What Can You Plant in November?

If you’re wondering what you can plant in November, this article should definitely help.

In November you can plant flowers like daffodils and tulips, veggies such as garlic and kale, fruits like apple trees, spring-flowering bulbs in pots, and plants from seed such as poppies and blue flax. It’s also a good time of year for weeding and raking flower and vegetable beds.

Let’s discover in greater detail what you can and can’t plant in November, and look at some of the garden jobs that can be done at this time of year…

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Is November a Good Time For Planting?

As all gardeners know, looking after the yard is a year-round job, even in November. There’s always something to be tidied, fixed, or if you’re lucky, harvested. However, did you know that you can carry on planting well into the fall?

November isn’t just the time for getting your yard ready for winter: it’s also a great opportunity to get some seeds and bulbs in the ground ready for spring. You can even plant vegetables.

Before you start planting, especially this late in the year, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the USDA plant hardiness zones. These standardized zones are used on seed packets and in online growing guides, and go from 1 (very cold) to 10 (seriously hot). Take a look at the USDA plant hardiness zone map.

In this guide, we’ll be speaking generally about what you can plant in your yard in November. Always check what’s suitable for your specific hardiness zone.

What Flowers Can You Plant in November?

You can get your flower garden ready for spring with some October and November planting. If the weather’s cold where you are, you can start your flowers off indoors over the winter. Growing flowers inside, whether in your home or in a greenhouse, can be a great way to involve young kids in a gardening project.

Here are a few of our favorite flowers to plant in November:

Daffodils. Get your bulbs ready for spring by planting them now. You’ll be rewarded with a gorgeous, golden display early next season
Tulips. Like daffodils, get your bulbs planted now. Choose lots if lovely bright colors to welcome in the spring
Pansies. These pretty little blooms are easy to plant and grow, and have a really long flowering season
Asters. They also come in an array of beautiful colors, and aren’t too fussy about what time of year they’re planted. Provided you haven’t had a frost yet, you may even be able to plant them outdoors

What Fruits Can You Plant in November?

In most climate zones, November isn’t the ideal time to plant soft and delicate fruits. However, the ever-reliable apple tree can be an exception to this.

Trees can be planted in the fall, as long as they have time to establish their root systems before the ground gets too hard. November is too late in some regions; however, in warmer climates, you can still plant your apple trees in November. This gives them time to settle in before they start producing blossoms in the spring.

In the hardiest zones, you could try fruit bushes such as blueberries in the fall, and hopefully you’ll have a lovely harvest in the future. Again, check whether your climate is suitable.

Not planted an apple tree before? This is a useful little film about planting apple t rees from Tim Farmer’s Country Kitchen.

What Vegetables Can You Plant in November?

At the risk of repeating ourselves, what you can plant in November depends on where you live. If you live in one of the hardy zones (mostly the southern states), it’s actually better to plant certain vegetables in colder weather, as drought or a very hot spell can cause them to bolt.

Here’s a selection of vegetables that you can plant in the fall in many places, including as late as November:

Carrots: this root crop can be grown in deep containers, so can be brought indoors
Lettuce: keep those fresh salads coming all year
Kale: a great leafy veg to grow in the winter
Radishes: these hot little vegetables are great to spice up a winter salad
Garlic: a useful allium to have ready throughout the year, and which you can easily grown indoors in a pot
Spinach: this iron-rich, leafy plant really isn’t fussy about when it’s grown

And if you live in a colder climate? Don’t despair, as you can start these plants off indoors over winter. Find a warm, sunny spot, and make sure you use large containers if you’re planting larger crops or root vegetables.

It’s also a good time to start an herb garden on your windowsill. Rosemary, cilantro, parsley, and sage should all do well grown indoors at this time of year. Keep them in the kitchen window, then you can spend the winter months snipping off bits from the herb plants to go straight into your cooking.

A quick note: we’re often asked about potato planting in the fall, as they seem like such a cozy, wintertime food. Sorry, no: potatoes don’t like frost, so you need to get them in the ground in the summer (or early fall if you live in a hot zone).

Onions are risky too, as they don’t like getting too wet, so November rain can cause them problems. Try shallots instead, which are less fussy. Sticking with the allium family, you can also plant leeks in the fall in warmer regions, and garlic is fantastically unfussy in most zones.

Can You Plant Trees & Shrubs in November?

You can plant trees and shrubs in November; but again, that depends on where in the States you live. If you’re pretty confident that you won’t see a frost until December, you can plant trees in early November.

The fall is generally a good time to plant trees because it gives the root system time to establish before the ground hardens in the winter. A fall-planted tree should survive the winter (provided you don’t live in a really cold climate) and be ready for buds and blossoms in the spring.

Set yourself up for a future fall harvest by planting fruit trees and shrubs, such as apples and some types of berry. Again, check what’s best suited to your climate.

What Can I Plant in Pots in November?

You can actually plant most of the things we’ve listed here in pots. If you live in a cooler zone or in a place that’s prone to early frosts, make sure you grow most of your November crops in containers, then you can always bring them into the house or greenhouse when it gets too cold. Here are a few surprising things you can grow in pots:

A dwarf apple tree
Veg such as carrots, kale and spinach
Most types of herbs
Bulbs, ready for a colorful display early in the spring

Just make sure that the pots are deep enough for the roots, and that you’re using a planter-friendly, loam compost.

Is it OK To Plants Seeds & Bulbs in November?

Provided the ground isn’t too hard, you can plant your spring-flowering bulbs in November. If you’re already seeing frosts, plant your bulbs indoors in containers.

You can plant seeds in November. Poppies, coneflowers, and blue flax are popular fall-planting flowers. However, in most regions, we’d suggest growing your seeds in pots at this time of year. You may be lucky with wildflower seeds outdoors, as they would naturally be scattered in the fall; however it is a bit of a risk, so go for a gorgeous container display instead.

Conclusion: What Jobs Can I Do in The Garden in November?

As well as getting on with these planting ideas, there are plenty of other jobs you can carry out in your yard in November.

As we mentioned in our article about October planting, there are plenty of jobs to be done in the fall that help you get your garden ready for winter. Provided the weather is still reasonably dry and still, here are a few suggestions:

Weed, rake, and till your veg and flower beds
Keep sweeping up those leaves, and feed your compost pile
Still not set up a compost pile? You know what to do…
Harvest any remaining fruit and veg. This is the last chance this season
Bumper crop? Time to batch cook and freeze some of your delicious, home-grown produce, or have a preserving session
Cover any delicater plants with fleeces if they can’t be moved indoors
Make sure any rattling windows, blocked gutters, broken shingles, and so on are fixed in time for the winter
If you experience strong winter winds where you live, make sure anything that could blow around is securely fastened or brought indoors
Outdoor kitchen? It’s time to winterize this, either by covering or taking the portable parts of the kitchen indoors
Get planning those outdoor holiday decorations ready for December…

Want to know what you can plant in December? Read the next article in our planting calendar…