Planning December Seed Orders for Next Season

December is the perfect time to dream, research, and plan your seed orders for the coming year. Shop now and you’ll beat the rush, snap up rare or popular varieties, replenish essentials, and set yourself up for the most organized—and inspiring—growing season yet. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making your December seed planning easy, thorough, and fun.

1. Reflect on Your Year

• Review garden journals, sowing logs, and photos.
• What crops flourished—and which didn’t thrive?
• Which varieties were tastiest, most productive, most reliable or beautiful?
• Did you have gluts or gaps? Write down favorites and flops.

2. Make Your Seed Wish List

• Split into “must-haves” and “new to try.”
• Include favorite vegetables, herbs, cut flowers, pollinator plants, and green manures.
• Highlight disease-resistant, drought-resistant, or early/late cropping breeds if last year’s weather was challenging.

3. Plan Your Crop Rotation and Succession

• Sketch your plot for next year: what goes where?
• Avoid planting the same family (brassicas, roots, alliums, etc.) in the same spot two years running.
• Pencil in spaces for succession sowing for a steady supply.

4. Inventory Existing Seeds

• Gather saved and leftover packets—sort by type and check expiration dates.
• Write up a simple inventory so you don’t double-order or forget about viable old stock.
• Discard water-damaged, moldy, or out-of-date seeds.

5. Browse Catalogues and Shop Early

• Order rare and favorite varieties as early as possible—December means the best selection!
• Consider organic, untreated, or heritage seeds if you want sustainable or unusual crops.
• Look for “early bird” discounts or bonus offers.

6. Set Up Storage

• Store new seeds cool and dry in tins, boxes, or envelopes—group by sowing month or crop type, and clearly label everything.
• Log sowing times and special instructions for tricky seeds.

7. Share and Swap Seeds

• Plan to swap and split seed packs with friends, family, or garden clubs for more variety and savings.
• Save some seeds for local seed swaps or sharing in community gardening projects.

8. Dream and Doodle

• Use December’s downtime for garden research: watch videos, read blogs, sketch border or container layouts.
• Let yourself imagine new colors, flavors, and planting themes!

Ordering seeds in December gives you hope, excitement, and practical advantage—while freezing rain taps the windows, your growing season has already begun.