UK growing guide · Winter
What can I plant in December?
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December is the quietest sowing month in the UK, and that is a relief. Vegetables to plant in December are garlic and bare-root fruit if the ground is open, plus broad beans in pots if you missed November. The real harvest is Brussels sprouts, leeks and kale.
I use the dark afternoons for a plan, not a guilt list. Where the potatoes grew, what the slugs ate, which bed is tired. That note is worth more than a tray of seed sown into a frozen pot.
What to sow in December
Vegetables to plant in December in the UK, split between sowing under cover and sowing outside.
Indoors or under cover
Only sow if you missed November or you want something green on the windowsill. Onions from seed can wait until January unless you already have heat and a bright light.
- Broad beans — in pots under cover, if November's sowing didn't happen
Garlic — in modules, to plant out when the soil dries
Peas — pea shoots on a windowsill, for the kitchen rather than the plot
Lettuce — only in a greenhouse or on a very bright sill
Outdoors
Outdoor sowing is limited to a mild spell on ground that still drains. Much of the UK is too wet or too frozen. There is no shame in sowing nothing outside.
- Garlic — cloves, only in free-draining soil during a mild spell
- Broad beans — mild south and west only; elsewhere use pots
What to plant out in December
Plant dormant fruit and garlic. Don't plant into frozen ground or a hole full of water. If a bare-root tree arrives during a freeze, keep the roots moist and wrapped in an unheated shed until the soil gives.
- Garlic — last call for a decent bulb
- Bare-root fruit trees and bushes — dormant, on a mild day
- Rhubarb crowns — if the soil is workable; you can also cover an established crown to force an early pull
What to harvest in December
Pick for the table and leave a stem of sprouts rather than stripping the lot. Parsnips and leeks are happy in the ground. Stored fruit and squash need a look.
Brussels sprouts — pick from the bottom upwards- Leeks
Kale — leaves, not the growing tip, if you want it to keep going- Parsnips
- Swede
- Winter cabbage
- Stored apples, squash and onions
December jobs on the plot
Planning, cleaning and a bit of pruning. Leave the soil alone when it is frozen or sodden.
Plan the rotation
Sketch the beds. Don't follow potatoes with tomatoes, or onions with garlic. Note it somewhere you will find in March. A diary helps.
Order seed potatoes and seeds
Popular early potatoes sell out. You don't need to chit them until the new year.
Clean the greenhouse and the pots
Wash algae off the glass so January light can get in. Empty old compost. It harbours pests.
Prune apples and pears on a mild day
Not in a hard frost, and not stone fruit. Plums and cherries wait until summer.
Force a rhubarb crown
Cover an established crown with a bucket or a forcing pot if you want pale early stems. Don't force the same crown every year.
Frost and where you garden
North and south in December
December is a frost month almost everywhere in the UK. The mildest coastal west still gets freezes. Inland and northern gardens, and anywhere high, can have the ground frozen for days. Don't dig it, and don't water dormant pots out of habit.
Further north, and high ground
In northern gardens, assume outdoor planting will be patchy. Keep bare-root plants heeled into a bucket of compost in a shed if the soil is frozen when they arrive. Broad beans belong in pots. Garlic can wait until a milder January day if this month doesn't give you one.
The south and sheltered coasts
The south and south-west get more open days. Use them for garlic and fruit trees, then leave the beds alone. A wet December on clay is a reason to stay on the path, even if the air temperature is gentle.
Easy mistakes in December
December mistakes are mostly fussing: sowing because the packet is in your hand, or pruning because the secateurs are.
Sowing onions into a dark room
They want January or February, with light. A December sowing on a gloomy sill becomes a weak thread.
Pruning plums and cherries
Winter cuts invite silver leaf. Apples and pears only.
Forcing the same rhubarb crown every winter
Forcing tires the plant. Skip a year, and don't harvest a new crown hard.
Ignoring wind rock
Check ties on fruit trees and stakes on Brussels sprouts after a gale. A rocking stem snaps its new roots.
Keep December on the dashboard
Sproutly is a web garden diary for UK fruit and veg growers. Add the plants and the jobs, then see what's due on your dashboard.
Record your sowings
Note what you sowed in December, and which bed it went in.
Plan the month's jobs
Add planting, covering and picking as tasks with a due date.
See what's due
Your dashboard shows what's due and what's overdue. Sproutly does not email you or send a push to your phone.
Sketch the beds
Use the garden planner to try a layout before you plant it for real.
Ready to plan your December garden?
Add this month's plants and jobs to your diary. Basic is free for up to 3 plants and 3 tasks. Pro is £5 a month if you want more, including recurring tasks.
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Gardening advice is provided as a general guide based on typical UK conditions. Weather soil and local climate can vary so always use your judgement and adjust timing as needed for your own garden.