What to plant in November in the Southwest

Worked out for 8 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in November in the Southwest, by zone: frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F (Phoenix, Tucson and 1 more): broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce and 15 more; frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F (Las Cruces): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 20 more; frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F (Las Vegas): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 22 more; frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F (Albuquerque, Santa Fe (United States) and 1 more): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 6 more.

In the Southwest, November is fall.

Frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F: Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma

In November, on average, these cities have highs of 76 to 80 °F and lows of 50 to 55 °F, 0.4 to 0.9 in of rain on 1 to 3 days; the day lasts 10 h 27 min to 10 h 31 min (on the 15th). A dry month: whatever is sown needs watering.

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, cabbage, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, chickpea, dill, mustard greens	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
start indoors, plant out in December	Spinach	Phoenix and Tucson
start indoors, plant out in December	Lettuce, cauliflower, Swiss chard, kale, kohlrabi	all
start indoors, plant out in January	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, moringa	Yuma
sow direct	Zucchini, green beans, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, basil, bok choy, borage, chayote, corn, Florence fennel, kiwano, Napa cabbage, peanut, soybean	Yuma
start indoors, plant out in January	Brussels Sprouts	Phoenix and Tucson
start indoors, plant out in February	Celeriac, celery	Yuma

Compared with October: new — broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, Swiss chard and 16 more; no longer sown — cucumber, melon, achocha, luffa and okra.

Frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F: Las Cruces

In November, on average, Las Cruces has highs of 68 °F and lows of 44 °F, 0.6 in of rain on 2 days; the day lasts 10 h 31 min (on the 15th). A dry month: whatever is sown needs watering.

November falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: Las Cruces (November 24).

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	Las Cruces
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, radish, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, daikon, dill, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, parsnip	Las Cruces
plant sets	Onion, shallot	Las Cruces
start indoors, plant out in December	Spinach, cauliflower	Las Cruces
start indoors, plant out in January	Brussels Sprouts	Las Cruces

Compared with October: new — broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce, radish, carrot, cabbage and 16 more.

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

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

Frost dates in Las Cruces

Frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F: Las Vegas

In November, on average, Las Vegas has highs of 66 °F and lows of 47 °F, 0.6 in of rain on 2 days; the day lasts 10 h 16 min (on the 15th). A dry month: whatever is sown needs watering.

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	Las Vegas
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, spinach, lettuce, radish, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, daikon, dill, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, parsnip	Las Vegas
plant sets	Onion, shallot	Las Vegas
start indoors, plant out in December	Cauliflower, chicory	Las Vegas
start indoors, plant out in January	Leek, Brussels sprouts	Las Vegas

Compared with October: new — garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce, radish, carrot and 19 more.

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

Ready to harvest in November in Las Vegas, if sown in the right month: zucchini (September), green beans (September), basil (September), bok choy (September), borage (September), moringa (September), Napa cabbage (September) and soybean (September).

Frost dates in Las Vegas

Frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F: Albuquerque, Santa Fe (United States) and Flagstaff

In November, on average, these cities have highs of 51 to 59 °F and lows of 32 to 36 °F, 0.8 to 1.0 in of rain on 3 to 4 days; the day lasts 10 h 18 min to 10 h 21 min (on the 15th). A dry month: whatever is sown needs watering.

November falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: Albuquerque (November 9).

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	all
sow direct	Broad bean, cabbage	Albuquerque and Flagstaff
sow direct	Peas, spinach, radish, arugula, turnip	all
plant sets	Onion	Albuquerque and Flagstaff
sow direct	Lettuce, Swiss chard, beet, chamomile, daikon, dill, mustard greens	Albuquerque
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in January	Broccoli	Albuquerque and Flagstaff
start indoors, plant out in December	Kohlrabi	Albuquerque
plant bulbs	Crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, tulip	all

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

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

Ready to harvest in November in Flagstaff, 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.