December in the vegetable garden

Published on 14/10/2025

Reading time:2 minutes

December marks a real slowdown in the vegetable garden: days are short, cold and humidity dominate, and frost can limit outdoor work. However, the garden does not completely stop — it’s still time to harvest, protect crops, maintain the soil and prepare for the next growing season.

🌱 Possible sowings (under cover only)

No sowing is done outdoors in December. Under a cold greenhouse, cold frame or well-protected mini greenhouse, a few options remain:

  • Lamb’s lettuce and garden cress.

  • A small amount of winter spinach.

  • A few early broad beans or peas, on a small scale, to get a head start on spring harvests.

🌱 Planting

December is not a major planting month, but as long as the soil is not frozen or waterlogged, you can still plant:

  • Garlic (hardy autumn varieties).

  • White onions and shallots in well-drained beds or preferably on raised ridges.

🥒 Possible harvests

Even in December, the vegetable garden can still provide:

  • Leeks, Brussels sprouts, kale.

  • Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, winter carrots.

  • Lamb’s lettuce and hardy salads under cover or in a greenhouse.

🍂 Maintenance and protection

December is mainly about care and protection:

  • Protect sensitive crops with mulch, fleece, cloches or tunnels.

  • Monitor humidity and ventilate greenhouses on sunny days to prevent disease.

  • Spread mature compost on cleared beds.

  • Store harvests in a dry, cool and well-ventilated place (potatoes, squashes, apples…).

🍂 Preparing for the next season

December is also the perfect time to plan ahead:

  • Crop rotation planning to maintain soil fertility and reduce disease.

  • Seed selection: start choosing your open-pollinated varieties for spring.

  • Orders: prepare your seed orders so you’re ready when the sowing season begins.

✅ In summary

In December, the vegetable garden slows down but remains active:

  • A few sowings are still possible under cover.

  • Garlic and onions can still be planted if soil conditions allow.

  • Harvest winter vegetables and root crops.

  • Protect and maintain soil and crops.

  • Plan and prepare for the next growing season.