What to plant in November in the UK

Worked out for 40 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in November in the UK, by zone: frost-free, highs of 10–16 °C (Swansea, Brighton and 2 more): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 14 more; frost possible, highs of 10–16 °C (London, Bristol and 11 more): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 6 more; frost possible, highs below 10 °C (Manchester, Edinburgh and 21 more): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 4 more.

In the UK, November is autumn.

Frost-free, highs of 10–16 °C: Swansea, Brighton, Plymouth and Portsmouth

In November, on average, these cities have highs of 11 to 13 °C and lows of 7 to 10 °C, 100 to 175 mm of rain on 14 to 18 days; the day lasts 8 h 53 min to 9 h 02 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	all
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, spinach, radish, cabbage, broccoli, arugula, turnip	all
plant sets	Onion	all
sow direct	Swiss Chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, chamomile, daikon, dill, kohlrabi, mustard greens	Brighton and Plymouth

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

Not starting in November: tomato (March, started indoors), bell pepper (no month outdoors by these rules), zucchini (April, started indoors), green beans (May, sown direct) and lettuce (March, started indoors) — dates for Portsmouth.

Ready to harvest in November in Portsmouth, if sown in the right month: broad bean (August), peas (September), spinach (September), lettuce (September), radish (October), carrot (September), cabbage (July) and broccoli (August).

Frost possible, highs of 10–16 °C: London, Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool and 9 more

In November, on average, these cities have highs of 10 to 11 °C and lows of 5 to 6 °C, 60 to 119 mm of rain on 10 to 18 days; the day lasts 8 h 37 min to 9 h 00 min (on the 15th).

November falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: London (23 November), Bristol (22 November), Cardiff (22 November), Liverpool (26 November), Hull (24 November), Southampton (23 November), Oxford (23 November), Cambridge (24 November), Norwich (28 November), Exeter (27 November), Lincoln (United Kingdom) (19 November), Ipswich (29 November) and Worcester (22 November).

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	all
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, spinach, radish, cabbage, broccoli, arugula, turnip	all
plant sets	Onion	all
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 (April, started indoors), zucchini (April, started indoors), green beans (May, sown direct) and lettuce (February, started indoors) — dates for Bristol.

Ready to harvest in November in Bristol, if sown in the right month: broad bean (August), peas (September), spinach (September), lettuce (September), radish (October), carrot (September), cabbage (July) and broccoli (August).

Frost possible, highs below 10 °C: Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Glasgow and 19 more

In November, on average, these cities have highs of 8 to 10 °C and lows of 3 to 5 °C, 66 to 112 mm of rain on 12 to 17 days; the day lasts 8 h 03 min to 8 h 47 min (on the 15th).

November falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: Manchester (14 November), Edinburgh (9 November), Birmingham (19 November), Glasgow (11 November), Leeds (23 November), Belfast (19 November), Sheffield (22 November), Newcastle upon Tyne (20 November), Leicester (19 November), Bradford (18 November), Coventry (17 November), Nottingham (23 November), Derby (22 November), Aberdeen (20 November), York (14 November), Dundee (12 November), Inverness (13 November), Stirling (9 November), Perth (United Kingdom) (11 November), Derry (21 November), Wrexham (23 November), Carlisle (15 November) and Stoke-on-Trent (15 November).

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	all
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, spinach, radish, cabbage	all
plant sets	Onion	all
start indoors, plant out in January or sow direct	Broccoli	all
plant bulbs	Crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, tulip	all

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

Ready to harvest in November in Belfast, if sown in the right month: broad bean (August), peas (September), spinach (September), lettuce (September), radish (October), cabbage (July), broccoli (August) and Swiss chard (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 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). French beans, courgettes and outdoor tomatoes follow the RHS instead, in months without frost: French beans and courgettes sown outdoors in late May or early June, courgettes also started indoors in April or May; tomatoes started indoors from late March to early April and planted out in June where its average highs reach 16 °C.

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.