December gardening list

Posted by Rosie

Given that the weather has taken a bit more of a wintry turn this week with temperatures dropping and a chilly north westerly wind blowing, the idea of heading out to the garden has been rather unappealing.  For that reason I need a list of December jobs to inspire me to get the jobs done.  This includes jobs that really need doing as soon as possible as well as those that help me keep organised and ready for next year's plantings.  I'll revisit this list and mark things off as I do them.  Hopefully by putting my December Gardening List in the public domain I may actually feel inspired get most of it done! 

 

General stuff

• Find my penknife- although I fear it may be buried in the compost heap (It was down the back of my in tray!)
• Check stored potatoes for any signs of blight
• Freeze parsley
• Check through seeds
• Remind farmer he said he'd bring me a trailer load of manure

Polytunnel 

• Tidy up the polytunnel - weed and generally give it a good sort out - it needs it! Started
• Manure the polytunnel beds - 3/4 done
• Put the pot of Rosemary in the polytunnel and give it a root trim
• Put the baby citrus tree in the house
• Bring the pumpkins into the house.  Last year I struggled to keep the pumpkins through the winter as they rotted in the mild, wet weather.  In previous years they have got frosted as none of our sheds are totally frost free.  So after seeing a picture on Pinterest of an attic store I decided to do the same:

Pumpkins in the attic

• Possibly sow broad beans and mange tout in polytunnel- I need to check if this is feasible now or I am better off waiting until early spring. Yes I can sow them now. And then the mice stole all the seeds
• Plant overwintering onions and garlic - it's getting a bit late for onions but as they are going in the polytunnel I figure they'll be OK - mind you this does depend on them not being all sold out! Bought after a bit of a search.
• Keep picking Oriental Greens - ongoing

 

Outside

• Harvest beetroot - it won't survive hard frosts and it's just the weather for bowl of steaming borscht.  These beetroot were harvested in October but there are a few more I need to get out of the ground soon:

Beetroot

• Keep picking kale, cabbage, parsnips, leeks, lamb's lettuce and brussels - they should all be fine outside - ongoing
• Cut back dahlias and gladioli, cover with straw mulch and hope they can survive any freezing weather we may get.  Any I have tried and store in a shed have always got frosted and died yet when I have previously left them in the ground (un-mulched) a few have survived so I am purposely not digging them up this year!
• Manure more of the empty beds and cover with landscape fabric - started
• Tie in climbing fruit, removing dead branches
• Weed through the fruit fruit patch - this year I WILL get those nettles out!
• Buy bulbs and plant them if I find any on offer!  It's getting a bit late for bulbs (with the exception of tulips but if anyone is selling some off dirt cheap I may well take my luck and throw some in). Never found any
• Start to prepare a bean trench.
• Keep weeding the strawberry patch
• Cut back over-hanging brambles - I am hoping if I tie them in a bundle Maddie the Goat may nibble at them.

This may well not be all the things I have to do this month so I'll add to it as I go along and cross things off (turn them red) when done.  Hopefully by the end of the month there will be lots of red and not much green.  We'll have to see!

Have you got December gardening jobs you need to get on with or can you think of anything I've forgotten?

For more December gardening posts Annie's How Does Your Garden Grow linky is where you need to be: