In The Vegetable Garden This December

Here are the most useful, practical tasks for the vegetable garden in December, when growth is slow but good preparation makes a big difference for next year’s crops:

🥕 Top Tips for the Vegetable Garden in December

🌱 1. Protect Winter Crops 

• Use cloches, fleece, or cold frames over winter salads, chard, spinach, and young brassicas. 
• Check coverings regularly to stop mould and allow ventilation on mild days. 

🥬 2. Harvest Hardy Vegetables 

Many winter crops are at their best now: 

• Leeks, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, kale, savoy cabbage, perpetual spinach, winter lettuces
• Parsnips become sweeter after frost — perfect for holiday roasts. 

❄️ 3. Check Stored Vegetables 

• Inspect potatoes, onions, shallots, squash for rot or soft spots. 
• Remove any bad ones to stop it spreading. 
• Store in a cool, dark, frost-free place with air circulation. 

🪵 4. Improve Soil for Next Year 

December is ideal for conditioning beds: 

• Spread well-rotted manure, compost, or leaf mould.
• For heavy clay soils, winter frosts help break it down after you’ve added organic matter. 
• If using manure, leave on the surface; worms will pull it down. 

🌾 5. Sow Something 

A few things can be started now: 

• Broad beans (‘Aquadulce Claudia’ is a classic winter-hardy choice). 
• Garlic (late autumn–early winter is perfect if the ground isn’t frozen). 
• Winter-hardy peas like ‘Meteor’ in milder areas, under cloches. 

🛠 6. Clean and Repair Tools & Structures 

• Clean and sharpen secateurs and hoes. 
• Wash pots and seed trays. 
• Mend raised beds, replace broken canes, clean greenhouse glass. 

🌬 7. Ventilate Polytunnels & Greenhouses 

• Condensation builds up in winter and encourages mildew. 
• Open vents on mild days and cut off any diseased leaves on winter crops. 

🐌 8. Keep Pests Under Control 

• Slugs and snails still forage on mild nights. 
• Use beer traps, nematodes (if temperatures are high enough), or remove hiding places like old boards. 

🍄 9. Grow Mushrooms Indoors 

• Mushroom kits (oyster, shiitake, chestnut) do well in winter when garden activity is low. 
• Great way to get fresh produce without outdoor work. 

🪵 10. Cover Empty Beds 

• Use black plastic, cardboard, or green manures (like field beans) if the soil isn’t too cold. 
• Prevents nutrients leaching away and suppresses weeds.