December is the quietest month in the garden. The soil rests under frost and snow, the beds are asleep, and there's barely any active work left to do. That's exactly its gift: it gives you time to look back and think ahead, while outside nature gathers its strength for the year to come.
December runs roughly from CW 49 to 52.
The Christmas Harvest
Even now you don't have to go entirely without something of your own. The winter stalwarts soldier on, and on many tables kale is a fixed part of the holiday meal. Alongside it come Brussels sprouts, leeks, parsnip, salsify and tough little lamb's lettuce. Harvest on a frost-free day, otherwise frozen leaves snap all too easily.
Check Your Winter Protection and Shake Off the Snow
After a wet snowfall it's worth doing the rounds through the garden. Heavy snow can weigh branches and hedges down until they break.
December works quietly. While everything above rests, the next year is already getting ready beneath the snow.
Being There for the Birds
This is the most important stretch of winter feeding. In frost and snow, robins, tits and finches can barely find anything to eat, and a reliable feeding spot carries them safely through the cold.
Hang the food where cats can't reach it, keep the spot clean, and on frosty days set out a shallow dish of water. The birds pay you back in spring by tirelessly picking aphids and caterpillars out of your beds.
Time to Plan and Dream
This is the loveliest December job, and you can do it over a cup of tea: planning next year's garden. Leaf through your garden diary and see what went well and what didn't. Sketch out the bed plan and think about crop rotation, so tomatoes and cabbage swap places. Sort through your seeds, run a germination test on the old ones, and reorder in good time, before your favourite varieties sell out.
On mild, frost-free days you can also make a start on the winter pruning of apple and pear trees. And indoors, an amaryllis or a few herbs on the windowsill bring a little green into the darkest time of the year.
Your December in Brief
- HarvestBring in kale, Brussels sprouts and leeks on frost-free days for the holidays.
- Manage the snowShake it off hedges and conifers, leave it lying on the beds.
- Feed the birdsSet up a cat-safe feeder with water and keep it clean.
- PlanReview your garden diary, draw up a bed plan, order seeds.
- PruneOn mild days, begin the winter pruning of pome fruit.
- Green indoorsCut Barbara branches, grow an amaryllis and herbs on the windowsill.
Häufige Fragen
Can I really still harvest in December?
Yes. The winter stalwarts like kale, Brussels sprouts, leeks and lamb's lettuce stand in the bed all month and actually taste better after a frost. Just harvest as you need it, on a day when the leaves aren't frozen.
Do I have to clear the snow off the beds?
No, quite the opposite. On beds and winter vegetables the blanket of snow is a natural shield against hard frost. The only place you should shake the snow off is evergreens, hedges and conifers, whose branches can break under the weight.
Is December too early to plan the garden?
Not in the slightest, it's the ideal time. Plan in peace, with an eye on the past year and your seeds ordered ahead of time, and you head into the new season relaxed and well prepared, instead of scrambling in a rush come spring.
Your December at a Glance
December asks little and gives a lot: the kale for the holidays, a quiet look out over the snowy garden, and the leisure to design the year ahead. Enjoy this pause, it belongs to gardening just as much as the sowing and the harvest.
In Gartenkern you leaf through your garden year, see what was ripe and when, and lay down the first sowings for the new year. And then, when the first days start stretching out again in January, the circle begins anew, with a garden that remembers it all right alongside you.
