What to plant in November in Canada

Worked out for 29 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in November in Canada, by zone: frost-free, highs below 10 °C (Victoria): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 4 more; frost possible, highs below 10 °C (Toronto, Vancouver and 26 more): garlic and flower bulbs.

In Canada, November is autumn.

Frost-free, highs below 10 °C: Victoria

In November, on average, Victoria has highs of 10 °C and lows of 6 °C, 174 mm of rain on 18 days; the day lasts 9 h 15 min (on the 15th).

No frost in November in 10 years of data: frost-tender crops can go in too, if it is warm enough for them.

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	Victoria
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, spinach, radish, cabbage, broccoli	Victoria
plant sets	Onion	Victoria
plant bulbs	Crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, tulip	Victoria

Compared with October: new — garlic, crocus, daffodil, hyacinth and tulip; no longer sown — lettuce, arugula, kohlrabi and turnip.

Not starting in November: tomato (April, started indoors), bell pepper (April, started indoors), zucchini (May, started indoors), green beans (June, sown direct) and lettuce (February, started indoors) — dates for Victoria.

Ready to harvest in November in Victoria, if sown in the right month: broad bean (August), peas (September), lettuce (September), radish (October), cabbage (July), Swiss chard (September), beet (September) and pumpkin (July).

Frost dates in Victoria

Frost possible, highs below 10 °C: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary and 24 more

In November, on average, these cities have highs of -9 to 9 °C and lows of -14 to 4 °C, 24 to 355 mm of rain on 7 to 20 days; the day lasts 6 h 41 min to 9 h 49 min (on the 15th).

November falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: Vancouver (17 November), Montreal (1 November), Ottawa (1 November), Halifax (9 November), Hamilton (7 November), London (Canada) (7 November), Gatineau (1 November), Windsor (7 November), St. John's (10 November), Moncton (4 November) and Charlottetown (2 November).

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and 15 more
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, spinach, cabbage	Vancouver
plant sets	Onion	Vancouver
sow direct	Radish	Vancouver, Halifax, Hamilton and 3 more
start indoors, plant out in January	Broccoli	Vancouver
plant bulbs	Crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, tulip	Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and 15 more

Compared with October: no longer sown — lettuce, arugula, kohlrabi and turnip.

Not starting in November: tomato (March, started indoors), bell pepper (March, started indoors), zucchini (April, started indoors), green beans (June, sown direct) and lettuce (March, started indoors) — dates for Ottawa.

Ready to harvest in November in Ottawa, if sown in the right month: broad bean (August), peas (September), lettuce (September), radish (October), cabbage (July), Swiss chard (September), beet (September) and pumpkin (July).

How we work it out

For each city we use its average weather in November and the months after (highs, lows and rain for 2016–2025, ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo) and its average frost dates. A crop starts in November if the month's mean temperature reaches the minimum soil temperature for germination on its card (we use the mean air temperature as a stand-in for the soil's) and if, over its first months (up to three), the average highs stay within its group's range, with no frost for crops that cannot take it. Crops started indoors count from the month they are planted out.

Temperature groups from Colorado State University Extension: cool-season crops prefer 16–27 °C and lose quality in heat; hardy ones grow in days as cool as 4 °C, semi-hardy ones from 4–10 °C (we use 10 °C); warm-season crops need days above 13 °C, and the most tender (tomato, pepper, aubergine, melon, watermelon, squash) above 16 °C, up to 35 °C. Crops the guide does not name go into the stricter group by their frost hardiness. Broad beans, which the guide does not name, count as hardy: hardy varieties are sown in autumn and overwinter (RHS). Garlic and bulbs: a month before the first frost, and later only while the ground is not frozen (as on each city's page).

This is a general rule from averages: your garden can be a week or two earlier or later, and a greenhouse or a cold frame brings the season forward. Greenly works out the dates for your location.

What to plant in November in Canada

Frost-free, highs below 10 °C: Victoria

Frost possible, highs below 10 °C: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary and 24 more

How we work it out

Other months in Canada