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 Graffiti cauliflower has a fun purple head with a great flavor! Graffiti produces a true deep purple head. This variety is a large cauliflower plant with dark green leaves and it produces best in the fall. It can also be planted in early spring. The Graffiti is very fun to watch grow and eat!

Storage #4 is a great producer of dark green color cabbage that have excellent storage life. This versatile variety also works great in the late fall for fresh market, especially in muddy and rainy conditions. Due to its earliness when used for storage, we recommend later season plantings for best storage results.

The Indigo Clackamas Blueberry Tomato has an amazing juicy, sweet flavor and resembles a large blueberry! This salad-size tomato has a dark red to dark blue flesh, making it a perfect pop of color to any summer salad! The Indigo Clackamas Blueberry is very productive, making it the perfect variety to add to any home garden.

An All American Selection Pepper, need we say more! The Gypsy pepper is a yellow to orange hot pepper. Grows to about 2x4" in size. Excellent when used in salads, frying, or stews.

The Yellow of Paris Pumpkin is a large yellow to peach colored pumpkin that is an old French native that is still popular today. These large, flattened round beauties are very similar to Cinderella pumpkins and can weigh up to 50 pounds! This variety is mainly used for making pies, soup or baked. The Yellow of Paris is known for its delicious, tender flavor when cooked.

Purple Sun produces Uniform roots with smooth shoulders. Dark purple carrots that grow up to 10" in length. A great production carrot for fields, bunching and mechanical harvest.

The White Albino beet plants produce good yields of very sweet white beets. The beets are white and will never stain again! This gourmet beet is ideal for boiling, pickling, baking, and freezing.

The Cincinnati Market Radish is a uniquely skinny and elongated pink to red radish that is a fresh-from-the-garden-favorite! This six inch variety has a delicately mild taste with a very tender and crisp texture, making it perfect for fresh eating. The early maturing radish has been an heirloom garden favorite since 1885. You can enjoy the delicious Cincinnati Market from spring to fall.

The Early Doll Tomato is a bright red, juicy tomato that is an improvement of the Quick Pick, making it a good slicing variety. This variety is a great tomato to grow in Northern areas where the season is short, however this tomato plant is also great for Southern locations where you can harvest the crop before insects and disease start to take over.

The Hailstone Radish is a round white radish with a very crisp flesh that is a nice color contrast on relish trays and in salads. This quick growing radish is suitable to both spring and fall planting. Begin harvesting this radish variety when its nearly an inch across.

The Early Scarlet Globe is an early forcing radish that is perfect for home and market growers! This variety is a great bunching radish that produces 1" globes with bright red skin and a white flesh. The Early Scarlet Globe is great for both spring and fall planting!

The Purple Petite Bell Pepper is a mini bell pepper variety with a flavor explosion! This sweet mini bell pepper is high yielding and will ripen to a rich purple when mature. This pepper plant produces 2-3 ounce pepper that are perfect for a snack sized pepper. This little purple pepper is excellent for market selling or fresh eating in salads!

Black Brandywine tomatoes are a unique and highly regarded heirloom variety known for their exceptional flavor and distinctive characteristics. With a rich history dating back to the 19th century, these tomatoes have earned a special place in the hearts of gardeners and tomato enthusiasts alike. The story of Black Brandywine begins with the original Brandywine tomato, which was developed in the late 1800s in the Brandywine Valley of Pennsylvania. Over time, a natural mutation led to the development of the black variant, which retained the outstanding flavor of the original while introducing a striking, dark coloration. The fruit of the Black Brandywine tomato is large and typically reaches sizes of 8 to 16 ounces (227 to 454 grams) or even larger under optimal conditions. Its shape is somewhat irregular, often with a beefsteak-like appearance, characterized by deep ridges and an uneven, slightly flattened globe shape. The skin of Black Brandywine tomatoes is a dark purplish-black or maroon color, adding to their visual appeal. The plants of Black Brandywine tomatoes are indeterminate, which means they continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the growing season. They can reach heights of 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 2.1 meters) or more, so proper support is essential. These tomatoes thrive in warm and sunny climates, requiring full sun and well-drained soil. Adequate moisture and regular pruning are crucial to manage their vigorous growth and ensure good air circulation. Black Brandywine tomatoes are a favorite among gardeners who appreciate their rich, complex flavor, making them a must-grow variety for anyone looking to savor the taste of history in their garden.

The Scarlet Kale is a heavily curled variety with sturdy green to red-purple leaves that will become more vibrant as the weather gets colder. This kale will not only add a beautiful pop of color to the garden, but also in salads or other dishes. Scarlet is known not only for its beauty, but also its delicious taste that can be enjoyed throughout the season.

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.

The Bullnose Pepper is an early American pepper variety that was grown by Thomas Jefferson in the mid-to-late 1800s and is gaining popularity again. This variety is one of the first medium-large "bell"-type peppers, although this strain may be larger than the strain that was grown by Mr. Jefferson. Bullnose is a delicious good-sized pepper that is great for fresh eating in salads or for cooking!

China Express is a chinese cabbage that is a widely-adapted and can be grown throughout. This is a very uniform cabbage with tightly wrapped heads. Medium-sized that are fast maturing.

The Pink Beauty Radish is named after its beautiful, uniformed light pink exterior that is crisp and jam packed full of flavor. This round beauty has a bright white flesh that is crunchy and with the perfect radish taste. This quick-growing variety is a great addition to any garden! The Pink Beauty will add a nice pop of color to any garden or dish.