Cool mornings, softer sun, and drier skies — November is when Central Florida gardens settle into their stride. With soil temps still friendly and pest pressure easing, it’s prime time to plant successions, tuck in strawberries, and prep simple frost protection for the first real cold fronts.
Read on for this month’s best tips, tasks, and timely reminders.
Weather Watch: Dry Season, First Fronts
November ushers in lower humidity and longer dry stretches, punctuated by sharp cool-downs. Cold fronts can dip nights into the 40s (and occasionally the 30s in inland pockets).
Coach Tip: Pre-stage lightweight row cover (or old sheets) and a few hoops. Cover before sunset on chill nights to trap daytime warmth. Water soil (not leaves) in the afternoon ahead of a frost risk — moist soil holds heat better than dry soil.
What to Plant This Month
For Central Florida (SR-40 to SR-70):
Transplant:
Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, collards, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, endive, mustard, Swiss chard, strawberry, celery, fennel.
Direct-sow:
Beets, carrots, turnips, radish, rutabaga, English/sugar snap peas, bunching onions, cilantro, dill, parsley, arugula, spinach* (choose heat-tolerant types early month).
Flower friends:
Calendula, nasturtium, sweet peas, violas/pansies (great for edible borders and beneficials).
The 2-Week November Momentum Plan
Week 1: Prep & Protect
- Top-dress beds with 1–2″ compost; re-mulch walkways for clean, dry access.
- Check irrigation runtime — cooler temps mean shorter, less frequent cycles.
- Set hoops and cut row-cover lengths now; label bundles by bed.
Week 2: Plant & Pace
- Transplant brassicas and lettuces; direct-sow roots and peas.
- Stagger greens every 10–14 days for a steady salad harvest through winter.
- Side-dress heavy feeders with slow-release organic fertilizer or a rich compost band.
Garden Revival Tonic got a name change!
If your garden beds feel a little drained after the summer-to-fall swing, don’t reach for a quick fix — reach for balance. My trusted tonic, now renamed Probiotic FLORIDA PLANT TONIC, is the same small-batch, two-week brew gardeners have come to rely on.
It’s crafted with earthworm castings, kelp, lactobacillus serum, and botanical allies that invigorate soil biology, build root resilience, and help plants settle in smoothly — especially before setting heavy feeders like brassicas or tomatoes.
The name may be new, and the label got a glow-up, but the formula is exactly what your fall garden needs to reboot and thrive.
Use: 1–2 Tbsp per gallon as a root drench or foliar every 1–2 weeks.
Try it here: Probiotic FLORIDA PLANT TONIC
November Task List
- Stake & space: Brassicas need airflow; give 18–24″ and remove lower leaves as heads form.
- Pea support: Install trellis at sowing so vines find it early.
- Root rows right: Sow carrots/beets shallow, keep the top ½″ evenly moist until germination (use shade cloth or a board “germ cover” you lift daily).
- Frost kit ready: Row cover, clips, labels, and a headlamp live together in a tote.
- Pest patrol: Cooler weather brings aphids and cabbage loopers. Blast aphids with a firm water spray; hand-pick loopers and invite braconid wasps by letting a few dill/cilantro plants flower.
- Powdery mildew watch: On late squash or cukes, prune a few leaves for airflow; remove worst leaves and avoid evening overhead water.
- Soil notes: Record what you fed and when. Winter crops respond to steady, modest nutrition more than big dumps.
Lawn & Landscape Notes
- Fertilizer blackout is over in Tampa Bay counties, but growth is slowing. Favor compost, leaf mulch, and micronutrient sprays over heavy nitrogen.
- Plant woody perennials and native shrubs now so roots establish all winter (less transplant stress, less watering).
Coach’s Corner: Frost-Smart in 5 Minutes
- Cover early: Drape row cover before sunset; anchor all edges (cloth should “float,” not pinch foliage).
- Double up on tender crops: Tomatoes/peppers/eggplant still hanging on? Add a light inner cover or a bucket/cloche under the row cover.
- Water soil, not leaves: Mid-afternoon pre-frost watering stores heat overnight.
- Morning uncover: Remove covers once temps rise to prevent heat build-up and fungal pressure.
- Triage list: Prioritize protecting beans, basil, cukes, tomatoes, and young seedlings. Brassicas and greens are much tougher.
Ask the Garden Coach
Wondering which strawberry varieties thrive in your zip code, or how to time carrot sowings around a travel week? Hit reply or message me — I may feature your question next month.
November Inspiration
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
~ Lao Tzu
Here’s to crisp mornings, sweet roots, and a table full of homegrown color.
~ Larissa
