As November arrives in central Florida, the garden shifts into its winter-season stride. The UF/IFAS gardening calendar encourages planting cool-weather annuals like pansy, viola, snapdragon, dianthus, cape daisy and alyssum to bring fall and winter color. Bulbs such as amaryllis, crinum and daylily also like to go in the ground this month.

In the vegetable garden, continue sowing or transplanting crops that thrive in cooler conditions. A few examples include beets, broccoli, cabbage, kale, carrots and lettuce. Herbs such as cilantro, parsley, sage and thyme also prefer the milder weather and can be added now.

Closer to Thanksgiving, consider growing herbs you might use in holiday cooking, such as sage, parsley and thyme, which can be fresh additions to your table. Also use this time to divide overgrown perennials or bulbs, giving them space to establish ahead of colder stretches. Monitor for fungal diseases like large patch or brown patch in the lawn. Cooler, damp conditions may trigger outbreaks, so maintain good cultural practices.

Let November be a month of both harvest and renewed plantings, a transition into a garden that will flourish across winter.