Winter Veg, Fruit, and Herbs: Your December Growing Guide

Don’t let the cold fool you—there’s still plenty of food to grow, tend, and harvest in a December garden. With a bit of planning and protection, winter veg, fruit, and hardy herbs can keep your kitchen stocked with fresh, homegrown flavor all season. Whether you’re harvesting from beds, tending overwintering crops, or growing on a windowsill, here’s how to make the most of winter in the garden.

What Winter Veg You Can Still Harvest and Grow in December

• Brassicas:
  Kale, Brussels sprouts, winter cabbage, Savoy, and sprouting broccoli all stand in the bed, ready for picking through hard frost.
• Leeks & Parsnips:
  Dig as needed and leave the rest in the ground until spring—cold improves their flavor!
• Swede, turnips, celeriac, and late carrots:
  Pull for hearty winter roasts and soups.
• Spinach & Chard:
  Hardy types keep providing baby leaves with mild protection.

Sowing/Planting Now (with Protection)

• Salad Leaves:
  Try lamb’s lettuce (corn salad), winter purslane (claytonia), land cress, or oriental leaves like mizuna under cloches, fleece, or in a cold frame.
• Broad Beans:
  Sow varieties like ‘Aquadulce Claudia’ in mild regions or under cover for the earliest spring pods.
• Microgreens:
  Radish, beet, pea shoots, cress, and mustards grow fast indoors on windowsills.

Fruit for the December Garden

• Stored Apples and Pears:
  Pick over your stored fruit weekly—remove any showing signs of spoilage.
• Cranberries:
  Harvest if you have acid soils or pots.
• Frozen/Ripening Berries:
  Use gooseberries, currants, or raspberries harvested and frozen earlier in the season for festive baking.
• Check autumn-fruiting raspberries:
  Prune back canes to ground level post-harvest.

Hardy Herbs That Shine in Winter

• Parsley, thyme, rosemary, and sage:
  Snip leaves as needed—a mulch helps them overwinter.
• Mint & chives:
  Often die back but can be dug and potted for indoor windowsills.
• Coriander, chervil, and land cress:
  Sow or pick under cover for fresh leaves in sandwiches, soups, and salads.

Essential December Growing Tips

• Use protection:
  Cold frames, cloches, and garden fleece keep beds frost-free and crops vibrant.
• Mulch beds:
  Apply a layer of leaf mold, compost, or straw to insulate soil and preserve life in the roots.
• Water if dry:
  Dry spells may require occasional watering, especially in greenhouses or under cover.
• Watch for slugs, birds, and rodents:
  Protect crops and be vigilant for winter pest activity.
• Grow on a windowsill:
  Salad trays and herb pots keep the fresh greens coming inside, no matter how frosty it gets outside.

Whether you’re harvesting the last outdoor crops, keeping hardy herbs going, or starting microgreens and salads indoors, December’s garden can be full of flavor—even in the darkest days of winter.