December is a planning month, plus bare-root fruit

December is the quietest month in the vegetable garden. The days are too short and the soil too cold for seed to do much, so this month is about harvesting winter crops, planting bare-root fruit and planning next year.

These timings are for a typical lowland garden in England or Wales. In Scotland and the north, the ground is often frozen by mid-December, so plant fruit as early in the month as you can.

Plant

Crop	When	Notes
Raspberry canes	Until mid-December	Cut back to 25 cm after planting
Blackberries	Until mid-December	Against a fence or wires
Blackcurrants	Until mid-December	Plant deep to encourage new shoots
Gooseberries and redcurrants	Until mid-December	On a short leg of clear stem
Blueberries	Until mid-December	In ericaceous compost or acid soil

Plant only when the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged. If it is, heel the plants into a spare corner or pot them up until it improves.

Sow

Nothing outdoors. If you’re keen, sow onion seed on a heated windowsill at the end of the month, but January is soon enough for most gardeners.

Jobs for December

• Plan next year’s beds and rotation while you can still remember what grew where.
• Order seed early, as popular varieties sell out.
• Check stored crops like potatoes, onions and squash, and remove any going soft.
• Net brassicas against pigeons, which get hungry in winter.
• Clean pots and tools, and wash the greenhouse glass to let in more light.
• Mulch empty beds with compost or manure if you haven’t already.

What to harvest

Leeks, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, kale, winter cabbage, celeriac, swede, carrots left in the ground, Jerusalem artichokes, chard, lamb’s lettuce and winter salad leaves under cover.

For the planting in more detail, see when to plant raspberry canes, and crop rotation for beginners for planning next year’s beds.