The first week of December has slipped by already, and before we know it, it will be the Winter Solstice. The coming of the light is only 2 weeks away, and by the start of January, the days will get longer.
Maybe December feels like the “sleeping month,” but there are things you can get done, even if it is cold and miserable outside.
December Tasks
Plan Your Garden:
As I often mention this time of year, for many hardeners, you only have 4 months till planting time outside. Do the planning now, inside, and then you won’t run yourself ragged in March.
If you have an existing garden, measure it and then graph it on paper or in your favorite online program. This way, you can see how much bed space you have and whether you want to add more.
If you are new to gardening, this is your chance to plan. Because if you do not prepare, it can and often will end up looking haphazard over time.
Either way, this gets you ready to go, and maybe for once, you won’t over-order seeds. Hahahaha. Not likely, though.
Order Your Seeds:
The seeds for next year are in stock for most seed companies. Beat everyone else, and get what you want. This way, you can buy from companies you trust, rather than what you find in a big box store in February. Pick your favorite company and get shopping!
Buy Items Needed:
Do you need new raised beds? New tools? Look at items like plant stakes, plant ID stakes, jute twine, zip ties, and similar items. It sucks to realize you are out on a sunny April day!
Now is the time to budget for them and start watching sales. Maybe Santa will be good to you, and you get some gift cards to places that sell what you need!
Fix Or Create Garden Items:
This is the time of year to go through your garden tools. Do they need cleaning? Sharpening?
This late fall, I finally set up an area for my tools/gloves in our garden. When we moved in, there was an ancient plastic cabinet mounted on the garage wall. Kirk took it down, and it sat around until I thought about it and was… this could work in the garden. Those cabinets are not cheap, so I was not going to toss them in the garbage!
I weighed it out with a couple of bricks inside and put it on my plant potting table. I put a brick in front of the doors so they wouldn’t get knocked open in high winds. Now, I don’t have to walk all the way to the back of the house to get items out of my pop-up greenhouse… which has become a temporary shed for the lawn mower, hoses, and rolls of farm fabric for the winter.
I have most items stored in gallon storage bags to keep them dry and cleaner. Just in case water gets in!
Extra soil hangs out under my potting table, so it stays drier during winter. I will add it to beds later, or cut it with ingredients to make potting soil.
Set Up Your Seed Starting Area:
Many people start seedlings indoors under LED grow lights. I am not one of them, for many things. I wait for the outdoors to be ready. However, if you want tomatoes, peppers, and certain flowers prepared in advance, you will need to do so. Often, they use metal racks and have a grow light for each shelf. If this is something you’d like to do, now is the time to buy/pull everything together and go find a corner to grow in.
Start Seedlings Inside:
For certain vegetables, if you have a shorter growing season, the end of December into January is go time – especially for peppers and tomatoes. Where I live now, the growing season is far longer, so it isn’t a huge issue compared to where we used to live.
Having said that, starting herbs early is worth it. Just having fresh herbs growing is special. By March, when all you crave is green food, fresh Basil is a treat.
Grow Microgreens Inside:
Microgreens are something not many try, but it is a rewarding hobby. You don’t need growing lights either—just a sunny window and a tray to grow in. I have tried numerous ways to grow them. We even used to do it in discarded berry containers in our unheated greenhouse for our chickens at our old place. They loved having a “busy box” every week.
Microgreens are grown densely and harvested by cutting with scissors. The vibrant green shoots are rich in nutrients and have a lively taste. Many seeds can be grown this way; popular choices are sunflowers and broccoli.
You can grow them in soil or without soil. For our chickens, we did in soil, often reusing old potting mix. For our meals, I use the modern soil-free method.
This is a great example of a small kit you can find online. This kit uses grow mats (closer to what I use).
~Sarah