November Desert Gardening
The Arizona garden in November is a beautiful place to be. In the low desert, the cooler temperatures of November bring a less frantic pace to the garden. Spending time in your Arizona garden in November is one of the reasons we love to live in Arizona! If you don’t have one, create a comfortable spot to sit and enjoy your garden this month.

In this article, you’ll find the essential tasks to help your November vegetable, landscape, flower, and fruit garden be successful. We’ll also discuss common pests to watch out for and give guidelines for watering this month.
November is ideal for planting many vegetables, herbs, and annual flowers. For specific details on what to plant and harvest in Arizona’s low desert during November, check out my planting guides or the blog post, “November Planting Guide for Arizona’s Low Desert.” The low desert includes areas below 3,500 feet in elevation, such as the Phoenix and Tucson metro regions.
“Welcome sweet November, the season of senses and my favorite month of all.”
Gregory F. Lenz
Click on the title to jump to that section and learn more about what to do during November:
- November YouTube Videos
- Vegetable Gardening Tasks for November
- My November Garden Journals
- Pests & Wildlife to Watch Out For This Month
- Container Gardening Tasks
- Flower Gardening Tasks
- Caring for Roses During November
- Herb Gardening
- Fruit Trees and Citrus
- Landscape Plants
- Watering Your Garden and Landscape During November
- Prepare for the First Fall Frost
November YouTube Videos:
Vegetable Gardening Tasks for November
Much of the fall planting was done in September and October, with some harvests beginning this month. Although some warm-season crops we like to overwinter do not like cold temperatures, those cold temps are essential for our deciduous fruit trees. They need chill hours to develop the fruit we love so much.

- Check sweet potatoes for harvest readiness this month. Before harvesting, clip a few vines from the plant to root over the winter and plant next spring. Or, save a sweet potato from your harvest to grow slips from over the winter.
- Enjoy the abundant harvests this month from warm-season crops like peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, beans, and cucumbers.
- Fill in gaps left by harvested crops with additional cool-season crops and succession plantings. Learn more about succession planting in this guide.
- As the days get shorter, you may have less than ideal sunlight for your garden. Spacing plants further apart can help maximize the sunlight each plant receives. See this guide for which vegetables to plant in shady locations.
- Mulch crops to insulate them from cooler temperatures. The best mulch is free mulch. Use fallen leaves or get more ideas of what to use for mulch.
- If you would like to learn more about the principles of successful desert gardening, my guide, “Desert Gardening: How to Grow Vegetables in a Hot, Dry Climate,” may be helpful.
More Vegetable Garden Tasks this month:
- Thin crops such as carrots, beets, turnips, and radishes started from seed, allowing enough sunlight and room to grow well.
- Onion plants may be available this month to order from Dixondale Farms.
- Once asparagus turns brown or yellow, turn off watering and allow it to go dormant. Do not cut back until the plant is completely dormant. (Usually in late December or January).
- Plant a cool season cover crop if you aren’t growing in some beds. Fava beans are an excellent option.
- LEAVES! If you’re lucky enough to have them, don’t send them to the landfill – add them to your compost or, for the easy way, bag up leaves and tie them up; over the winter, they will break down. Next spring, you’ll have beautiful leaf mold to add to your garden beds.
- Show your compost some love this month. Turn it, water it. Don’t compost? November is the perfect time to start. Clear an area and create a frame – use the City of Mesa bins, pallets, or concrete blocks – don’t let all that goodness go to the landfill! Learn how to compost.

My November Garden Journals

Twice a month, I send my personal garden journal to members of “Growing in the Garden Academy.” From the first seedling to the last harvest, you can follow my gardening adventures in Arizona’s unique low desert. Access the past three years of garden journals and monthly classes as a member.
Pests & Wildlife to Watch Out For This Month
Cabbage lopers on brassicas are common during November. Hand-pick or use Bt (Bacillus thurengenisis) if needed. Use only on affected plants.

If rats are an issue, set traps next to the walls where you see droppings. Use gloves to handle the traps to avoid leaving your scent on the trap. Reset often until the problem is eliminated. These are the traps I use.

Aphids also enjoy the cooler temperatures. Add flowering plants like alyssum, nasturtium, and calendula to your garden, which can help attract beneficial insects that will help manage aphids. Here are more plants that attract beneficial insects.
Birds can be problematic. Use barrier methods like tulle or cloches. I’ve started using these realistic-looking fake snakes as a deterrent. They are scaring me as I walk by, so hopefully, the birds are scared too! I move them around every few days, and they seem to work.

Container Gardening Tasks in November
If you put smaller containers away for the summer, November is an excellent time to bring them back out. Fill containers with soil and plant bulbs and other annuals.
Fertilize container plants this month. This is the fertilizer I use.

Flower Gardening Tasks
Remove the last of the warm season annuals. Continue planting and deadheading cool-season annuals.
Save seeds from summer-blooming flowers like zinnias, sunset cosmos, gomphrena, tithonia, and sunflowers.
Plant wildflowers this month. Water to germinate seedlings or wait for winter rains. Learn more about how to grow wildflowers.
Coral Vine (Queen’s Wreath) continues to put on a show this month. Enjoy the bees and beautiful blossoms of this frost-sensitive, vigorous vine. Cut back to the ground in February, and it will return quickly each year. This article talks about how to grow Coral Vine.
Consider adding cool-season edible flowers to your vegetable garden. Nasturtiums, borage, calendula, and pansies are all edible, attract pollinators, and add beauty to the garden. Learn more about growing and using edible flowers.
Plant many flowering bulbs this month. See the flower planting list for details.



Caring for Roses During November
Continue to deadhead spent roses. Don’t prune this month. Light application of fertilizer is ok. Plant container-grown roses this month.
Are you thinking about adding more roses to your garden? I get all of my roses from Heirloom Roses. I love that they are own-root roses (no grafts!) and have the highest standards for diseases. You know you are getting robust, disease-free roses with strong roots when you get them from Heirloom Roses. Use Code GARDENAZ20 for 20% off any rose order through December 31, 2025.

Herb Gardening
Saffron crocus blooms this month. Learn more about how to grow saffron in this post.
If you plan to save seeds from basil, let it flower and go to seed. When seed pods are brown and dry, collect them and store them in a paper bag. Learn more about how to save seeds in this post.
Drying, freeze-drying, or freezing basil is a great way to preserve this tasty herb. As the temperatures cool, basil will begin slowing down and may freeze. Although it is possible to overwinter basil, it’s usually best to replant basil each spring. Older plant’s leaves may be bitter, and the plant becomes woody. Replace overgrown basil plants with cool-season annual herbs like dill, fennel, and cilantro throughout your garden.

Fruit Trees and Citrus
Don’t prune or fertilize fruit trees this month. Watering needs will drop considerably as temperatures cool.
Plant strawberries now for spring berries. Fertilize existing strawberries. This is the fertilizer I use.

Birds often peck a hole in citrus fruit, especially during dry winters. This attracts gnats and fruit flies. Citrus and pomegranates split when the summer sun hardens fruit skins. As the fruit expands, the brittle skin splits. Clean up damaged and fallen fruit to discourage pests and diseases.
Tangerines, lemons, limes, calomondin, and some navel oranges may ripen in November. Tangerines don’t last long on the tree. Harvest and enjoy these delicious fruits. Other fruits have a larger harvest window. Wondering if yours is ripe? Taste it to find out! Most citrus stores best on the tree. Harvest as needed. Here’s more information about growing citrus.
Pomegranate and peach leaves will turn yellow and fall as temperatures cool down. Pomegranates are often ready to harvest this month. Check for a deep red skin color and splitting of skin. Most varieties are sweetest when the arils (seeds) are deep red.

Landscape Plants
Prune dead branches out of frost-hardy trees and shrubs. Do not prune frost-tender plants this month. Don’t prune newly planted trees or shrubs until they have been in the landscape for at least a year.
If queen palms did not survive summer weather, consider replacing them with something different. Queen palms are not adapted to growing in the low desert of Arizona.
Plant cold-tolerant trees, bushes, vines, and perennials. For over 200 landscape plants that do well in Arizona, visit amwua.org. A few ideas include penstemon, globe mallow, Chaparral sage, and Mexican honeysuckle. Wait until late February to plant frost-sensitive plants such as lantana and hibiscus.

If needed, move perennials this month. Choose a cloudy day if possible. Before moving, soak the soil and dig a new hole. Remove the plant, leaving as much of the root ball intact as possible. Plant right away at the same depth in the new hole. Do not prune or cut back the plant after moving until it is established and growth resumes.
Watering Your Garden and Landscape During November
Newly planted seeds, seedlings, trees, and shrubs will need more frequent watering as they become established. Monitor plants closely. Reduce watering frequency when you see new growth or seedlings are at least 2″ (5 cm) tall.
Don’t overwater existing plants this month. Watering needs drop considerably as temperatures cool down and days become shorter. Plant roots don’t like cold, wet soil.
Water trees and shrubs deeply but less often than in warmer temperatures. Water no more than every 10-14 days. Wateruseitwisely.com is a helpful resource for landscape watering guidelines.
Prepare for the First Fall Frost
We may have our first fall frost this month. Look up your first fall frost date here.
Prepare for the first fall frost by learning which plants in your garden and landscape must be protected and having burlap or frost cloth on hand.
Get a maximum/minimum thermometer for your yard. Maybe put a couple of them in different areas of your yard to measure the temperatures. Hang them at eye level in the shade.

Get planting dates for your favorite crops with these visual planting guides for vegetables, herbs, fruits, flowers & vines.
I live in Spain near Tabernas, Almeria province where the “Spaghetti westerns” were filmed. Fistful of dollars etc. It is semi desert and the only desert in Europe. I’m finding your gardening tips very informative as I think we have virtually identical growing conditions. Most gardening information is based on areas where they have mild summers, very cold winters and much more rain than we ever get. ThNk you for your wonderful, comprehensive and informative website.
Hello from Arizona! I’m so glad the information has been helpful. I lived in Madrid for several months and loved your beautiful country.
Hello Angela. I have been subscribed for quite some time and I often have small questions for you that are sort of silly…..like where can I get that metal dirt scooper you use? What name tags for your plants, and does the writing come off when the sun hits the wording? I find mine slowly disappear and are no longer legible. I live in Southern California, zone 10b and my growing season is behind yours about a month, since we don’t get daily sunshine some of the summer months (we get June Gloom most of the summer months) Plus my neighbors house and palm trees prevent the sun from shining on my plants. So sad. Having said all of that, I really want to thank you for your videos. You pack so much helpful information into them, and I really enjoy your helpful tips. We do our own compost from kitchen scraps, leaves from the yard, etc. but somehow it just doesn’t always seem like it is working. Seems dead sometimes. We have lots and lots of worms in our yard, so perhaps we just need to turn it more often and ad some soil to it. Anyway, I really just wanted to say thanks and ask where you get those items I mentioned at the beginning of my comment. Please let me know. Thank you
Hi Kathy – thanks for your comment. You can find most of the products I use linked here: https://growinginthegarden.com/favorite-garden-tools-supplies/ The pens I use for the labels are on there too. They last a long time – well over a year and then when I use them again I paint over them. A lack of sunlight is a struggle for sure. I’m so glad my videos are helpful for you. Great job on composting – you could also try amending it with different types of compost if there is a local supplier you like. Have a wonderful day and thanks again for your kind comment!