Get the most from your holiday poinsettias. (3)Take care of garden tools: Sharpen pruners, loppers, lawnmowers, and shovels. Like why some things don’t get cut back, and others that are still seed-laden when they do have their seeds collected and set aside, then returned to the spot after whatever cleanup is needed there. A friend stashes his in the fridge, first sealing in zipper bags with the air squeezed out, then placing the bags in a sealed plastic box rather than having strays get lost among the yogurt and mayonnaise. Some years, December weather in the Northeast allows you a bit more time to tie up loose ends in the garden, but you should never count on it. To adjust timing: My garden is in Zone 5B, in the Hudson Valley (NY)-Berkshires (MA) area, where frost can persist well into May and return in October. Beth Chatto, who I believe is 93, still goes out into the garden every day, at least to assess and direct gardeners. I know in previous year you mentioned a potted Korean fir…looking for some ideas other than cut trees!! 'horticultural how-to and woo-woo' | margaret roach, head gardener. Garden Chores by Month: December Vegetable & Fruit Garden. Or start with my Seed Viability Chart. Where is the winter chill that so many Northern plants require? Collect winter berries and tree needles for a winter potpourri. This is the wet season in Northern California. When it is time: 18 confidence-building tips for starting seeds.). Listen live at 8:30 AM EDT Mondays, to the replay Saturday morning, or stream the podcast anytime. Those should run, not walk, into the soup pot, to become sweet potato-greens soup or vegetable soup, for instance. I just planted 90 Darwin hybrid tulips (couldn’t resist at $2 for a bag of 45) up here in southern VT. Fertilize garden beds and containers of annuals […] must be in place in key hiding spots. December Gardening Chores For The Pacific Northwest. THE SHORTEST garden to-do list of the year, December’s, begins with a fire drill—one final last-minute check of whatever I have forgotten to secure outdoors, before entering my own semi-dormancy and holing up with a pile of seed catalogs. Snails like moist conditions. You may need next month’s chores, or last month’s (the archive is here). While Southern Californians may dislike the cold that you in the North can experience during this month, they may envy you your moisture. I’m harvesting saffron up here in zone 5. It will tell you when it’s ready for action. In zones 9 and warmer, you can … Oh, and that last bag of bulbs I seem to have misplaced—till now. If you have not already done so, you will need to afford winter protection to any plants that you think need it: You may not get another chance once a deep layer of snow forms. I host a public-radio podcast; I also lecture, plus hold tours at my 2.3-acre Hudson Valley (NY) Zone 5B garden in “normal” years, and always say no to chemicals and yes to great plants. Let's hear it for one list that doesn't leave us wondering "naughty or nice." Turn compost pile with new additions of leaves, decorative pumpkins, and frost-bitten plant stems. You are at the end of another gardening year. Sadly, I came across the local website of a guy growing dozens of types of figs in his backyard and he was PROMOTING the use of mothballs. I love that you mention Beth Chatto, whose garden is still vivid in memory from a visit decades ago. Over a foot of snow halted my usual garden clean-up. If no dice in a couple of weeks, water again…but don’t repeatedly water an unresponsive bulb or it may rot. January Gardening Chores For The Pacific Northwest. TAKE THE MOWER IN for service now, rather than in the spring rush, then store without gas in the tank by running it dry. Consider buying a Christmas tree that will live on after the holiday … When do you plant for Spring? Wash and dust leaves of house plants. Inspect windbreak fences for damage. Quick, in case you missed it: Besides mucking out leaves, the water garden needs immediate attention and winterizing, to avoid burst plumbing and suffocated frogs and fish; here’s how. So mad that I have to have “rules” for seed shopping, like restraining myself before binging in the new catalogs until I do a careful inventory of leftovers. SCOUT FOR VIBURNUM BEETLE egg cases on bare viburnum twigs now through April. Gorgeous as it was timing stunk. BESIDES THE overwintered ornamental plants in the basement and garage to inspect for possible water needs, do you have produce like potatoes in storage? SHOP, YES. Check for snails on your plants. Don’t feed (or feed very little, sometimes expressed as “weekly, weakly”). Are any leaves piled up but not yet shredded and inoculated with finished compost (like this) to get them started on their way to becoming future mulch or compost themselves? Spring will be long awaited but it’ll come fast. The Upper Midwest is another area where it can get quite cold in December. You may wish to make changes for the next gardening year that give you more of the former and less of the latter. This is a guest post written by my buddy Heather from Massachusetts. And what about those flexible fiberglass poles or other devices meant to indicate where the driveway ends and lawn begins—key markers for a successful, safe snow-plowing season? Put in cool-season veggies like peas and cabbage. Squash bugs, cabbage worms and more can be limited with extra-good cleanup, like this. Author and longtime friend Ken Druse and I explained our tactics in this story and podcast. Inspect trees and shrubs for bark damage. Those were some of the checks during the last fire drill the other day in my yard (oh–and stashing the last parsley and sage in the freezer like this); the area-by-area details follow: IT’S FEEDER SEASON, even for those of us who don’t feed in frost-free months (or can’t, because of marauding black bear, as is my issue). It’s that time of year again as we enter the winter months with snow-covered gardens that let us know that winter is here. Check out our December garden checklist and make sure you don’t miss some essential steps, maintenance routines, and opportunities to dream big about next season’s garden. Put out the welcome mat for the birds, like this, and also plan to help birds stay safe from window strikes and predation by cats (expert advice on that). https://www.greenwoodnursery.com/page.cfm/195324. . One bad apple, as the saying goes. Shelter tender plants with row covers when temperatures take a dip. We received an early snow in November. The soil here is moist, but it’s not frozen. After all is frozen, add a layer of leaf mulch to further insulate. Here’s the whole story, plus links to great sources. I’M MAD ABOUT SEED. If you live in a mountainous region, you have to be prepared for anything. Use the time to catch up on your note-taking and get some “catalog” time in. For mountainous regions, the most important of your December garden chores is to stock up on row covers to protect your plants in case of a freeze. AGAIN: I’m in the Northeast, in Zone 5B, though the how-to in this story will work most anywhere (if timed slightly differently). the brown landscape. I rolled the last subjects into their wintering spots around Thanksgiving. Cinthia Milner is the garden coach and blog writer for BB Barns Garden Center. EARLY DECEMBER is prime time to inventory leftover seeds (which should be stored in a cool, dry place). In the North, the ground will have become frozen by some point in December. To test your germination rate, here’s how. Be ready to apply row covers over your plants to protect them. Thanks for the reminders about pots shivering… I have a stack I forgot about. LISTEN OR SUBSCRIBE FREE: THE HOUSEPLANTS ARE NOTICING, and so am I: the days are longer, making us both want to get up and grow. Northern Rockies and Plains. But that does not mean gardeners in the Southeast can totally let their guards down. Winter Solstice is near….love winter…..and lights…..and vegetarian cookbooks! THE SHORTEST garden to-do list of the year, December’s, begins with the annual fire drill—one final last-minute check of whatever I had forgotten to secure.. Your email address will not be published. Cinthia Milner. My picks of garden gear, books, and mulch, mulch more, all things I use myself. thanks in advance Gina, Hi, Gina. Shameful. putting names to pesky plants, favorite asparagus recipes, with alexandra stafford (plus how to grow it), growing potatoes organically: when and how to plant, hill and harvest, Click here for info on the favorites above, https://robinhoodradioondemand.com/podcast-player/21233/ecological-landscaping-with-rebecca-mcmackin-a-way-to-garden-with-margaret-roach-april-26-2021.mp3, garden columnist for “The New York Times,”. Hello Everyone, we’re coming into the home stretch of the 2019 garden season, and this list of September garden chores to do now will finish off the season right and help set you up for next year. December Garden Chores. Hi, Aimee. Brilliant yes, but I can’t work in this. Yes, I know Dominique, and our paths crossed many times in our careers and socially, because we have common friends. Forcing bulbs and planning next years garden are the garden activities during this month, although you have to squeeze those in … read “And I Shall Have Some Peace There”, then the “The Backyard Parables”. Are you ready? Wipe a very thin layer of oil over the tools and put them away until they are needed again. If tackled early, nonchemical methods are usually successful: a simple shower, insecticidal soap spray (as directed on label) or with the most tenacious (like mealybugs) sometimes an alcohol swab and Q-tip. I don’t usually do so indoors any longer, but I like to put little white lights on several tuteurs, those tall metal frames that hold vines, that are often pyramidal like a teepee or tripod so they look like a lit-up tree. My most important rules: I buy organic seed when available, and seek out regionally appropriate varieties, too, in the hopes of best garden success, since seed is a living thing, and I want to make it feel at home here. Aimee and Pumpernickel Catloaf. I thought it would be fun this year to post Monthly Garden Chores from both the West Coast and East Coast. But even in those years when December is not mild, there is plenty to do. Sudden temperature drops do occasionally occur. For instance, be extra-vigilant cleaning up under fruit trees, as fallen fruit and foliage allowed to overwinter in place invites added troubles next season. Grow cool-season vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, kale. If you have not already, consider giving it extra protection with a ring of chicken wire. If you pair this overview of gardening tasks by zone with experience, local knowledge and good year on year note taking then you should have a pretty good annual gardening calendar! Oh, I forgot the most important December shocker . If you live outside of South Florida (USDA zones 10 and 11), especially, you still must be ready for temperature swings, in spite of the generally favorable weather. SOW, NO (unless you’re in a frost-free zone). Tagged: December garden chore list , lasagna bulbs , leave raking , gardening for the birds , december garden chores , gardening for birds , designing with houseplants , leaf mold , storing … I am loving the extended season so far! KEEP AN EYE OUT for signs of houseplant pests like spider mites, mealybugs, and scale insects. As a convenience to predict weather, Florida is divided into three areas: North Florida, Central Florida, and South Florida. Garden Chores for December Set out some holiday greenery. But moisture can also bring problems. Press Esc to cancel. This is a great time to take stock of your garden to determine which aspects of it you love most and which aspects you do not care for so much. (By the way: It’s no time soon around here, like February for some really early things.