Most of us consider spring to be prime gardening season. But did you know that in the Northern Hemisphere, certain vegetables can actually thrive when they’re planted right before the first frost?
To find out which vegetables are gardener-approved to plant in November, Parade consulted with three experts: Christina Stembel, founder and CEO of flower gifting company Farmgirl Flowers; Brandy Hall, Founder and CEO of Shades of Green Permaculture and the author of The Complete Guide to Home Permaculture; and Melissa Keyser, Founder and Lead Designer of landscape design studio Cultivating Wild.
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“First and foremost, all veggies are on their own timeline and what you plant in fall is highly dependent on where you live,” Stembel tells Parade.
“A good rule of thumb if you’re looking to plant now is to look for veggies that are ripe for picking come spring,” she adds. “Seasonal spring vegetables… tend to do best when they’re overwintered (which is just a fancy gardener’s way of saying they lived through the cold months) because they get a chance to establish their roots before cooler temperatures take over, and then have a head start when the days start get longer in the new year.”
Keep reading for more insights and which eight veggies you might be able to plant this November!
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Why Early November Is Actually a Great Time to Plant Certain Vegetables
“In many regions, early November offers cooler temperatures, more consistent soil moisture, and less pressure from pests, creating favorable conditions for establishing certain cold-hardy crops,” Hall says. “From a regenerative gardening perspective, keeping living roots in the soil through the colder months helps protect soil structure, feed soil biology and create a wonderful foundation for when things are ready to grow and bloom in the spring.”
She adds that “fall planting is an opportunity to keep soil covered and biologically active through winter. Whether you’re planting food crops, cover crops, or both, maintaining living roots in the soil is one of the most effective ways to build long-term garden resilience.”
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Where You Live Determines What You Can Plant in November
According to Stembel, where you live in the U.S. will dictate which plants you can plant in November.
“If you have mild winters, like in the Southern states, you have many more options than in the more Northern states where the ground freezes during the winter months,” she explains. “For gardeners in the South… you can plant several types of lettuces, chard, spinach, kale, broccoli, beets, carrots, radishes, peas and many herbs.”
If you live in the Northern U.S., where winters are harsher, “the list gets much shorter—think garlic, shallots, chives, and fava beans,” says Stembel, adding that perennial herbs like sage, thyme and rosemary can also be planted in November in the Northern U.S.
Keyser knows this all too well—she lives in Maine, where temperatures get extra cold during the winter.
“Early November is really late to plant in my area,” she says. “But it’s the optimal time for planting garlic, and I might be able to get a harvest of radishes, depending on the year.”
If you’re worried temperatures will be too cold for your November veggies to make it through the winter, do what Stembel does: “Instead of starting with seeds… we’re planting already established plants and putting them in very sunny, well-draining spots so they have the best chance of settling in before winter.”
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8 Vegetables You Can Plant in November
1. Fava beans
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“While fava beans aren’t exactly the darling at most supermarkets, fava beans are a great dark horse fall planting option for zones 7–10 that will shoot up come April and May,” says Stembel. “Planting now will give them time to establish themselves during the colder months, and it also gives you the chance for the earliest possible spring harvest—which means you can get to making fava bean dip (a personal favorite!) even sooner.”
“In regions with relatively mild winters, fava beans can be planted in late fall to establish before winter and produce an earlier spring crop,” adds Hall. “They also provide ecological benefits by helping support soil fertility and protecting bare ground during the off-season.”
According to Stembel, you can plant fava beans fairly close to each other, with just 6 inches between each plant. However, she also notes that “because these beans get leggy once the days start to lengthen, you’ll want to prepare to stake them come early spring so they don’t get too top heavy and tip over!”
Hall adds that fava beans should be planted in well-draining soil under full sun, and that you should “leave roots in the ground after harvest to continue feeding soil life and contributing organic matter.”
2. Peas
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“Much like favas, most varieties of peas that we’re used to are another great option to get into the ground now for a spring harvest so they can establish their roots before the weather gets harsh,” says Stembel. “I learned this the hard way by trying to plant them in the early spring to horrible results, which showed me first hand that they really want to be planted in the fall.”
When shopping for peas to plant in November, Stembel recommends looking for a variety of overwintering peas, such as snap, snow and shelling peas. This helps ensure that they will survive the winter weather.
“Unlike some other veggies, overwintering peas can be ready for harvest in some areas as early as February—which for a gardener is the best gift ever, as they’re really the first sign of life you’ll see in your garden!” she adds.
To make sure your peas grow healthily, Stembel recommends adding stakes, a lattice or a trellis when you plant them “to make sure you don’t damage any root systems that grew before winter.”
She also adds that “peas tend to taste their sweetest when harvested in cooler weather as the sugars can develop into starch once it warms up, so don’t be afraid to pick them early!”
3. Onions
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“Depending on your climate, some onion varieties, like short-day types, develop leafy greens and strong roots in the winter before more daylight hours trigger their bulb to start growing come spring,” says Stembel.
And interestingly, “overwintering actually helps these varieties grow a much bigger bulb.”
To help your onions grow steadily during the winter, Stembel advises planting them shallow at less than a half-inch deep, “but around a foot apart to avoid overcrowding as the bulbs begin to grow.”
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4. Garlic
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When it comes to garlic, Keyser says “planting in early November is the preferred time.”
This is “because the soil is still warm enough to establish roots, but not warm enough or enough daylight hours to put out sprouts, which wastes all its energy,” says Keyser.
“Garlic is one of the best crops to plant in early November because it benefits from a period of cold weather,” adds Hall. “The cloves establish roots through the winter and are ready to put on vigorous growth as temperatures warm in spring, resulting in larger bulbs and a more reliable harvest.”
For garlic, Hall recommends planting “individual cloves with the pointed end facing up, about 2 inches deep.”
Both Hall and Keyser recommend adding a thick layer of mulch over your garlic plants, as this can “moderate soil temperatures and protect the soil ecosystem through winter,” per Hall.
For your mulch, you can use shredded leaves or straw—or, if you have rampant comfrey plants in your garden like Keyser does, you can use comfrey plant cuttings as mulch!
5. Rhubarb
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“While spring time is a great time to plant rhubarb, November—or around the time of your first frost—is an alternative planting schedule for crowns,” says Stembel. “A crown is just a much fancier way of referring to the part of the plant where the underground part (the roots) meets the above-the-ground part (the stems). It looks a little like a piece of knotted wood.”
She also notes that planting rhubarb crowns in the fall instead of the spring “means you can start harvesting rhubarb much sooner than when you start from seeds.” Additionally, “rhubarb produces for decades once established, so find your crowns (or your seeds, if you prefer) a home they can really settle into,” per Stembel.
6. Spinach
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“Like peas, varieties of overwintering spinach planted in fall will mean you get an early—and sweet—spring harvest,” says Stembel. “Cold-tolerant, savoy or semi-savoy varieties work best to get in the ground at least a month—if not sooner—before the first frost.”
“Spinach is remarkably cold-tolerant and can germinate in cool soil,” adds Hall. “In many regions, it can overwinter under protection and provide an amazing early spring harvest, making it a valuable crop for extending the productive season.”
Stembel recommends planting spinach at 6 inches apart from each other to help promote airflow as they grow. And if you live in a very cold winter climate, “you can protect your plants with a layer of mulch,” as this “will help them survive most severe cold spells.”
Hall advises that you “sow seeds densely in beds enriched with compost” and cover your spinach plants with a “low tunnel, cold frame or frost cloth in colder climates for additional protection.”
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7. Shallots
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“Like garlic, shallots thrive when planted in late fall and allowed to overwinter,” says Hall. “They develop strong root systems during the cooler months and often produce larger, healthier bulbs than spring-planted shallots.”
When planting shallots in November, Hall says to do so in well-draining soil, and plant sets of shallots “with the tip just above the soil surface.” Then, make sure to mulch “to help regulate soil moisture and suppress winter weeds.”
8. Radishes
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According to Keyser, radishes “are fast growing, some ready even within a month, and don’t mind the cooler temperatures.”
Not only that, but “you can eat the greens and the radishes at any stage,” she says. “So even if the temps drop to low after planting, there is something you can eat.”
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Sources:
- Christina Stembel, founder and CEO of flower gifting company Farmgirl Flowers,
- Brandy Hall, Founder and CEO of Shades of Green Permaculture
- Melissa Keyser, Founder and Lead Designer of Cultivating Wild.