December Gardening Guide - What To Plant In December For All Garden Zones

This December garden guide lists out all of the things you can either start from seed or transplant right now. Get tips and tricks on each crop to get the earliest start on your spring garden. December is a HUGE seed sowing month for me. I am starting all of my spring and summer crops with the intent to transplant as soon as my last frost has passed (usually the 2nd week of February). If your last spring frost date falls in January through March, then you need to be doing the same. Many types of crops require 2-3 months of growth from seed to be a size big enough for transplanting. So get a head start by starting seeds indoors right now.

And yes, I start all of my summer crops now too. My Florida summers are so intense that even traditional summer crops don't survive. My game plan is to harvest everything, even summer crops before June arrives. The rain, pests, and disease pressure is just too much for a lot of these crops. 

Get a printable checklist PDF version of this guide to keep you on track, via email HERE.

Check out the video version of my December monthly garden guide here:

Onions & Leeks - If you want to grow onions or leeks from seeds, then start seeds in August through September so they are ready to transplant from October through December. December is the last month I recommend to get them into the ground. Right now, it is too late to start them from seed but you can purchase transplants from my website, online, or sometimes local retailers have some. It is critical that you look up an onion day length map, to determine if you should be growing short day or long day onions. In the south, we grow short day onions because we have shorter day light hours during the winter. Therefore, short day onions require less day light hours to trigger the bulbing process. 

Check out my how to grow onions YouTube video tutorial here:

Potatoes - You can plant potatoes in November, December, and January. The goal with potatoes is to have them grow during the cooler and drier months of the year. The potatoes will rot underground if they get too much water. I recommend early maturing varieties for the south like Red Norland or Adirondack Blue. The longer they stay in the ground, the higher the risk for nematodes and other pests to find them.

Check out my how to plant and grow potatoes YouTube video guide here: 

 

Garlic - Start planting garlic in October with the last month being December. Growing garlic in the south can be very tricky but it is possible. Pay attention to the type of seed garlic you are purchasing. Hard neck varieties grow best in northern areas while soft neck cultivars are best for southern areas with mild winters. The other issue that makes growing garlic a little difficult is that it requires a long period of cold to produce large bulbs. Since it doesn't get that cold in my area, garlic is placed in the fridge for a few weeks to mimic a cold period. This process is called "vernalization". I am planting elephant garlic that doesn't require vernalization. I am also growing a few different varieties of soft neck garlic. Below are links to a few companies that sell garlic cloves for planting. If you know of anymore, please comment below. 

Practical Plants (Ships within Florida only)

Cody Cove Farms (Ships within Florida only)

Hoss Tools - Onions, potatoes, garlic, & strawberry crowns

Keene Garlic

Check out my tutorial on how to grow elephant garlic:

All types of greens - lettuce, tatsoi, spinach, swiss chard, bok choy, arugula, radicchio, endive, chicory, mizuna, collard greens, and mustard greens. You can either direct sow seeds or transplant. I begin direct sowing in October all the way thru February. For me the easiest thing is to direct sow seeds in any bare spots in my garden. I highly recommend that you rake in some blood meal into the soil or sprinkle in some blood meal into the planting hole if your using transplants. Blood meal is a high organic source of nitrogen and it produces the most lush and dark green leafy greens.

Check out my YouTube video on how to grow lettuce and Asian greens from seed:

Carrots - Its time to direct sow seeds for these crops. Sprinkle seeds and gently press them into the soil surface. It is very important that you keep carrot seeds moist at all times for the first 7 days. Carrot seeds will not germinate well if they are not kept moist. My personal favorite cultivars are Kuroda, Cosmic Purple, and Danvers. They taste sweeter with a little bit of frost, so planting them now would be perfect timing so they get a little frost before harvesting

Check out my how to grow carrots from seed to harvest YouTube video guide:

Radish, Beets, Rutabaga, and Turnips - These are very easy to grow from direct sowing seeds. Space radish and beet seeds 4 inches apart, and space turnips 6 inches apart. Many radish cultivars are  ready for harvest  in just 30 days from seed. They make for great companion plants underneath other taller crops. 

Heading Type Brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts)- Everyone should have transplanted their brassicas starting in October and November. I don't recommend planting more in December for garden zones 10 and up, because you risk not having enough cool months left for proper head production. A lot of things like broccoli and cauliflower will easily bolt (flower instead of produce a head), if exposed to too much warm weather. I have a few exceptions - direct sow or transplant sprouting types of brassicas like Piracicaba Brazilian sprouting broccoli, broccoli raab aka rapini, or purple sprouting broccoli. My Piracicaba plants produce for me until May when its finally just too hot for them, compared to around March for all the other broccoli and cauliflower type stuff. If you need seeds, I do have some on my website. I cant recommend it enough for hot climate gardeners.

Other Brassicas - A few types of brassicas that everyone, zones 8 and up can still grow from seed right now in December is kale, mustards, Napa cabbage, and kohlrabi. Direct sow seeds spacing them at least 1 foot apart.

Check out my "how to grow from seed to harvest" tutorials on kale, kohlrabi, and Napa cabbage for more tips. 

All Peas - This includes snow peas and snap peas (pea that you eat the entire pod), or shelling peas (peas shelled out of in-edible pods). Direct sow seeds starting in November, with December being the last month. You will start to harvest 2 months later. My personal favorite snow pea is Luang Prabang, sweet shelling pea is Green Arrow, and snap pea is Sugar Daddy. They just perform well despite the fluctuating temperatures in my Florida garden. 

Check out my how to grow peas from seed to harvest YouTube video guide.

Herbs - chamomile, basil, dill, oregano, parsley, cilantro, fennel, thyme, sage, and rosemary. Take advantage of the more temperate weather to either direct sow or transplant all sorts of herbs. Herbs will get damaged or even killed by snow or freezing temperatures. So either plant in containers or pots and bring indoors or have a plan to cover them. Usually, for us southern gardeners, that's just a handful of days in the winter season. Bring them back outside when it's warm again. A lot of herbs are perennial so if you can get them to survive the coldest days of winter, they will continue producing for many months.

Strawberries - Start planting strawberry bare roots in October with December being the last month. There are certain cultivars that are best for growing in the south so be very careful and do your research to make sure your purchasing the correct strawberry crowns. I highly recommend that you purchase crowns from local/native nurseries that would carry the kind that grows well in your area. Place your orders asap because they always sell out. I sell strawberry bare roots so check out my website. If I don't have stock, below are some of the companies that also sell strawberry bare roots. If you know of any, please comment below. 

Jerra's Garden (ships to all states)

Practical Plants (Ships within Florida only)

Cody Cove Farms (Ships within Florida only)

Nick's Edibles (find him on Facebook only)

Check out my tutorial on how to grow strawberries from bare roots:

All of the crops mentioned below need to be started indoors (because it is too cold outside for them), if you want to get an early start on your spring garden season. I highly recommend the use of grow lights and heat mats to stimulate quick germination and rapid growth. 

Check out my YouTube video guide all about how to sow seeds, including my setup, recommended supplies, and tips on sowing seeds for each type of crop here:

Peppers & Eggplants - This is a reminder to start sowing seeds indoors for peppers and eggplants so you can get the earliest start on the season possible by planting as soon as your last average spring frost date has passed. Both of these crops take 2.5-3 months from seed to get to a large enough size for transplanting. They are very slow growers. So for all gardeners with last spring frost dates that fall in February and March, you need to start sowing seeds for peppers and eggplants in November and December. Sow seeds in doors only because its too cold for them outside. Keep them warm with heat mats and give them bright light in the form of grow lights or 5000K daylight range shop lights.

I add organic granular fertilizer, crab meal, blood meal, azomite (rock dust) and/or rock phosphate into the planting holes. The goal with peppers is to harvest as much as possible before summer comes. They really struggle in high heat and do not like all of the excessive rain we get in Florida. They catch a lot of diseases and pests are easily attracted to the stressed out plants during the summer. If you install shade cloth and plant them in raised beds or containers, you might be able to help mitigate the excessive heat/rain issues, and get the plants to survive the summer. Once temperatures cool down at the end of September, pepper plants perk up, start putting on new growth, and flowering again. 

Check out my how to grow peppers YouTube video guide here:

Check out my how to grow eggplant from seed to harvest YouTube video guide here:

Tomatoes - You still have time to start tomatoes from seeds and transplant. The last time I sow seeds is December 1st to transplant mid-January. The goal with tomatoes is to harvest everything before June. Just be prepared to cover tender seedlings/transplants if we get cold fronts expected to be 40F or below. This only occurs like 3 times out of the entire winter in my garden. I just cover with old bed sheets, plastic containers, etc...They can take more cold weather than you think. 

Below is a link to my YouTube video tomato playlist which will give you loads of info like heirloom tomato reviews, how to trellis, prune, and take care of tomato plants. 

Celery & Celtuce - Both celery and celtuce tolerate a lot of cold weather and are a great option for all garden zones to direct sow seeds in a sunny location because they do require light to germinate. Or sow seeds indoors so you can place them under a bright light source to ensure they have sufficient light to germinate. Then transplant once they get big enough.   

Luffa, moringa, and other edible gourds - These crops require a minimum of 6 months in a row of warm temperatures to grow and produce harvest ready gourds. Get a head start by starting them from seed indoors, in large solo cups, 2 months before your last frost date has passed. For some of us in zones 9-11, that would be right now. Transplant as soon as your last frost date has passed.

Check out my How to Grow Luffa From Seed To Harvest tutorial on YouTube HERE.

Check out my how to harvest & peel luffa sponges tutorial HERE.

Check out my How to Germinate Moringa Seeds tutorial on YouTube HERE.

Check out my how to harvest, dry, powderize, and make organic garden fertilizer with Moringa HERE.

Seminole Pumpkin, Tromboncino Rampicante, all zucchini, pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupes, and Okra - Start them from seed in solo cups so they have enough space to get nice and big. Transplant as soon as your last frost date has passed. I find that I am more successful growing watermelons and melons during spring time. Once June arrives and we start getting rain every day, melons have a tendency to swell up with all of the excess water and either burst or do not develop good flavor. You could wait to direct sow all of these crops as soon as your last frost date has passed. Just make sure they are in raised beds, containers, or at least hills to help promote better drainage. 

Check out my How to Grow Squash and Zucchini From Seed YouTube video tutorial:

Zones 11 and up only: The last recommendations I have is for gardeners in zones 11 and up, that barely have any cold or frost. You can direct sow more bush or pole/vining beans, southern or cow peas, cucumbers, Seminole pumpkin, tromboncino rampicante squash, winter squash, luffa, calabaza, and zucchini. These things should survive in your area. 

Check out my How to Grow Green Beans (bush & pole beans) from seed to harvest YouTube video here: