Hey there, fabulous gardeners of the Mid-Ohio Valley! November is the month the garden exhales. The color has dropped, the days are short enough that you’ll be finishing chores by flashlight if you’re not careful, and the work turns to tucking things in: leeks and onions in the cold frame, hoses off the spigot, tools cleaned up, and a layer of mulch once the ground has had its first real freeze. In USDA Zones 6 and 7, hard freezes become the rule this month, and the ground can still be workable for planting until it locks up—confirm your own hillside, hollow, or river-bottom spot, because the Ohio River valley loves a microclimate. We’ve blended Mid-Ohio Valley know-how, WVU Extension calendar tips, and plenty of dirt-under-the-fingernails experience into week-by-week tasks. Set the clocks back, put the kettle on, and finish the season the way Uncle Jim would have—a little thankful for another garden season. 🍂🌙🦃
November Moon Guide
| 🌙 Moon Phase | Date | Garden Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| 🌗 Last Quarter | Sunday, November 1st | Barren Time, Weed & Maintain |
| 🌑 New Moon | Monday, November 9th | Plant Seeds and Transplants |
| 🌓 First Quarter | Tuesday, November 17th | Plant or Harvest Aboveground Crops |
| 🌕 Full Moon (Beaver Moon) | Tuesday, November 24th | Plant Root Crops |
Week 44 (October 26–November 1)
October’s Almanac closed with a clean handoff. November picks up the same rake.
Daylight Saving Time ends – Sunday, November 1 (clocks fall back one hour)
Sunday, November 1 – Last Quarter Moon: Barren time. Weed, work soil, and don’t let late weeds go to seed. The clocks fall back tonight, so the real gift is an extra hour of sleep—and a darker evening, which means finishing outdoor chores in the afternoon.
Week 45 (November 2–8)
Monday, November 2: Plant leeks in a cold frame. A little protection turns November into a gardening month, not an ending.
Tuesday, November 3: Plant short-day onions in the cold frame, too. They’ll sit through the cold and be ready to get going when the days lengthen.
Wednesday, November 4: Remove stakes and trellises. Clean off the soil, let them dry, and stack them somewhere dry so they’re ready come spring.
Thursday, November 5: Mulch carrots for winter use. A thick layer of straw or shredded leaves keeps the ground from freezing solid and lets you pull fresh carrots well into the cold months.
Friday, November 6: Fertilize under deciduous trees and shrubs. Roots stay active in cool soil, and a fall feeding helps them wake up strong in spring.
Saturday, November 7: Water trees and shrubs thoroughly if fall has been dry. A deep drink before the ground freezes helps evergreens especially.
Sunday, November 8: Rake leaves while they’re dry. Run the mower over them and they make good mulch for beds and a free carbon load for the compost pile. Bring in any tender houseplants that are still outside and check them for hitchhiking pests.
Week 46 (November 9–15)
Veterans Day – Wednesday, November 11
Monday, November 9 – New Moon: Prime planting day. Remove diseased plant debris from the garden—send it out with the trash, not into the compost. Seed spinach or lettuce in a cold frame or high tunnel for cold-weather greens.
Tuesday, November 10: Apply lime and fertilizer according to your soil test. No test yet? Take one now. Guessing costs more than the test.
Wednesday, November 11 – Veterans Day: A good day for a quiet garden walk and a thank-you to those who served. Note which beds drained poorly this fall so you can fix them before spring.
Thursday, November 12: Winterize your garden tools. Clean and sharpen pruners, loppers, shovels, and hoes, and wipe the blades with oil to keep rust off.
Friday, November 13: Clean residue from flower beds. Cut back finished perennials and clear spent annuals so pests and disease have fewer places to overwinter.
Saturday, November 14: Mulch strawberries with clean straw once the plants have gone dormant. It protects the crowns from winter swings in temperature.
Sunday, November 15: Clean and refill bird feeders and put out fresh water. Winter birds will thank you, and they’re good company at the kitchen window. Check stored tubers, squash, and sweet potatoes, and toss anything soft or moldy.
Week 47 (November 16–22)
Monday, November 16: Mulch thyme plants before winter. A light layer of mulch or evergreen boughs helps them through the cold.
Tuesday, November 17 – First Quarter Moon: Turn the compost. The pile is slow in the cold, but a good turn keeps the middle working. Good day for aboveground crops, too—harvest hardy greens and herbs.
Wednesday, November 18: Mulch perennial beds after the ground has had a few hard freezes. The goal is to keep the soil frozen once it freezes, not to keep the plants warm.
Thursday, November 19: Harvest salad greens from the high tunnel. A little cover turns November into salad season.
Friday, November 20: Drain and put away garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before a hard freeze. A frozen line is a spring repair bill waiting to happen.
Saturday, November 21: Cut hardy chrysanthemums back to 2 or 3 inches and mulch them. Mark where they are so you don’t forget next spring.
Sunday, November 22: Wrap the trunks of young, thin-barked trees and use guards against rabbits and deer. Winter sun and hungry critters do more damage than most folks expect.
Week 48 (November 23–29)
Thanksgiving – Thursday, November 26
Monday, November 23: Fertilize houseplants. The days are short, so go lightly, and keep them out of cold drafts.
Tuesday, November 24 – Full Moon (Beaver Moon): Root-crop day. Mulch garlic if it’s in the ground—a blanket of straw keeps freeze-thaw from heaving the cloves. Step outside after dusk—a late-fall full moon still lights a good garden walk.
Wednesday, November 25: Store winter squash and gourds for winter in a cool, dry spot. Cut a few evergreen branches and a sprig of rosemary for the Thanksgiving table.
Thursday, November 26 – Thanksgiving: Take a walk through the garden before the feast and give thanks for the season. Compost the vegetable scraps from the kitchen—potato peels, carrot ends, and the rest.
Friday, November 27: Harvest Brussels sprouts, or leave them to overwinter in the garden. A few frosty nights make them sweeter.
Saturday, November 28: Browse the seed catalogs and sketch next year’s beds. The best gardens start on paper in the dead of winter.
Sunday, November 29: Check that tender plants are in, hoses and tools are put away, and mower fuel is stabilized or drained. A tidy garage and shed is a gift in March.
Week 49 (November 30)
Monday, November 30: Make a last walk around the garden and check your mulch. December will ask for protecting shrubs from harsh weather, mulching hybrid roses, and a little winter planning.
November in the Mid-Ohio Valley is tools put away, beds mulched, and a little thankfulness at the end of the season. Get the hoses drained, give the trees a last drink, and let the garden rest. It’s not done with you—and you’re not done with it.
