Gardening Tips for December – Jobs for the Winter Garden

Planting Garlic

If your soil is well prepared,  plant your garlic now to get a head start and potentially bigger bulbs come harvest. Otherwise, after December you will have to wait till February or March to plant this crop out.

Sowing Cauliflower

Now is also still a good time to sow autumn variety cauliflowers if you haven’t already done so. Check out our tips for sowing autumn cauliflower where we share the best varieties to sow now and how to keep the young plant healthy during this cold season.

Perfect Time for Composting

Autumn/Winter is the perfect time to start or tend to your own compost bin. Add all the dead but disease-free plants and fallen leaves to the compost bin, along with other healthy organic matter so you will have nutrient-rich soil to add to your growing space come spring.

1. Plan Your Space

The first thing to ask yourself is what kind of space will you be growing in? If you were to grow in a raised bed rather than a regular vegetable patch bed, you might find that you can sow/plant crops earlier because raised bed soil gets warmer earlier in the spring.

Or maybe you’re opting for a container garden… What kind of containers will you be using and will they be suitable for the plants you hope to grow? If you’re reusing old containers, are they clean and disease-free?

All of this, along with sunlight exposure, soil drainage, plant growth space and pest/disease prevention are crucial beginning steps for planning. The way you grow your plants will have a significant effect on the success of what you produce.

2. What to Grow

Once sure about the gardening space you’re working with, it’s time to decide which plants you want to grow that would suit this space. Make a list of all the fruits, vegetables and flowers and map out your very own personal gardening calendar. Detailing when you should be sowing, when plant out and any other time-specific plant needs.

This personal gardening calendar is especially useful for those of you who rely on self-grown crops as you can plan your produce to last you in time for the next harvest.

Also, when choosing which plants to grow, you might want to consider companion planting. Going back to the idea of efficient gardening, you can maximise your growing space and potential by growing things close together that benefit rather than disrupt each other.

Host a Winter Garden Party

Although garden parties seem like a distant memory in December, you don’t need to stop entertaining outside. In fact, there is something quite refreshing about being outside in the crisp air in a big coat with a hot drink. Discover how to Entertain Outside in the Winter.