What to Sow in November

November is a short list and an honest one. Sweet peas can still go into deep pots in a cold frame, herbs will germinate on a windowsill, and micro greens do not care what month it is. Anything else is better left until February.

• Echinops 'Veitch's Blue' Seeds

  Echinops ritro 'Veitch's Blue'

  SowAugust–November

  The winter chill improves germination noticeably, which is the argument for sowing now rather than in spring. Sow into deep pots and plant out young, before the taproot has anything to resent.

  • Perennial
  • Germination 7–14 days
  • 65 seeds

• Foxglove 'Apricot' Seeds

  Digitalis purpurea 'Apricot'

  SowSeptember–November

  Barely cover it — 3mm is plenty — and sow into light shade. It is a biennial, so this is for the summer after next, which is exactly why it is worth doing now rather than meaning to.

  • Biennial
  • Germination 7–14 days
  • 150 seeds

• Ragged Robin Seeds

  Lychnis flos-cuculi

  SowSeptember–November

  Press it onto the surface and leave it in the light. It wants ground that stays damp, so this is the one for the corner that never quite dries out.

  • Perennial
  • Germination 7–14 days
  • 300 seeds

• Sweet Pea 'Little Sweetheart' Seeds

  Lathyrus odoratus

  SowOctober–May

  Soak overnight, then one seed to a deep pot or root trainer — the roots go a long way down before the top does anything at all. Overwintered cold and bright, it makes a sturdier plant than a spring sowing ever manages.

  • Annual
  • Germination 10–21 days
  • 20 seeds

• Sweet Pea 'Matucana' Seeds

  Lathyrus odoratus

  SowOctober–May

  The scent is the reason to grow this one, and an autumn sowing brings it forward by weeks. Soak overnight, sow singly, and keep it cool and bright over winter.

  • Annual
  • Germination 10–21 days
  • 20 seeds

• Sweet Pea 'Prince of Orange' Seeds

  Lathyrus odoratus

  SowOctober–May

  Soak overnight and sow one seed to a deep pot. Kept cool through the winter it roots hard and climbs away in spring, rather than sitting still for a month first.

  • Annual
  • Germination 10–21 days
  • 20 seeds

• Sweet Pea 'Royal Family' Seeds

  Lathyrus Odoratus 'Royal Family'

  SowOctober–May

  Deep pots, kept cool and bright rather than warm; heat is what makes them leggy. Pinch the tips out at 8–10cm and you get a bushier plant with far more stems worth cutting.

  • Annual
  • Germination 10–21 days
  • 20 seeds

• Viola 'Freckles' Seeds

  Viola Sororia ‘Freckles’

  SowSeptember–November

  Sow shallowly and prick out once there are two proper pairs of leaves. Sown outside in autumn it comes through the winter and flowers from early spring, which is when you most want it.

  • Perennial
  • Germination 7–14 days
  • 10 seeds

• Micro Green Seed Set

  SowJanuary–December

  Sow January–December.

  • Annual
  • Germination Varies by variety, typically 5–21 days

• Native Seed Set

  SowMarch–November

  Sow March–November.

  • Perennial and Annual
  • Germination Varies by variety, typically 5–21 days

• Parsley 'Italian Giant' Seeds

  Petroselinum crispum var. neapolitanum

  SowJanuary–December

  Sow January–December.

  • Biennial
  • Germination 14–28 days
  • 175 seeds

• Parsley Seeds

  Petroselinum crispum

  SowJanuary–December

  Sow January–December.

  • Biennial
  • Germination 14–28 days
  • 400 seeds

• Shade Garden Seed Box

  SowJanuary–December

  Sow January–December.

  • Germination Varies by variety, typically 5–21 days