What to Plant in November: A Zone-by-Zone Guide for Vegetable Gardeners

November can feel like the garden is shutting down, but that depends on where you live. For some gardeners, it’s a surprisingly productive month. For others, it’s the right time to shift indoors and get a head start on winter or early spring crops.

This guide breaks down what to plant in November by zone, so you’re not wasting seeds or second-guessing yourself. Whether you’re in a warm climate still harvesting or a cold one watching frost settle in, there’s something useful here for you.

How Zones Shape Your November Garden

Your USDA hardiness zone is the single most useful piece of information for planning a November planting. It tells you how cold your winters get and how much growing season you have left.

November is a month of extremes across the country. Southern California and South Florida may still feel like late summer. The upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest are dealing with hard frosts or snow. Knowing your zone keeps your expectations realistic.

If you’re unsure of your zone, the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the place to check. Once you know it, the table below gives you a fast overview of where things stand in November.

Zones 3, 4, and 5: Time to Shift Indoors

If you’re gardening in zones 3–5, the outdoor growing season is over by November. That doesn’t mean you stop gardening — it means you move the action inside.

Indoor seed starting in November makes sense if you’re planning for crops that need a long lead time, like onions, leeks, or early cabbages for late winter or early spring transplanting. It’s also a good month for winter sowing cold-hardy greens in jugs outdoors — they’ll germinate when conditions are right in late winter.

Don’t start heat-loving crops like tomatoes or peppers yet. November is too early for those in cold zones. You’d have leggy transplants long before the ground is ready.

• Indoors: onions, leeks (if targeting early spring)
• Winter sowing containers: spinach, kale, mache, claytonia
• Planning: map out your spring beds now while ideas are fresh

Zones 6 and 7: A Narrow Window Still Open

Zones 6 and 7 see real frost in November, but the ground isn’t completely frozen yet and there’s still some life left in the garden. The key is sticking to the toughest cold-hardy crops.

Direct sowing is a stretch, but not impossible in early November, especially in zone 7b. Garlic is actually best planted in fall in these zones and November can still work if you haven’t done it yet. Cold frames and row cover extend your options noticeably.

For more detail on timing in zone 7, see our guide on when to start seeds in Zone 7b.

Zones 8 and 9: Cool-Season Crops Are in Full Swing

November is a genuinely good growing month in zones 8 and 9. Temperatures cool down to the range that many vegetables actually prefer, and the brutal summer heat is finally gone.

You can direct sow a solid list of crops and still get harvests before spring. Brassicas, root vegetables, and leafy greens all do well. This is also the time to get garlic in the ground if you haven’t already.

If you’re in zone 9 and want a detailed monthly breakdown, our zone 9b seed starting guide has you covered.

Zones 10 and 11: Year-Round Gardening Country

If you’re in zone 10 or 11, November is one of the best months of the gardening year. The intense summer heat is gone and conditions are ideal for a huge range of vegetables.

You can grow nearly anything that isn’t strictly a warm-season crop right now. Think leafy greens, root vegetables, beans, cucumbers, and even some fruiting crops depending on how warm your microclimate stays. It’s also smart to start tomatoes and peppers indoors now for a late-winter or early-spring garden.

• Direct sow outdoors: lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, beets, carrots, radishes, turnips, beans, cucumbers, squash, peas
• Start indoors: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant (for late winter transplanting)
• Plant out: broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower transplants

Starting Seeds Indoors in November: What’s Worth It?

Indoor seed starting in November makes the most sense for crops with long growing times or for gardeners who want transplants ready to go the moment conditions allow.

In colder zones (3–7), focus on onions, leeks, and maybe early cabbages. In warmer zones (8–11), you can start tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant now for a productive late-winter or spring harvest.

Make sure you have adequate light. A south-facing window often isn’t enough in November. Grow lights make a real difference in seedling quality this time of year.

• Zones 3–5: onions, leeks
• Zones 6–7: onions, leeks, early brassicas
• Zones 8–9: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onions
• Zones 10–11: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, herbs

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it too late to plant garlic in November?

In zones 5–7, early November is actually still a reasonable time to plant garlic. You want the cloves to establish roots before the ground freezes. In zones 8–11, November garlic planting is perfectly normal.

Can I direct sow anything outdoors in zone 6 in November?

It’s tight, but garlic is your best bet. You can also try a cold frame or row cover with spinach or mache in early November. Success depends a lot on your local weather that particular year.

What vegetables grow fastest in November?

Radishes are always the speed champions — you can harvest them in 25–30 days. Lettuce, spinach, and arugula are also relatively fast. These work best in zones 8 and warmer during November.

Should I bother planting anything in November in zone 4?

Outdoor planting isn’t realistic, but winter sowing in milk jugs is worth trying with hardy greens like spinach and mache. Indoors, starting onions now gives you a great head start for spring.

What’s the single most important thing to plant in November?

Garlic. If you’re in zones 5–9 and you haven’t planted it yet, do it now. It goes in the ground in fall, quietly grows roots all winter, and rewards you with a full harvest the following summer.