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 Mariachi Pepper is a 2006 All American Selection winner! This colorful pepper has just a bit of mildly hot heat. The compact 18-24" plants yield loads of 4", coned shaped peppers that change brilliantly from creamy yellow to bright red all summer. Avg. 4,690 seeds/oz. Packet: 10 seeds.

A green beauty in any vegetable garden. Ripens with a green exterior and interior that is sweet and tart! One of our favorite tasting green tomato varieties. Will mature to between 8-12 ounces and when mature with have a yellowish tint on the bottom of the fruits.

Spring Raab is a sweet baby broccoli! Every part of the erect vigorous plant can be used for cooking, as it has a delicate delicious flavor. The Spring Raab adds texture and fine flavor to cooking. This baby broccoli is high in vitamin C,  A, Calcium, Iron making it the perfect healthy choice! Organic seed available.

The Rondo Pea is a wrinkle-seeded variety that produces great yields of long, uniform pods that contain around 10 little plump peas per pod. This stocky, dark green pea is hardy and shows good resistance to Fusarium Wilt. This favorite has a delicious sweet flavor that can't be beat! The Rondo is perfect for freezing for soups and stews but is also amazing when eaten freshly picked!

The All American Selection Collection is a mix of our favorite AAS winning tomatoes. These tomatoes have been selected from multiple judges to be the best all around tomatoes. They have been selected by taste, vigor, growth habits, disease resistance, shape, firmness, color, and so much more. Golden Jubilee - Meaty, thick, golden-orange walls that have an excellent mild flavor. Large Red Cherry - Large, cherry type tomato, produce in grape-like clusters on long, vigorous vines. Celebrity - Great disease resistant tomato. As close to perfect as you can get. Chef's Choice Orange - The name says it all. This neon orange tomato has a juicy wonderful flavor. Big Beefy - For over 19 years, this tomato has remained a garden favorite.

A deep burgundy flesh with rich flavor! Black Truffel is rich in both sugars and acid, which helps create a sweet, strong, complex flavor that is hard to beat. The 6-8 oz. pear-shaped fruits are just large enough for slicing into salads. Once you try the Black Truffel you will grow it for years in your garden!

The Sweetie Tomato is a prolific variety that produces an abundance of super sweet, small cherry-sized tomatoes, perfect for patio containers. This cherry tomato variety is one of the sweetest cherries around, as it boasts 12-14% sugar content and can be used for making juice or preserves without adding any extra sugar. This tomato grows exceptionally well in the home garden and will continuously produce until the first frost in fall. Sweetie produces .5-1" inch fruits in clusters of 15-20.

The Moneymaker Tomato is a terrific, high yielding heirloom that produces delicious, bright red and smooth fruits that are perfect for fresh eating. This variety's vine can grow to 5-6' and produce very heavy yields of 4-6 ounce fruits. This tasty heirloom tomato does well in hot humid climates and greenhouse growing. The Moneymaker originates from England and produces vigorous vines that should be staked for best results.

The Mammoth Gold Pumpkin is a smooth, molted pink golden-orange, faintly ribbed and irregular shaped pumpkin. This variety grows to have an 18-24" diameter and weighs in usually between 40-60 lbs. but can get to be over 100 lbs.! The Mammoth Gold's thick pale yellow-orange flesh is edible but coarse, and can be used for pies as well as novelty.

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!

The Azoychka Tomato is a highly productive Russian heirloom that produces good yields of smooth, sweet and citrusy tomatoes. This variety is an indeterminate, open-pollinated tomato plant that produces tomatoes that weigh 10-16 oz. each. The Azoychkas are slightly oblate with a yellow-orange flesh and a higher than normal acidic balance than most other yellow tomatoes, that gives off delicious flavors unlike any other yellow tomato. This tomato variety does well throughout the United States in both hot and cool locations.

The Dwarf Siberian Kale leaves are perfect as a garnish and in hearty winter dishes. This frilly green and purple kale dances in the crisp early morning cold and thrive. Why? Because its roots are from Russia!

The Copia Tomato is a yellow and red striped beefsteak variety that is a cross between the Green Zebra and Marvel Striped. This sweet and juicy tomato is perfect for slicing and adding to salads and sandwiches for a sweet and tangy kick! This beefsteak can weigh 10-12 ounces each.

The Aunt Ruby German Green Tomato is an old time heirloom favorite for the garden that has an unmatchable juicy and spicy flavor! This giant, green beefsteak grows to be 4-5" and weighs over 1 lb.

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 size of the First Prize Pumpkin will range from 50 lbs. to a whopping 150 lbs. with a bright color superior to the Atlantic types. Truly a first prize, this pumpkin variety will be a great addition for those who want the biggest and best. The First Prize matures in 120 days from planting on vigorous vines. This pumpkin is compared to Prizewinner F1.

The Yellow Monster Pepper is a very versatile sweet pepper that is named after its sunny color and giant size of 8 inches! This bright yellow pepper is excellent for fresh eating, frying, roasting and stuffing. The Yellow Monster has a meaty texture that will add flavor and substance to any dish. As this variety ripens from a green to its famous yellow hue, its sweet flavor intensifies.

The Oxheart Carrot is a small variety weighing just only 1 pound and is named for its unique short shape resembling a heart. This carrot might be tiny, but its crisp, sweet flavor is mighty making it the perfect juicing carrot! This variety is very adaptable and thrives in either heavy or shallow soils. Oxheart will store very well and can be frozen to add to soups and strews!