Zone 9 - What to Plant in December

Zone 9 - What to Plant in December

Now is when the main planting is happening in zone 9. The hot and humid days of summer are behind us and we can start growing the garden. With a last frost date in early February you should start growing your tomatoes, peppers and other plants indoors so they are ready to transplant in February.

The Premier Kale, or also known as Early Hanover, is a high yielding kale with delicious and nutritious green leaves. This kale is early maturing that produces high amounts of smooth, dark green leaves. Plant Premier in the fall so that it produces higher yields and resists bolting 4 weeks longer. This kale's taste is a favorite and is extremely high in antioxidants and beta carotene!

The Vintage Wine Tomato is a favorite tomato among gourmet gardeners! This is a wonderful tomato plant to add to your garden as it grows large tomatoes that can reach 1.5 lbs. This variety produces big pink colored tomatoes with golden stripes that have a great tender, sweet and mild flavor. The Vintage Wine plant has potato leave foliage.

Park’s Whopper CR Improved tomato seeds produce a classic, time-tested hybrid that has been a staple in American gardens for decades. Introduced by Park Seed and bred for dependable performance, this indeterminate beefsteak-type tomato is known for its large, smooth, globe-shaped fruits that often reach 12-14 ounces or more. Plants are vigorous and productive, showing good resistance to common tomato diseases and adapting well to a range of growing conditions. Park’s Whopper typically reaches maturity in about 65 days from transplant, providing a steady midseason harvest. The bright red tomatoes have meaty flesh, few seeds, and a juicy texture, delivering a rich, old-fashioned tomato flavor with a satisfying balance of sweetness and acidity that makes it ideal for slicing and fresh eating. This Improved CR tomato has been the standard for taste, size and production for many years. This improved Parks Whopper offers an earlier (5 days) harvest and a more diseases resistant tomato.

The Cinderella is an excellent pumpkin for canning or baking pies and pumpkin bread as it has a great eating quality! This pumpkin variety is an heirloom variety from France that was selected out of the older variety, Rouge vif d'Etampes. Cinderella has deep ridges and exceptional flatening, making it a beautiful decoration for Halloween and other other fall festivities. This variety's vines are very productive with pumpkins that have grooved, thick walls.

Musk Strawberry (Fragaria moschata), also known as Hautbois strawberry, is an old European heirloom dating back to the Renaissance, prized for its intense, musky-sweet flavor and rich aroma. The small to medium-sized berries are soft, juicy, and deep red when fully ripe, with a complex taste often described as a mix between strawberry, raspberry, and tropical fruit. Plants grow 8–12 inches tall with spreading runners and thrive in full sun to partial shade in fertile, well-drained soil. Sow seeds indoors in late winter, lightly pressing them into the surface, and transplant outdoors after frost; consistent moisture and mulching help maintain fruit quality. Taking about 150–180 days to mature from sowing, Musk Strawberries are ideal for fresh eating, gourmet desserts, preserves, and adding an old-world delicacy to the garden.

The Fancy Nantes carrot gets its name for its very smooth skin and fancy cylindrical shape. These carrots can grow up to 8" long with a very sweet and crisp flesh. For smaller, "fancier" look and great flavor try harvesting at 45-50 days when 4" long! They can store for months and also do great being left in the ground over winter.

The Lutz Green Leaf Red Stem Beet has a beautiful deep red hue and a mouth watering taste that pairs perfectly with any dish. This variety is known for having huge glossy, deep green tops that are amazingly delicious! This beet is a "winterkeeper" beet that has a long standing storage capability. The Lutz Green Leaf Red Stem has 6 inches in diameter roots.

Organic - The Cayenne Long Thin Pepper is a traditional medium heat cayenne pepper with a great flavor! This variety is a long and thin pepper that produces unbelievably high yields. These peppers will mature red and are wrinkled with a mixture of straight and curly fruits. Cayenne Long Thin is excellent for drying, pickling and fresh eating to spice up your chili or salsa. This pepper plant is bushy and reaches 26" tall. Conventional seed available.

Dill's Atlantic Giant pumpkin seeds are famous for producing the world’s largest pumpkins, a variety developed by Nova Scotia grower Howard Dill in the 1970s and later patented due to its remarkable size potential. Bred from a long line of giant pumpkins, this variety has set countless world records, with some specimens weighing well over a ton. The plants are vigorous and sprawling, requiring ample space, rich soil, and consistent watering to support the rapid growth of their enormous fruit. These pumpkins typically range from 200–400 pounds in a home garden, though competitive growers often push them far beyond that with careful cultivation and special techniques. While the flesh is edible and can be used in pies, soups, or livestock feed, Dill’s Atlantic Giant pumpkins are most often grown for show, competitions, and fall displays. Their massive size, combined with their bright orange color and smooth rind, makes them an impressive centerpiece for fairs, festivals, and giant pumpkin weigh-offs worldwide.

Green Arrow peas are a classic heirloom variety valued for their exceptional taste and reliable performance. Originating from the United Kingdom, this variety has been a staple in gardens for many decades. The Green Arrow pea plant is known for its vigorous, upright growth habit, typically reaching heights of 2 to 3 feet, making it suitable for small to medium-sized gardens and easy to manage without extensive support. The peas themselves are distinguished by their smooth, bright green pods and plump, tender peas that offer a sweet, fresh flavor. These peas are primarily used for fresh eating, though they are also excellent for freezing. They are generally harvested when the pods are fully formed but still tender, usually in late spring to early summer. The Green Arrow variety is appreciated for its high yield and disease resistance, which contribute to a bountiful harvest. With its sweet flavor, productive growth, and ease of cultivation, Green Arrow peas remain a popular choice among gardeners seeking a dependable and delicious pea variety.

The Tokyo Long Bunching Onion is a tender bunching type, loved by many chefs! This long variety grows an upright single stalk with dark green leaves little, white crisp bulbs. This tender and tasty onion is also heat tolerant.

The Lemon Drop is an excellent seasoning pepper from Peru with some heat! When mature it will ripen to be a bright yellow that occasionally turns a purple blush depending on maturity. The Lemon Drop's crisp and clean, uncomplicated flavor is hot with some citrus notes. Its Scovilles top out at 35,000 units.

Shishito peppers are a popular menu item that appear in many Asian dishes. These plants produce a large amount of peppers over a growing season. The plants are compact, bushy plants that produce 4" wrinkled peppers that turn red when overly mature. When eaten in the early stages of maturity the fruits are green and offer a crunchy bite. A mild to moderately hot pepper that also has a sweet and tangy flavor. Perfect for frying.

The German Giant Tomato is a giant potato leaf heirloom type of tomato with a rich, sweet flavor! This variety is a deep pink hue that grows to be 30+ ounces. The German Giant tomato is favored for being very juicy.

The Yolo Wonder Pepper is a great new and improved tasty pepper for home gardens. This variety is a top quality very well shaped pepper with thicker walls and a very blocky shape with 4 lobes. The Yolo Wonder Pepper will give great high yields!

The Cinderella is an excellent pumpkin for canning or baking pies and pumpkin bread as it has a great eating quality! This pumpkin variety is an heirloom variety from France that was selected out of the older variety, Rouge vif d'Etampes. Cinderella has deep ridges and exceptional flatening, making it a beautiful decoration for Halloween and other other fall festivities. This variety's vines are very productive with pumpkins that have grooved, thick walls.

This Guinness World Record holding tomato plant set a record for yielding over 340lbs of fruit. This plant will produce an abundance of bright red, 10+oz. (455-g) fruits perfect for slicing, canning and making into sauces. First introduced by plant breeder John Peto as a hybrid between the Teddy Jones heirloom tomato and an unknown red variety. Their flavor is well-balanced, combining sweetness with a hint of acidity, making them perfect for fresh eating, salads, and sauces. These indeterminate plants continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the season, often reaching heights of 4-6 feet, necessitating staking or cage support. They thrive in warm climates and require full sun, ideally being planted after the last frost. With a growing period of about 70-75 days to maturity, Better Boy tomatoes are usually ready for harvesting from mid-summer through fall. Their robust nature and disease resistance make them a favorite for gardeners seeking a reliable and delicious crop.

The Alma Paprika Pepper is a great pepper for drying and grinding into paprika! This highly productive cherry pepper that ripens from cream white to orange and then to red. This pepper variety has thick walls with a mild flavor. The Alma Paprika grows well anywhere throughout the United States.