Seasonal Action Guide
What to Do in the Garden in November (Warm-Climate US)
The short answer
In zones 8-10 the garden does not close in November — it changes crews. UF/IFAS lists broccoli, cabbage, and kale as November plantings, along with pansies, violas, and chrysanthemums for winter color. Zone 7 gardeners shift to protecting what is already planted, using row cover to keep greens and roots producing past the first frosts.
This is also the month the citrus harvest gets going across the Gulf citrus belt, and a good month for the quiet jobs: planting trees and shrubs, mulching beds for winter, and dealing with scale insects on dormant woody plants per your extension office's current recommendations.
Plant and sow
- Keep planting cool-season crops in zones 8-10: broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards, lettuce, spinach (UF/IFAS November list).
- Set out winter annuals: pansies, violas, snapdragons, dianthus, chrysanthemums.
- Continue planting garlic and multiplying onions in the Gulf South early in the month.
- Plant trees, shrubs, and spring-flowering bulbs suited to mild winters.
- Sow a cover crop on any bed you will rest until spring.
Maintain and protect
- Stage frost cloth and row cover before the first freeze; covered greens keep producing through winter in the South.
- Treat scale insects on dormant woody plants per your extension office's current recommendations (UF/IFAS November task).
- Mulch beds and young trees before cold arrives; water everything well ahead of a freeze.
- Stop fertilizing warm-season lawns — feeding now invites winter disease.
- Rake and compost fallen leaves, or mow them into the lawn as free organic matter.
Harvest
- Begin the main citrus harvest — satsumas, oranges, grapefruit — as fruit sweetens in the Gulf citrus belt.
- Cut broccoli heads, greens, and lettuce from September-October plantings.
- Pull radishes, turnips, and young carrots; flavor improves after light frosts.
- Harvest any last peppers and green tomatoes before a killing frost at the zone-7/8 edge.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.
- UF/IFAS Extension — North Florida Gardening Calendar (EP451) — November: plant pansy, viola, chrysanthemum and cool-season crops (broccoli, cabbage, kale); manage scale insects on dormant plants
- Alabama Cooperative Extension — Alabama Gardener's Calendar — Late-fall Alabama timeline: planting, mulching, and cold preparation across vegetables, annuals, and woody plants
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Travis County) — Monthly Gardening Calendar for Austin Area — Central Texas late-fall checklists: winter vegetable care, freeze preparation, and tree planting
Keep going
Garden Tasks for January (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for February (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for March (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for December (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for April (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for August (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for July (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for June (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide