A complete listing of vegetables that can be planted in December and through the winter includes beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collard, endive, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, onion, peas (English and snow), radish, rape, rutabaga, shallot, Swiss chard and turnip ...
When it comes to what to plant in December, a few flowers prefer cold temperatures such as hellebores, pansies, and delphiniums. Starting roses and sweet peas during these temperatures is also a good idea. Protecting vegetables such as asparagus, radishes, and microgreens may give you crops throughout winter.
The answer is you can plant as late into the season as you are able. That is, as long as you are able to get a spade into the ground you can plant or divide. Where I live in New England, Zone 5b/6a, our ground usually doesn't freeze until December or early January.
December is a good time to plant as it means you can get ahead before spring. Sowing vegetables and flowers early can result in earlier harvests – winter-sown broad beans are ready to harvest from May, while hardy annual flowers sown in December can flower several weeks sooner than those sown in spring.
In Zones 6 and 7, you'll want to sow perennials in December, with annuals and biennials going in the ground or the greenhouses in late February or early March. Zones 8 and 9 don't tend to experience winters that are long or cold enough to make winter sowing count.
Temperatures below 32 degrees can freeze the leaf tissue of cold-wimpy plants and turn them to mush after just a few hours. Some of the most tender annuals and veggies might not die but suffer cold-induced setbacks even when overnight lows dip below 40.
With adequate rainfall, established plant species appropriate for our climate typically need little to no supplemental irrigation during the winter. Exceptions to this rule include newly planted trees and shrubs, plants in containers, and periods of unusually dry winter weather.
The best time to winter sow perennials and hardy annuals is generally December to March depending on the weather conditions in your area. These seeds require a consistent period of moist, cold temperatures before germination occurs in spring.
According to Myers, the hardiest vegetables that can withstand heavy frost of air temperatures below 28 include spinach, Walla Walla sweet onion, garlic, leeks, rhubarb, rutabaga, broccoli, kohlrabi, kale, cabbage, chicory, Brussels sprouts, corn salad, arugula, fava beans, radish, mustard, Austrian winter pea and ...
The general rule of thumb for planting a winter vegetable garden in Zones 7 to 10 is to plant during October. In Zone 6, get plants in the ground in late September. Finesse the timing with resources from your local extension office.
You can sow seeds for winter vegetable crops, like salad greens, radishes, carrots, onions, Swiss chard, English peas and kale. Look for transplants of other cool-season vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower. Herb transplants also appear in garden centers during winter.
Tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, lettuce, onions, herbs, and many annual and perennial flowers can be started indoors during winter. Plant species, as well as the variety, will dictate which month is right. This information can be found on the back of or inside individual seed packets.
The latest time to plant for most vegetables would be the second week in June with a short harvest time. If planting crops that mature within 50 days, you could plant those as late as the last week in June, but keep in mind the weather will be turning cooler, especially at night. Cool crops are best for late plantings.
Generally March and April, when the soil begins to warm, are the best months to begin sowing many hardy annual vegetable seeds outdoors including broccoli, cabbage, chard, carrots, peas and parsnips.
Winter pansies are cold weather all-stars. These cheery winter blooming flowers can freeze solid and emerge from that state ready to grow and flower. Other bedding plant flowers that grow in winter include nemesia, snapdragon, sweet alyssum and flowering stock.
Still, some other plants can grow in mild winters. Root vegetables like garlic, carrots, and radishes grow well in cold temperatures. So do leafy greens like collards, kale, and cabbage. However, even most cold crops grow best if they're protected from frost and freezing temperatures.