My Winter garden had a bit of a setback, so there isn’t anything growing. I’m currently working on getting the soil built up and taking care of a Gopher/Vole issue. The following is a to do list of what I would be doing had everything gone as planned.
December is a busy holiday season, and most people don’t think about working in the garden. However, it is still a good time to plant a number of vegetables to be ready for harvest in late winter and early spring. The garden is a year-round proposition, and now is when it comes full circle.
Vegetables:
The vegetables listed here are cold tolerant, and will handle a light freeze or frost. If the forecast calls for a hard freeze, they should be covered for protection. You can still transplant: Kale, Collards, Cabbages, Leeks, and Onion sets in December. If you want to grow from seed consider: Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Swiss Chard, Chinese (aka Napa) Cabbage, Garlic, Kale, Lettuce, Spinach, Radishes, Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens, and an assortment of peas, such as Snow Peas, Sugar Snap Peas, and English (Green) Peas.
If you want to pre-start tomatoes to be set out in late February or March, Mid-December is the time to sow. You’ll need a place indoors that gets about 7-8 hours of sunlight, which might be problematic. If you don’t have that sort of sun exposure, look into using a fluorescent, or grow light, for 12 hour or more each day. They’ll also need to be kept at a temperature between 70 – 80 degrees. Don’t let them dry out, but don’t over water them either.
Other Herbs, Spices, and Flavorings:
December still is a good time to plant some herbs. From seed, look at: Parsley, Nasturtiums (edible flowers and buds), and Chives. Plants that do better as transplants are: Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme. Horesradish, is a root stock crop that does well when planted in cooler months. It can be transplanted now.
Fruit and Nut Trees, Vines, and Berries:
December is a good time to start in-ground planting for bare-root fruit trees, but its best to wait for mid- to late winter when they in the depth of their dormancy. Container fruit and nut trees can also be transplanted at this time. Water them in well, and mulch around the base of the tree to conserve moisture.
Wild Flowers and Native Plants:
If you sowed any seeds for wildflowers, make sure they don’t dry out, and reapply a light layer of straw mulch or dry autumn leaves where it has decayed into leaf mold or might have been disturbed. This will maintain moisture and protect the seeds from direct heavy rain and marauding birds, but still allow the seedlings to reach the surface in the spring.
December is still a good time to transplant native shrubbery and trees. American Beauty Berry, Lantana, Turks Cap, Yaupon Holly and others have mostly been dormant since November, and will transplant well now. Just make sure they have good soil to root contact, are well watered in, and mulch them well to protect them from frost and drying out, as they will still be forming roots. When spring comes they should be ready to send out abundant new roots into the surrounding soil.
General Garden Information:
In south east Texas Autumn leaf season will often last well into December. Autumn leaves are a gift from the trees this time of year. Collect them and store them in plastic bags for use as a moisture saving and temperature equalizing mulch throughout the year. Another use for the leaves is as the major carbon component of compost. Slowly breaking down over the winter months, compost will be a ready fertilizer for new plantings in the Spring. Once winter crops are established, add a little compost around each one to give a boost of fertility.
December is a great time to peruse some online seed catalogs and hard copy seed catalogs. Check with the seed companies to find out appropriate shipping dates and schedules, and consider placing your orders now to have them in hand when planting season begins. When you do order seed, just make sure you order varieties that are bred and suitable to the local climate, and avoid the disappointment of a failed crop.