What to Plant in November: Tulips, Garlic and the Hardy Brassicas That Thrive in Frost
What to plant in November — tulips, garlic, amaryllis for forcing, bare-root roses and winter sowing by USDA zone, with a step-by-step amaryllis guide.
What to Plant in November: Hardy Bulbs and Winter Sowing
What to plant in November — tulips, garlic, amaryllis for forcing, bare-root roses and winter sowing by USDA zone, with a step-by-step amaryllis guide.
November arrives with stripped branches, hard morning frosts, and the feeling that the gardening year is finally over. Don’t believe it. For the prepared gardener, November is one of the most consequential planting months in the entire calendar — packed with opportunities that a missed window in January makes painfully clear.
This is your last window for tulip bulbs in Zones 7 and 8. It’s the beginning of bare-root season, when roses, fruit trees, and hedging plants can be planted for a fraction of the containerised price. And it’s the month when the amaryllis forcing tradition begins — a bulb you plant indoors in November that repays you with dramatic trumpet flowers just in time for Christmas. This guide, part of our year-round planting guide, gives you a zone-by-zone action plan for everything worth doing this month.
November Planting: Quick-Start Checklist
- Tulips (Zones 6-8): Get bulbs in the ground while the soil is still workable — this is your last window. Plant 5-6 inches deep, pointed end up.
- Tulips (Zones 9-10): Start refrigerating bulbs now in a paper bag in the vegetable crisper for 8-10 weeks. Plant December-January once pre-chilled.
- Amaryllis (all zones, indoors): Plant the largest bulbs you can find — 26cm+ circumference — with one-third of the bulb above the compost line. Stagger plantings every two weeks for Christmas-through-January blooms.
- Garlic (Zones 6-7): Last call before the ground freezes. Plant 3 inches deep, 6 inches apart, and mulch immediately with 4-6 inches of straw.
- Bare-root plants: November opens the bare-root window. Soak roots on arrival and plant roses, trees, and hedging into prepared beds.
- Winter sowing: Fill milk jugs with potting mix, sow larkspur, foxglove, columbine, or echinacea, and set outdoors. Cold stratification happens naturally over winter.
- Cool-season vegetables (Zones 7-8): Kale, spinach, and brassicas under row cover or in cold frames continue producing through the month.
- Cool-season vegetables (Zones 9-10): Direct sow broad beans, peas, and brassica transplants; garlic is still a go through early December.
- Containers: Wrap terracotta pots in burlap, cluster against a south-facing wall, and add Thanksgiving interest with ornamental kale, skimmia, and heuchera.
What to Prioritise by USDA Zone
| Zone | Priority actions in November | What can wait |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Garlic is urgent (soil freezing by month end); tulips by mid-month; winter sow hardy perennials | Bare-root — wait for soil to ease; container displays |
| Zone 7 | Tulips through end of month; garlic through mid-December; kale and spinach under fleece | Tender plant work — move indoors at first frost |
| Zone 8 | Last tulip window; start bare-root season; cool-season vegetables into open ground | Pre-chill tulips not yet needed |
| Zone 9-10 | Refrigerate tulips for December planting; direct sow peas, broad beans, brassicas; garlic outdoors | Spring bulbs need pre-chilling first |
| Indoor (all zones) | Amaryllis forcing is your primary November project — start succession now | — |
Tulip Bulbs in November: Your Last Window by Zone
Tulips are the classic autumn bulb, but their timing is tighter than most guides suggest — and it varies significantly by USDA zone.
Seasonal Garden Calendar
Know exactly what to plant, prune and sow — every month of the year.
Zones 6-7: Plant now, before the ground hardens
If the tulip bag is still sitting on your potting bench and you garden in Zones 6 or 7, today is the day. Penn State Extension recommends planting bulbs two and a half to three times deeper than the bulb height — for a standard 2-inch tulip bulb, that means 5-6 inches [4]. Plant pointed end up, cover with two to three inches of mulch, and the job is done until April.
One detail many guides skip: don’t plant into waterlogged or saturated clay. Tulip bulbs sitting in cold, wet soil will rot before they root. Wait for a dry window — even two days of drainage can make the difference.
Zone 8: Most of November is fine
In Zone 8, the soil stays workable through most of November and cool enough (below 50°F) to prevent premature sprouting. Plant into well-drained beds and expect blooms in March-April. This is your most forgiving window — use it.
Zones 9-10: Refrigerate now, plant December-January
Tulips are programmed to need cold. In Zones 9 and 10, the soil never gets cold enough to satisfy this requirement, so you fake it. Put un-planted bulbs in a paper bag — not plastic, which traps moisture — and store in the vegetable crisper drawer at 35-45°F for 8-10 weeks [7].
One rule that saves a lot of disappointment: don’t store bulbs near ripening fruit. Apples, pears, and bananas release ethylene gas, which damages the embryonic flowers inside the bulb and produces blind (flowerless) stems come spring [7]. A dedicated shelf, or a mini-fridge, solves this. After pre-chilling, plant in December through January when the soil has cooled as much as your climate allows.
What happens if you miss the window?
In Zones 6-7, tulips planted after the ground freezes are lost for the season. If you have other spring bulbs — daffodils, alliums, crocuses — prioritise those. They tolerate later planting better and will still perform. Save the tulip bag for October next year.
Amaryllis Forcing: The Best Indoor Project of November
If there’s one thing that makes December genuinely spectacular, it’s an amaryllis planted in November. The process is straightforward, but the details matter — particularly bulb size and the succession planting rhythm that most guides skip entirely.
Why amaryllis blooms when nothing else does
Unlike spring bulbs, amaryllis (Hippeastrum) doesn’t require a long cold stratification period to flower [1]. What it needs is warmth and light at the right moment. The bulb stores all the energy for its flowers in its fleshy scales — you’re not coaxing a dormant plant back to life so much as giving an already-loaded mechanism permission to fire. Plant a large, healthy bulb in November and expect blooms 6-10 weeks later, landing squarely in the Christmas-New Year window.
Bulb size is the single most important decision
Larger bulbs contain more stored energy, which means more flower stems and more blooms per stem. Aim for bulbs with a circumference of 26cm or more, often labelled “Jumbo” or “Exhibition”. A 28cm+ bulb may produce two or even three stems, each carrying three to four trumpet flowers — up to twelve blooms from a single bulb [1]. Smaller, cheaper bulbs can work, but you’re gambling on a single modest stem. This is not the place to economise.
For exhibition-grade bulbs supplied at the sizes that actually make a difference, Wentworth Amaryllis offers one of the best ranges available — single-colour Dutch varieties, double-flowered forms, and striped cultivars, all at 26cm+ with an affiliate commission of 8-12% if you’re sourcing for resale or gift purposes.
Step-by-step planting guide
- Pot size: Choose a pot one to two inches wider than the bulb diameter [2]. Amaryllis bloom best slightly pot-bound — too large a container encourages root growth at the expense of flowering.
- Drainage: The pot must have drainage holes. Amaryllis bulbs sitting in wet compost rot at the base [1].
- Compost: Use a well-draining potting mix. A loam-based compost with added perlite works well. Avoid heavy peat-only mixes that stay wet.
- Planting depth: This is the step most often done wrong. Plant the bulb so that approximately one-third sits above the compost surface [1]. The neck and shoulders of the bulb should be visible. This reduces neck rot and is, counterintuitively, how the plant performs best.
- Initial watering: Water once after planting, then leave alone. The bulb has stored everything it needs to produce its first shoot — overwatering now is the most common cause of failure [2].
- Position: Place the pot in a warm spot (65-70°F / 18-21°C). Warmth, not light, triggers the initial shoot. A warm kitchen shelf works perfectly.
- When the shoot appears: Once a green tip emerges — usually within two to four weeks — move to your sunniest windowsill and increase watering.
- Turn the pot daily: As the stalk elongates, rotate the pot one-quarter turn each day [2]. Without this, the stalk leans dramatically toward the light. Three seconds a day produces a vertical stem. Do it.
- Feeding: Once actively growing, begin feeding with a balanced liquid fertiliser at half the recommended strength, applied each time you water [1]. For maximum blooming, switch to a higher-phosphorus feed — that’s the middle number on the fertiliser label.
- At bloom: Move to slightly cooler conditions (60-65°F) and away from direct sun. This extends the life of the flowers significantly [2]. South African varieties bloom 4-6 weeks after potting; Dutch-grown varieties (like ‘Red Lion’ and ‘Apple Blossom’) typically bloom 6-8 weeks after potting [2].
Succession planting: the real secret to continuous Christmas blooms
A single bulb gives you a single wave of flowers. If you want blooms from mid-December through January, plant a new bulb every two weeks from October through December. By the time your first amaryllis is fading, the second is opening. Three pots staggered at two-week intervals will keep your home in bloom throughout the entire festive season — and this approach costs no more than buying three bulbs at once, which you’d do anyway.
Bare-Root Planting: November Opens the Season
November marks the beginning of bare-root season, and it’s one of the best-kept secrets in gardening value. Bare-root plants are sold during dormancy with roots cleaned of soil — they’re lighter to ship, cheaper to buy, and establish better than containerised plants when handled correctly [6]. The range is wide: roses (both hybrid tea and shrub types), fruit trees (apple, pear, plum, cherry), hedging plants (hawthorn, hornbeam, hazel, privet), and soft fruit canes (raspberry, blackcurrant, gooseberry). More rose varieties are available bare-root than in containers — if you’ve been watching a specific cultivar, November bare-root sourcing is your best opportunity to find it at a fair price.
Handling bare-root plants on arrival
Bare-root plants are perishable in the dormant sense — the roots must not dry out. Plant as soon as possible after arrival. If the ground is frozen or waterlogged, heel plants in temporarily: dig a shallow trench in a sheltered spot, lay the roots in, and cover with loose soil. They can survive heeled-in for several weeks without losing vigour [6].
Before planting, soak the entire root system in a bucket of plain water for one to two hours [5]. Roots dry out during transit, and rehydrating before planting significantly improves establishment. Winterising your garden properly includes getting bare-root plants into the ground before conditions prevent it — this is worth prioritising over almost any other November task.
Planting bare-root roses
For grafted roses, position the bud union (the swollen knobble where roots meet stems) at soil level or slightly below in Zones 7+ [5]. In Zone 6 and colder, bury the union two to three inches below the surface to protect it from frost damage. After planting, prune newly planted bare-root roses to three to four outward-facing buds — this redirects the plant’s limited energy into root establishment rather than supporting excessive top growth through winter. It feels drastic; it’s correct.
Plant too early and frost kills it, too late and heat stunts it — seasonal september planting has the window.
Don’t let roots dry out during the planting process. If you’re taking a break, keep roots wrapped in wet burlap or returned to the water bucket. Exposed roots are the main way bare-root planting fails.
Winter Sowing: Let the Cold Do the Work
The winter sowing method is one of the most underrated November techniques in gardening — and it costs almost nothing. The premise is straightforward: many hardy perennials and cool-season annuals won’t germinate reliably until they’ve experienced a period of cold temperatures, a process called cold stratification. Traditionally, gardeners stratified seeds in the refrigerator for 4-6 weeks before sowing. The milk jug method lets nature do it outdoors, for free, over winter.
Which seeds need cold stratification?
Not all seeds need this treatment, but these four are the standouts for November sowing:
- Larkspur (Delphinium consolida) — self-stratification outdoors is essentially required for reliable germination. Direct sowing in autumn is the traditional method for good reason.
- Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) — cold stratification significantly improves germination rates and produces more even emergence in spring.
- Columbine (Aquilegia spp.) — cold is effectively required. Seeds sown without stratification germinate poorly and erratically.
- Echinacea (coneflower) — cold stratification is the standard recommendation from university extension services across the US, and winter-sown echinacea consistently outperforms spring-sown stock in early establishment.
The milk jug method, step by step
The technique works on the same principle that makes these perennials self-seed so readily in nature — exposure to freeze-thaw cycles over winter, followed by natural warming in spring that triggers germination.
- Take a clean one-gallon plastic milk jug and cut it in half around the circumference, below the handle. Don’t cut all the way through — leave a two-inch “hinge” of plastic so the top folds back like a lid.
- Poke drainage holes in the bottom of the jug with a skewer or sharp pen.
- Fill the bottom half with two to three inches of damp potting mix.
- Sow seeds on the surface, lightly covered with a thin layer of mix (or just pressed in for very fine seeds like lobelia or foxglove).
- Tape the top closed with duct tape. Leave the cap off — this provides ventilation and prevents fungal rot without letting in enough warmth to trigger premature germination.
- Label each jug clearly with plant name and sow date. After a month outdoors, they all look identical.
- Set the jugs in a spot that gets some light — against a north or east-facing fence works well, as it prevents premature warming from afternoon sun.
The jugs experience the same freeze-thaw cycles as seeds in the open garden — but protected enough that the growing medium doesn’t dry out or wash away. When temperatures rise in late February and March, seeds germinate naturally. Open the jugs gradually as seedlings emerge to harden them off before transplanting.
I switched to this method after a foxglove cold-stratification attempt in the refrigerator failed entirely — condensation rotted the seeds before spring. The milk jug approach produced near-100% germination that same season with zero intervention required. The hands-off reliability is the real selling point.
For what to do with these seedlings once they’re established in spring, our guide to what to plant in winter covers the bridge season between winter sowing and spring transplanting.
Cool-Season Vegetables in November
November vegetable opportunities are entirely zone-dependent. What’s productive in North Carolina is finished in Minnesota.
Zones 7-8: Cold frames and row covers extend the season
In Zones 7 and 8, the vegetable garden doesn’t stop in November — it slows down and moves under cover. Kale, spinach, arugula, and cold-hardy lettuce varieties can continue producing under row cover or in a cold frame throughout the month. Penn State Extension explains that cold frames function as passive solar structures, capturing daytime heat through their clear covers and protecting plants from overnight lows several degrees below ambient temperature [8].
Kale actually improves after the first frost — cold temperatures trigger starch-to-sugar conversion in the leaves, producing noticeably sweeter flavour. November kale is worth growing for this reason alone. Brassica transplants started in September-October (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts) can be set out in Zone 8 in early November for an early spring harvest.
Zones 9-10: November is a productive season
In Zones 9 and 10, November is prime planting time. Direct sow broad beans (fava beans) now — cold weather triggers better pod set and the plants handle light frost with ease. Snow peas and snap peas go straight into the ground; garlic is still viable through November and into December; brassica transplants (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage) thrive in this window. Cool-season herbs — cilantro, fennel, parsley, dill — all do well sown in November in warm-winter climates and will bolt the moment summer heat arrives, so get them established now.
Garlic: Last Call for Zones 6-7
Garlic is one of the most forgiving crops in the garden, but it has one non-negotiable requirement: cloves need time to develop roots before the soil freezes solid. In Zone 6, the planting window extends to approximately the end of November. In Zone 7, you have until mid-December [3]. After that point, cloves planted into frozen or near-frozen soil won’t root before spring and may not divide into full multi-clove bulbs.
The NC State Cooperative Extension explains why timing matters biologically: garlic undergoes vernalization — a period of cold exposure that triggers a single clove to differentiate into a multi-clove bulb [3]. Without adequate cold exposure and prior root development, you get “rounds” (single undivided bulbs) rather than the divided heads you’re after.
Planting technique
- Separate cloves gently, keeping the papery skin intact on each
- Plant the largest cloves — they produce the largest bulbs; use small cloves in the kitchen this week
- Plant pointed-side up, blunt-side down, 3 inches deep and 6 inches apart [3]
- Choose hardneck varieties (complex flavour, scapes in summer) or softneck (better storage, milder flavour)
Mulching is non-negotiable
Immediately after planting, cover the bed with 4 to 6 inches of straw mulch [3]. This does two things: insulates the soil to extend the rooting window by a week or two beyond what bare soil would allow, and prevents the frost heave that pushes shallow-planted cloves out of the ground over winter. In Zone 6 especially, where December temperatures can drop sharply and rapidly, this layer of straw is the difference between a successful crop and a failed one.
If November passes without garlic in the ground, plan for next October. Don’t attempt late December planting in Zone 6 — the odds aren’t good enough to justify the seed garlic cost.
Thanksgiving Containers and Winter Interest
November’s garden isn’t only about planting for spring — there’s a strong case for what you plant now to look good during the holiday season. Ornamental kale is the workhorse of the November container: its central rosettes in shades of purple, cream, and pink tolerate hard frosts and actually look better for them (cold intensifies the pigmentation). Pair with skimmia — which carries clusters of red buds all winter before opening in spring — heuchera for burgundy or caramel foliage, and a few cut stems of holly or bare dogwood branches for height and seasonal colour. This combination looks intentional and costs very little to assemble.
For the chrysanthemum grower, November is also the month to take cuttings from overwintered stools or move container mums to a frost-free location — they’ll provide the material for next year’s displays. Our chrysanthemum growing guide covers overwintering in detail.
For any container plants staying outdoors: wrap terracotta pots in burlap or horticultural fleece (terracotta tolerates frost but not rapid freeze-thaw cycles), raise pots on feet to improve drainage, and cluster containers against a south- or west-facing wall where reflected warmth from masonry provides several degrees of additional frost protection. Move tender succulents indoors to a frost-free position now — don’t wait for the first hard frost to decide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant anything in November?
Yes — November is one of the busiest planting months if you know where to focus. Garlic, spring bulbs (tulips, daffodils, crocuses, alliums), bare-root roses and trees, amaryllis for indoor forcing, and winter sowing containers can all be started this month. Cool-season vegetables continue producing in Zones 7+ under protection, and Zones 9-10 have an almost full planting season running through November. The key is knowing which task is time-sensitive by zone — garlic and tulips have hard deadlines; bare-root and winter sowing have more flexibility.
What bulbs should I plant in November?
Tulips are the time-sensitive priority — November is last call for Zones 7-8, and the refrigeration window for Zones 9-10. Daffodils, alliums, crocuses, and grape hyacinths (muscari) can also go in through November across most zones and are more forgiving about exact timing than tulips. Amaryllis is the standout indoor bulb for November — plant it now with one-third of the bulb above the compost surface, in a warm spot indoors, for Christmas blooms in 6-10 weeks.
Is it too late to plant tulips in November?
It depends entirely on your zone. In Zones 6-7, aim for the first half of the month — the ground may freeze before month end. In Zone 8, most of November is fine. In Zones 9-10, don’t plant tulips in open ground in November — refrigerate bulbs for 8-10 weeks first and plant December-January. In Zones 4-5, November is typically too late; the ground is likely frozen or close to it. If you’re unsure, check whether the soil is still workable 5-6 inches down — if it is, plant.
Sources
- University of Minnesota Extension. Growing and caring for amaryllis. extension.umn.edu
- Iowa State University Extension. Forcing Amaryllis Bulbs Indoors for Holiday Use. extension.iastate.edu
- NC State Cooperative Extension. It’s Time for Garlic!. henderson.ces.ncsu.edu
- Penn State Extension. Plant Bulbs in the Fall for a Spring Celebration. extension.psu.edu
- Oregon State University Extension. Planting Bare Root Roses in Spring. extension.oregonstate.edu
- Iowa State University Extension. How to Plant Bare Root Plants. yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu
- Longfield Gardens. How to Grow Spring Bulbs in Warm Climates. longfield-gardens.com
- Penn State Extension. Season Extenders and Growing Fall Vegetables. extension.psu.edu
