What to plant in November in the Pacific Northwest

Worked out for 11 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in November in the Pacific Northwest, by zone: frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F (Seattle, Portland and 5 more): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 6 more; frost-free, highs of 50–61 °F (Tacoma): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 6 more; frost possible, highs below 50 °F (Spokane, Idaho Falls and 1 more): garlic and flower bulbs.

In the Pacific Northwest, November is fall.

Frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F: Seattle, Portland, Boise, Salem and 3 more

In November, on average, these cities have highs of 50 to 54 °F and lows of 34 to 41 °F, 1.3 to 8.1 in of rain on 8 to 18 days; the day lasts 9 h 20 min to 9 h 48 min (on the 15th).

November falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: Seattle (November 24), Portland (November 22), Salem (November 17) and Olympia (November 15).

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	all
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, spinach, cabbage, turnip	Seattle, Portland, Salem and 3 more
plant sets	Onion	Seattle, Portland, Salem and 3 more
sow direct	Radish, arugula	all
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in January	Broccoli	Seattle, Portland, Salem and 3 more
plant bulbs	Crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, tulip	all

Compared with October: no longer sown — lettuce, Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, chamomile, daikon, dill and 2 more.

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

Ready to harvest in November in Portland, if sown in the right month: peas (September), radish (October), beet (September), watermelon (August), pumpkin (July), sweet corn (August), parsley (September) and cilantro (September).

Frost-free, highs of 50–61 °F: Tacoma

In November, on average, Tacoma has highs of 51 °F and lows of 42 °F, 7.2 in of rain on 18 days; the day lasts 9 h 22 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	Tacoma
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, spinach, radish, cabbage, broccoli, arugula, turnip	Tacoma
plant sets	Onion	Tacoma
plant bulbs	Crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, tulip	Tacoma

Compared with October: new — garlic, crocus, daffodil, hyacinth and tulip; no longer sown — lettuce, Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, chamomile, daikon, dill and 2 more.

Ready to harvest in November in Tacoma, if sown in the right month: peas (September), lettuce (September), radish (October), carrot (September), Swiss chard (September), beet (September), watermelon (August) and pumpkin (July).

Frost dates in Tacoma

Frost possible, highs below 50 °F: Spokane, Idaho Falls and Yakima

In November, on average, these cities have highs of 44 to 49 °F and lows of 27 to 33 °F, 1.1 to 2.8 in of rain on 7 to 13 days; the day lasts 9 h 20 min to 9 h 43 min (on the 15th).

November falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait.

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	all
sow direct	Radish	Yakima
plant bulbs	Crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, tulip	all

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

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

Ready to harvest in November in Idaho Falls, if sown in the right month: peas (September), radish (October), beet (September), pumpkin (July), parsley (September), cilantro (September), arugula (October) and chamomile (September).

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 60–80 °F and lose quality in heat; hardy ones grow in days as cool as 40 °F, semi-hardy ones from 40–50 °F (we use 50 °F); warm-season crops need days above 55 °F, and the most tender (tomato, pepper, eggplant, melon, watermelon, squash) above 60 °F, up to 95 °F. Crops the guide does not name go into the stricter group by their frost hardiness. Fava (broad) beans, which the guide does not name, count as hardy: hardy varieties are sown in fall 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.