What to plant in November in Texas

Worked out for 10 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in November in Texas, by zone: frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F (San Antonio, Corpus Christi and 1 more): broad bean, peas, onion, lettuce, cabbage and 17 more; frost possible, highs of 72–82 °F (Houston): broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce and 18 more; frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F (Dallas, Austin and 1 more): broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce and 19 more; frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F (Fort Worth, Lubbock and 1 more): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 21 more.

In Texas, November is fall.

Frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F: San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Brownsville

In November, on average, these cities have highs of 72 to 79 °F and lows of 55 to 64 °F, 2.6 to 2.8 in of rain on 9 to 10 days; the day lasts 10 h 42 min to 10 h 53 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, cabbage, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, chickpea, dill, mustard greens	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
start indoors, plant out in December	Spinach	San Antonio
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in December	Lettuce, Swiss chard, kale, kohlrabi	all
sow direct	Carrot, broccoli, parsnip	San Antonio
start indoors, plant out in December	Cauliflower	all
start indoors, plant out in January	Brussels Sprouts	San Antonio and Corpus Christi
start indoors, plant out in February	Celeriac, celery, chayote	Corpus Christi and Brownsville

Compared with October: new — broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce, carrot, cabbage, broccoli and 18 more; no longer sown — zucchini, green beans, basil, bok choy and borage.

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

Ready to harvest in November in Corpus Christi, 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 possible, highs of 72–82 °F: Houston

In November, on average, Houston has highs of 72 °F and lows of 57 °F, 4.4 in of rain on 10 days; the day lasts 10 h 40 min (on the 15th).

November falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: Houston (November 27).

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	Houston
plant sets	Onion, shallot	Houston
start indoors, plant out in December	Spinach, cauliflower	Houston
start indoors, plant out in January	Brussels Sprouts	Houston

Compared with October: new — broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce, carrot, cabbage, broccoli and 15 more.

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 Houston.

Ready to harvest in November in Houston, 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 Houston

Frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F: Dallas, Austin and El Paso

In November, on average, these cities have highs of 68 to 71 °F and lows of 45 to 53 °F, 0.4 to 3.7 in of rain on 3 to 10 days; the day lasts 10 h 29 min to 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
plant cloves	Garlic	El Paso
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
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in December	Spinach	all
sow direct	Radish, daikon	Dallas and El Paso
start indoors, plant out in December	Cauliflower	all
start indoors, plant out in January	Brussels Sprouts	all
sow direct	Chickpea	Austin
start indoors, plant out in December	Chicory	Dallas

Compared with October: new — garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce, radish, carrot and 19 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 (April, sown direct) — dates for El Paso.

Ready to harvest in November in El Paso, 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 possible, highs of 61–72 °F: Fort Worth, Lubbock and Amarillo

In November, on average, these cities have highs of 62 to 69 °F and lows of 40 to 50 °F, 0.9 to 2.8 in of rain on 3 to 6 days; the day lasts 10 h 20 min to 10 h 30 min (on the 15th).

November falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: Fort Worth (November 30), Lubbock (November 16) and Amarillo (November 4).

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	Lubbock and Amarillo
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, radish, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, daikon, dill, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, parsnip	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
start indoors, plant out in December or sow direct	Spinach	all
start indoors, plant out in December	Cauliflower	all
start indoors, plant out in January	Leek	Amarillo
start indoors, plant out in January	Brussels Sprouts	all
start indoors, plant out in December	Chicory	Fort Worth and Lubbock
sow direct	Turnip	Amarillo
plant bulbs	Crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, tulip	Amarillo

Compared with October: new — radish, daikon and turnip; no longer sown — chickpea.

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 Lubbock.

Ready to harvest in November in Lubbock, 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).

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.