Episode 5: What to Plant and Protect in Your Central Texas Garden (Late November – Early December)

Written By Colleen Dieter

Welcome back to The ATXGardens Podcast with landscape consultant and certified arborist Colleen Dieter of ATXGardens.com!
This episode is all about what to focus on in the second half of November—from composting and planting woody trees to protecting fruit trees and citrus before the first freeze hits Austin.

🍎 Client Story: Building a Backyard Food Forest

This week, Colleen met with Jody in Bastrop—a repeat client who’s transforming her large property into a food forest. Together they mapped out layers of edible plants: tall shade trees, smaller fruit trees, and low-growing perennials and groundcovers. They also designed walkways to connect everything into a cohesive, low-maintenance landscape.

If you’ve ever dreamed of turning your yard into an edible ecosystem, this episode offers plenty of inspiration to get started.

🍂 November Garden Big-Picture Tips

As Central Texas shifts from fall to winter, it’s time to focus on slowing plants down—not speeding them up.

🚫 Skip fertilizer—it encourages new growth that’s vulnerable to freezes.

🪴 Composting Made Simple

Starting a compost pile this time of year is easy—there are plenty of leaves available!
Use a pile or tumbler that’s at least 3’x3’x3’, and keep it simple: layer leaves, kitchen scraps, and a little water. Avoid meat and dairy.

🌿 Use compost tea or liquid humate instead (find Colleen’s recipe at ATXGardens.com).
🌳 Start a compost pile using a mix of two-thirds tree leaves and one-third kitchen scraps.
💧 Keep soil moist to protect roots and support soil health through the winter.

🌳 Trees & Shrubs

Late November is prime planting time for woody plants—trees, shrubs, roses, and vines.
Plant natives with winter color like Possumhaw holly, Yaupon holly, and Rusty blackhaw viburnum for beautiful red berries and fall foliage.

🦌 Protect young trees from deer rubbing. Use trunk guards or cages through February to prevent damage.
🍁 Keep fallen leaves as mulch—they help retain moisture and feed the soil.
✂️ Wait to prune until after trees are fully dormant (usually after Thanksgiving).

🍊 Fruit Trees & Citrus

Now’s the time to:

  • Rake up fallen leaves and fruit to reduce disease and pests.

  • Plant containerized apples, pears, plums, and persimmons.

  • Prepare to protect citrus trees—move potted ones indoors or cover in-ground trees with floating row cover fabric before a freeze.

  • Avoid plastic covers and heat lamps; use old sheets or incandescent lights for safe warmth.

🌼 Listener Mail: Watering Newly Transplanted Natives

Lynn asked about how often to water new transplants in her redesigned native garden.
💧 For the first few weeks: water every 4–5 days, keeping the soil like a wrung-out sponge.
🌦️ After a few months, reduce to once a week or as needed depending on rainfall and soil type.
🌡️ Check moisture by hand—or use a moisture meter (linked below).

🌸 Perennials & Bulbs

Avoid planting warm-season perennials now—they won’t establish before freezes.
Plant cool-season perennials such as columbine, spiderwort, and lyreleaf sage instead.

Try bulbs that thrive in Central Texas like Dutch iris, snowflakes (Leucojum), rain lilies, and oxblood lilies.
Label them with painted rocks (Colleen shares her favorite paint pens below!).

🥬 Vegetables

Plant now before the next cold front hits!

  • Direct-sow radishes, beets, carrots, and turnips.

  • Transplant broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.

  • Start onions from seed and plant garlic cloves.

  • Add strawberries to raised beds or pots—they love cool weather and organic fertilizer.

🌬️ Water well before freezes! Hydrated plants resist cold damage better.

🌿 Herbs, Annuals & Wildflowers

  • Last chance to plant cool-season herbs: cilantro, parsley, dill, chamomile, and calendula.

  • Add hardy perennials like mint, lemon balm, chives, and winter savory.

  • Wait until spring for oregano, thyme, and rosemary.

  • Brighten your beds with pansies, violas, snapdragons, and cyclamen.

  • Missed wildflower seeding? Find starts or live roots at Native American Seed.

🌻 Events & Classes


📅 Nov 17: Tree Planting Talk — Williamson County Master Gardeners (6:30 PM)

Find full event details and tickets at ATXGardens.com/speaking-events.

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned

🌼 Stay Connected


For more Central Texas garden tips, visit ATXGardens.com, follow Colleen on Instagram @‌ATXGardens_, and subscribe to The ATXGardens Podcast for biweekly updates from your favorite Austin garden consultant.

Colleen Dieter
Next

Episode 4: Deer Damage, Leaf Drop, and Fall Planting — Here’s What to Know