What to plant in November in the South

Worked out for 46 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in November in the South, by zone: frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F (Lafayette): broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce and 18 more; frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F (New Orleans, Savannah and 7 more): broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce and 19 more; frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F (Atlanta, Charlotte and 15 more): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 22 more; frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F (Washington, D.C., Nashville and 17 more): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 7 more.

In the South, November is fall.

Frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F: Lafayette

In November, on average, Lafayette has highs of 72 °F and lows of 54 °F, 3.3 in of rain on 9 days; the day lasts 10 h 39 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
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, chickpea, dill, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, parsnip	Lafayette
plant sets	Onion, shallot	Lafayette
start indoors, plant out in December	Spinach, cauliflower	Lafayette
start indoors, plant out in January	Brussels Sprouts	Lafayette

Compared with October: new — broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce, carrot, cabbage, broccoli and 15 more; no longer sown — zucchini, green beans, basil, bok choy and borage.

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

Ready to harvest in November in Lafayette, if sown in the right month: zucchini (September), green beans (September), watermelon (August), pumpkin (July), sweet corn (August), basil (September), bok choy (September) and borage (September).

Frost dates in Lafayette

Frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F: New Orleans, Savannah, Charleston, Baton Rouge and 5 more

In November, on average, these cities have highs of 62 to 71 °F and lows of 47 to 57 °F, 2.3 to 3.5 in of rain on 7 to 9 days; the day lasts 10 h 13 min to 10 h 40 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	Virginia Beach
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, dill, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, parsnip	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
start indoors, plant out in December or sow direct	Spinach	all
sow direct	Radish, daikon	Savannah, Charleston, Macon and 3 more
start indoors, plant out in December	Cauliflower	all
start indoors, plant out in January	Leek	Charleston, Wilmington and Virginia Beach
start indoors, plant out in January	Brussels Sprouts	all
sow direct	Chickpea	New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Mobile
start indoors, plant out in December	Chicory	Charleston, Shreveport and Wilmington
start indoors, plant out in February	Celeriac, celery, chayote	New Orleans and Mobile
sow direct	Turnip	Virginia Beach

Compared with October: new — garlic, radish, daikon, celeriac, celery, chayote and turnip; no longer sown — zucchini, green beans, basil, bok choy and borage.

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

Ready to harvest in November in Shreveport, if sown in the right month: zucchini (September), green beans (September), watermelon (August), pumpkin (July), sweet corn (August), basil (September), arugula (October) and bok choy (September).

Frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F: Atlanta, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, Memphis and 13 more

In November, on average, these cities have highs of 62 to 70 °F and lows of 43 to 53 °F, 1.6 to 3.7 in of rain on 4 to 9 days; the day lasts 10 h 16 min to 10 h 38 min (on the 15th).

November falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: Atlanta (November 22), Charlotte (November 13), Oklahoma City (November 10), Memphis (November 23), Raleigh (November 19), Tulsa (November 17), Little Rock (November 20), Birmingham (United States) (November 26), Montgomery (November 29), Jackson (November 28), Columbia (November 29), Fort Smith (November 18), Athens (United States) (November 22), Gulfport (November 24), Lawton (November 11), Greenville (November 22) and Chattanooga (November 12).

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	Atlanta, Charlotte, Oklahoma City and 11 more
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, dill, kohlrabi, mustard greens	all
plant sets	Onion	all
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in December	Spinach	all
sow direct	Radish, daikon	Atlanta, Charlotte, Oklahoma City and 13 more
sow direct	Carrot, kale, parsnip	Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis and 11 more
start indoors, plant out in December	Cauliflower	Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis and 11 more
start indoors, plant out in January	Leek	Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis and 8 more
start indoors, plant out in January	Brussels Sprouts	Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis and 11 more
plant sets	Shallot	Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis and 11 more
sow direct	Turnip	Atlanta, Charlotte, Oklahoma City and 8 more
start indoors, plant out in December	Chicory	Birmingham (United States) and Columbia
sow direct	Chickpea	Gulfport

Compared with October: new — radish, daikon and turnip.

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

Ready to harvest in November in Atlanta, if sown in the right month: zucchini (September), green beans (September), watermelon (August), pumpkin (July), sweet corn (August), basil (September), arugula (October) and bok choy (September).

Frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F: Washington, D.C., Nashville, Louisville, Baltimore and 15 more

In November, on average, these cities have highs of 53 to 61 °F and lows of 37 to 43 °F, 2.2 to 4.2 in of rain on 7 to 11 days; the day lasts 10 h 01 min to 10 h 22 min (on the 15th).

November falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: Washington, D.C. (November 16), Nashville (November 14), Louisville (November 11), Baltimore (November 22), Lexington (November 7), Richmond (November 16), Knoxville (November 12), Dover (November 26), Frankfort (November 3), Annapolis (November 19), Charleston, West Virginia (November 7), Huntsville (November 14), Fayetteville (November 10), Bowling Green (November 10), Hagerstown (November 11), Greensboro (November 13), Asheville (November 2), Roanoke (November 11) and Morgantown (November 7).

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	all
sow direct	Broad bean, cabbage, broccoli	Washington, D.C., Nashville, Louisville and 15 more
sow direct	Peas, spinach, radish, arugula, turnip	all
plant sets	Onion	Washington, D.C., Nashville, Louisville and 15 more
sow direct	Lettuce	Washington, D.C., Nashville, Louisville and 14 more
sow direct	Swiss Chard, beet, chamomile, daikon, dill, mustard greens	Nashville, Richmond, Knoxville and 5 more
sow direct	Parsley, cilantro	Nashville, Richmond, Knoxville and 3 more
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in December	Kohlrabi	Nashville, Richmond, Knoxville and 5 more
plant bulbs	Crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, tulip	Washington, D.C., Louisville, Baltimore and 11 more

Compared with October: new — turnip; no longer sown — carrot, chickpea, kale, parsnip and shallot.

Not starting in November: tomato (March, started indoors), bell pepper (March, started indoors), zucchini (April, started indoors) and green beans (May, sown direct) — dates for Charleston, West Virginia.

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