates in your backyard log so you may replicate what works greatest on your zone subsequent season!
