What to Plant in Fall: October and November Planting by Region

Fall planting catches many gardeners by surprise. In the North, the garden is winding down by October; in the South and Southwest it is just getting started, because cool fall and winter weather is the best growing season for leafy greens and cabbage-family crops there. This guide pulls together what university extension services say about what to plant in fall, region by region, with October and November dates from Texas A&M AgriLife, the University of Florida and the University of Arizona, plus the two fall jobs that work almost everywhere: planting garlic and sowing a cover crop.

How fall planting works

• Cool-season crops are the fall crops. Texas A&M AgriLife groups beet, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, chard, collard, garlic, kale, lettuce, mustard, onion, parsley, spinach and turnip as frost-tolerant vegetables. Frost-tender crops such as beans, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes and peppers are killed by frost, so they only make sense in fall where frost is late or rare. For spinach and kale timing in detail, see when to plant spinach and kale in fall.
• Count back from your first fall frost. A crop needs enough time to mature before cold weather stops it. The method is the same one we use for late-summer sowings in our succession planting guide: start from your average first fall frost and count back the days to maturity, plus extra time because growth slows as days shorten.
• Transplants beat seeds in fall. Texas A&M notes that fall crops generally do better from transplants than from seed, and that transplants need plenty of water as they settle in during warm fall weather.
• Your zone is only a rough guide. Hardiness zones describe winter lows, not frost dates. Texas A&M links its five Texas regions to USDA zones (Region I to zone 6 up to Region V to zone 9B), but a local frost date and your state extension calendar are better guides.

What to plant in October and November, by region

Use the row closest to your climate, then check your state or county extension calendar for exact local dates. The sources for each row are listed in the last column and at the bottom of this page.

Cold-winter areas: garlic and cover crops

Garlic is the classic northern fall crop. University of Minnesota Extension suggests planting cloves one to two weeks after the first killing frost, and Illinois and Nebraska Extension both put it about 4 to 6 weeks before the ground freezes. Our when to plant garlic guide lists fall planting windows state by state.

The other northern fall job is covering bare soil. Penn State Extension says winter rye can be sown as late as early November and still germinates at soil temperatures as low as 35°F, while wheat can go in until October and oats only until September. Ohio State Extension adds that most cover crops should be planted by the end of September, with winter wheat, cereal rye, rapeseed and kale possible through mid to late October. More on cover crops below.

Texas: fall planting dates by region

Texas A&M AgriLife's fall vegetable guide gives average fall planting dates for five regions of the state. Region I is the coldest (linked to USDA zone 6) and Region V the warmest (zone 9B); the guide includes a map. October and November dates are in bold. Two cool-season staples have their own fall date tables: when to plant carrots and when to plant lettuce. Broccoli, cabbage, beets, radishes and turnips are covered in when to plant broccoli and when to plant beets.

Texas A&M also gives a last good date for setting out broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower: August 1 in Region I, August 20 in Region II, September 20 in Region III, October 20 in Region IV and November 20 in Region V. Onion seed is not recommended for fall planting in Regions I and II.

Florida: October and November

UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions splits Florida into North (north of State Road 40), Central (between State Roads 40 and 70) and South (south of State Road 70). Fall is one of Florida's best vegetable seasons.

• North and Central Florida, October: transplant arugula, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, strawberries and Swiss chard; celery, mustard and spinach with some care; and sow carrots, onions, radishes and turnips from seed.
• November: much the same list continues, and UF adds English peas and, in Central Florida, potatoes.
• South Florida: the cool-season list plus warm-season crops such as eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and tomatillos, and seeds of beans, corn, cucumbers, okra, southern peas and squash in October; English peas join the list in November.

UF notes that it is updating these planting dates, so check with your county extension office, and its Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (VH021) has a full crop-by-crop table.

The low desert (Phoenix area)

The University of Arizona's planting calendar for Maricopa County shows fall and winter as the main season for cool-season vegetables in the low desert: beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, endive, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard and onions are all sown or transplanted through the fall, with garlic cloves going in around October. The calendar also suggests delaying fall planting until whitefly populations decline. Higher-elevation parts of Arizona have much shorter seasons, so use your own county's calendar there.

Fall cover crops for empty beds

Beds you will not plant until spring can grow a cover crop over winter. It protects the soil and adds organic matter when you turn it under. Our cover crops guide compares the options and how to end them in spring.

• Winter rye (cereal rye) is the latest-planted option. Penn State says it can go in until about early November and still germinates at 35°F. Ohio State notes that rye residue can hold back small-seeded crops such as lettuce and carrots for a few weeks after it is killed, so plan to transplant into those beds or wait.
• Winter wheat can be sown until October (Penn State) or mid to late October (Ohio State).
• Oats need an earlier start (until about September) and are usually killed by winter cold, which makes spring work easy.
• How to sow: Penn State suggests about 4 pounds of rye, wheat or oat seed per 1,000 square feet: rake the soil smooth, broadcast the seed, rake it in lightly and water. Turn the crop under 2 to 3 weeks before you plant in spring, and do not let it go to seed.

Fall companions and spacing

A fall bed is usually all cool-season crops, which makes companion planning simpler. Lettuce, spinach, radishes and carrots are a classic cool-season mix, and onions or garlic fit along the edges of cabbage-family beds. Keep onions and garlic away from peas, which several extension sources list as poor neighbors. Our broccoli, kale, lettuce and spinach guides cover each crop's neighbors, and the companion checker will check a whole fall plan at once.

Frequently asked questions

What vegetables can I plant in October?

It depends on your winter. In cold-winter areas, October is mostly for garlic and a winter rye cover crop. In mild-winter areas such as central and south Texas, Florida and the Arizona low desert, October is a main planting month for cool-season crops like lettuce, spinach, kale, collards, chard, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, beets, radishes and turnips.

Is November too late to plant a garden?

In cold-winter areas it is too late for most vegetables, though winter rye can still be sown until about early November and garlic can go in where the ground has not frozen. In warm areas, November is still a good planting month: Texas A&M lists November dates for lettuce, spinach, carrots, radishes, turnips, mustard and onion seed in its warmer regions, and Florida's lists continue through November.

Should I use seeds or transplants in fall?

Texas A&M AgriLife says fall crops generally do better from transplants than from seed. Root crops such as carrots, radishes and turnips are still sown directly.

What can I plant in fall to improve my soil?

A cover crop. Winter rye is the latest option and can be sown until about early November in Pennsylvania; winter wheat until October; oats need to go in by about September. Turn the crop under 2 to 3 weeks before spring planting.

When should I plant garlic?

In fall. Extension guides suggest about 4 to 6 weeks before the ground freezes in much of the country, or 1 to 2 weeks after the first killing frost in Minnesota, and later in the South. See our when to plant garlic guide for windows by region.