What to Plant in November in Zone 7

After the Frost Line

Your first frost has typically already landed by the time this month opens, and the table narrows to just three crops, garlic, fava bean, and shallot, all of them last calls rather than fresh starts. Every other planting window on the calendar is closed until February.

If any of the three haven't gone in yet, get them done in the first week. Garlic and shallot cloves set later than that rarely build the root system needed to survive a hard freeze before winter fully sets in.

A hard freeze below 20 degrees can still damage an unprotected fava bean stand even though the crop shrugs off a light frost easily. Watch the forecast closely in the back half of this month and add a second layer of cover ahead of any night that cold.

Protect What's Still Standing

Any greens still in the ground from August or September plantings need row cover now. A medium-weight cover buys several degrees of protection on a clear, cold night, often enough to keep leafy crops harvestable into December instead of losing them outright.

Rake and shred fallen leaves for mulch or compost rather than bagging them for the curb. A 3-inch layer worked into an empty bed this month breaks down enough by spring planting to improve how the soil holds water through next summer's heat.

Garlic and shallot cloves that went in around last month's frost will not show top growth yet; these early weeks are spent pushing roots down into the cooling soil, not leaves up into the air. If a bed looks completely bare a few weeks after planting, dig up one clove to confirm it is rooting and has not rotted, rather than assuming the whole planting failed.

Clean and store garden stakes, cages, and trellis material while the ground is still workable. Waiting until December once the soil has frozen solid usually means pulling equipment out of ground that fights back.