UK month guide
November
November is quiet, but it is not empty. Gardeners' World lists garlic, onions, shallots and broad beans. The RHS is more specific about the beans: October or November sowings work in milder parts of the UK or in a very sheltered, well-drained spot, with a hardy variety.
Aquadulce is the variety Guy Barter names for a November sowing. If your garden is wet or exposed, sow those beans in pots in a cold frame, or wait until February. There is almost no time penalty.
Sow indoors
Cold frames and unheated greenhouses beat a warm kitchen for these sowings. Too much heat makes soft growth that cannot go outside.
Broad beans
One seed to a pot, about 5cm deep, scar down. Keep them cool and safe from mice. Plant them out in early spring. Barter notes that a February pot sowing of a quick variety matures at a similar time to an autumn sowing, so this is a choice, not a deadline.
Garlic in modules
If the garden is heavy and wet, this is the better November planting. One clove per module, tip covered by about 2.5cm, kept in a cold frame over winter and planted out in spring.
Sow outdoors
Only on soil that drains. A November sowing in a puddle is a gift to rot and mice.
Broad beans
In a mild or very sheltered garden, sow a hardy variety 5 to 7.5cm deep and 15 to 23cm apart. Fleece or a cloche over the young plants gets them through a cold snap. Expect beans from May if the winter is kind.
Garlic
Still inside the mid-autumn to early-winter window. Cloves 15cm apart, rows 30cm apart, tip about 2.5cm deep. Birds are the immediate problem. Net until the cloves have rooted.
Plant out
Plant firm, and only when you can stand on the bed without compacting it into a smear.
Onion and shallot sets
Gardeners' World includes both this month. Overwintering onion sets planted now are for a June and July harvest. Shallots follow the same idea: tip just showing, net on top, no planting into waterlogged ground.
Bare-root fruit
The bare-root season runs through to March. November is a good month if the soil is workable, because the plants are fully dormant. Do not plant into frozen ground.
Harvest
Take what you need and leave the rest standing. The garden is the store for several of these crops.
Leeks
Lift with a fork from the late-summer plantings onwards. Late varieties are only just getting into their main season and will carry on to spring. Frost can make them sweeter.
Winter cabbage
Cut a firm head when you want it. Savoys and other winter types are bred to stand. Remove yellow outer leaves so air can move, and keep the net on.
Carrots
Lift from under the straw or cardboard cover as you need them. If the cover is soggy and the roots are starting to rot, bring the rest in.
Jobs for November
- Net brassicas if you have not. Pigeons do most of their damage in the winter months.
- Check stored potatoes, onions and garlic once a fortnight.
- Mulch empty beds with garden compost or leaves if the soil is not waterlogged. Keep mulch off the crowns of strawberries.
- Clean the greenhouse glass so the weak winter light can reach winter salads.
Leave these for later
- Do not sow broad beans outside in a cold, wet, inland garden just because the month has arrived. Use pots, or wait until February.
- Do not prune tender plants hard or turn the compost heap onto frozen ground for the sake of being busy.
Crop guides for November
Common questions
Will November broad beans survive?
In a mild, sheltered, well-drained spot, a hardy variety such as Aquadulce usually does, with fleece in a hard spell. In a wet or exposed garden they are a gamble. A February sowing in pots gives you a similar harvest with less risk.
Can I still plant garlic in November?
Yes. Early winter is still within the RHS planting period. The cloves need cold to split into a bulb, which a November planting provides. Keep them out of standing water.
Sources
- BBC Gardeners' World: Your seed-sowing year. Checked 11 October 2026.
- RHS: How to grow broad beans. Checked 11 October 2026.
- RHS: Sowing broad beans in autumn or spring. Checked 11 October 2026.