Zone 10 - What to Plant in December

Zone 10 - What to Plant in December

Zone 10 gardeners should be planting their gardens in December. With no risk of frost but the dog days of summer behind us, this is the perfect time to plant. See the vegetables below that are perfect for planting now.

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!

Mortgage Lifter tomatoes are a legendary heirloom variety with a rich history and exceptional qualities. Originating from the 1930s, this tomato was famously developed by M.C. "Radiator Charlie" Byles, a farmer who sold the plants to pay off his mortgage, hence the name. These large, beefsteak-style tomatoes are known for their deep pink to reddish color and meaty texture, with fruits often reaching up to a pound or more. The flavor is renowned for its sweet, rich taste with a balanced acidity, making it ideal for slicing, sandwiches, and sauces. Mortgage Lifter tomatoes typically take about 80 to 85 days to mature and feature an indeterminate growth habit, meaning they continue to produce fruit throughout the growing season. The plants are vigorous and sprawling, requiring staking or caging to support the heavy, abundant fruit. Their historical significance, combined with their impressive size, flavor, and productivity, makes Mortgage Lifter tomatoes a prized addition to any garden.

The Sweet Banana is a delightfully tangy and colorful sweet pepper. This elongated, thick-walled pepper turns scarlet when fully ripe, but will stay sweet and mild. This pepper variety is a longtime favorite for its sweet flavor that is exquisitely pungent when pickled. Sweet Banana's prolific plant produces high yields.

The Sun Gold is a very sweet, tangerine-orange cherry tomato. Once you try this sugary treat, you will want to grow it for years and years! This variety produces beautiful little tomatoes early, often and throughout the entire season. The Sun Gold is the best tasting cherry tomato around that is great for home gardens.

Chile de Arbol peppers are a distinctive variety renowned for their fiery heat and striking appearance. These small, slender peppers typically mature to a vibrant red color, although they can also be harvested green. Known for their sharp, intense heat with a slightly smoky undertone, Chile de Arbol peppers are a popular choice for adding a bold kick to sauces, salsas, and dishes. They generally take about 80 to 90 days to reach full maturity, and the plants are characterized by their upright growth habit, producing an abundance of peppers on relatively compact bushes. The plants are quite resilient, thriving in warm, sunny conditions and well-drained soil. Their vibrant color and potent flavor make them a standout addition to any garden or culinary repertoire, providing both visual appeal and a significant heat boost.

Blue Vantage produces dense and large heads with short cores. A mid-season maturity that is ideal for fresh eating or coleslaw. Great resistance to Fusarium yellows race 1 resistant and tipburn tolerant.

The Time Bomb Pepper is a slightly hot pepper with an excellent flavor! This pepper is a dark-green to bright-red hot cherry pepper for pickling. Its fruits are globular to pointy and measure 4 cm x 4 cm. The Time Bomb Pepper has a slightly less pungent flavor than the Cherry Bomb.

The White Flat Boer Ford is a true white pumpkin that is perfect for autumn displays! This variety grows to be 3 to 5 inches high and spreads 8 to 12 inches wide. This flat pumpkin can weigh between 10 to 15 pounds! The White Flat Boer Ford has deep ribs that makes for an appealing autumn display, but it also has a delicious eating quality for its aromatic, succulent, and sugary flesh.

Green Magic is a great summer and fall broccoli that is consistent performer. This broccoli matures mid-early and has wide adaptability to gardening zones. It has a semi-domed, tight head with medium-small bead size and a good plant habit.

The Super Chili is an AAS Pepper Variety Winner! A real super chili pepper, bred for compact, 15" inch plants cover with fruits. These hot peppers can reach upwards of 37,500 Scovilles. Great for spicy cuisine like Thai or Asian dishes.

The Chocolate Bell Pepper is a Chocolate colored bell pepper with a very sweet flavor. This early maturing bell pepper turns dark brown on the outside and a deep red on the inside when fully ripened. This Bell Pepper is beautiful raw in salads and roasted in other dishes. The Chocolate Bell is the perfect bell pepper for gardeners with short seasons.

The Green Sprouting Calabrese produces large dark green heads bursting with flavor. This broccoli with is a favorite, that now is available as organic seed! Good in short season areas with cool nights. It will produce many lateral or side shoots over a long season. It is slow bolting with a flavor that can't be beat.

The Autumn Buckskin F1 Pumpkin is a buff colored dickenson hybrid that was selected especially for both baking and decorative purposes. This slightly flattened, hardy pumpkin is 8 x 13 inches big weighing at 12-15 pounds! This plant has large vines to produce up to 5 pumpkins per plant.

The Cubanelle Pepper is a great frying pepper. This 3 lobed pepper is tapered with a blunt end. Its slightly irregular and roughened, medium-thick waxy flesh matures from yellow-green to red, and it has a crispy distinct flavor.

Large tomatoes the ripen extra early! Early Girl is a large, extra-early tomatoes grow on a true bush. The Early Girl fruits have great flavor, extra red fruits that ripen early in the season. Amazingly compact and self-supporting, yet productive.

Late Flat Dutch cabbage seeds produce one of the oldest and most reliable heirloom cabbage varieties, first introduced to American gardens in the mid-1800s and prized for its large, flat, broad heads. This late-season type matures slowly, typically in 100–110 days, forming dense, firm heads that can weigh 10–15 pounds, making it excellent for gardeners seeking high yields and long storage. Its flavor is mild, sweet, and crisp, improving after light frost exposure, which enhances its natural sugars. Historically valued for sauerkraut production, it remains a top choice for fermentation, coleslaw, boiling, and traditional cooking, while its long shelf life makes it a staple for winter kitchens and homestead food preservation.

Great field cabbage performance. A rugged hybrid that produces well in Southern winters and Northern summers. Produces large, blue-green heads with cream colored inside. Uniform cabbage that works great for markets.

Striking and unforgettable, these chocolate-brown, lantern-shaped peppers grow to about 2" long and are highly ornamental—but don’t be fooled by the color. Behind the rich, glossy exterior is serious heat, packing up to 300,000 Scoville units. A favorite among hot pepper lovers, Chocolate Habaneros deliver an intense burn with deep, fruity, smoky flavor and a subtle earthy sweetness. The compact plants produce well and are perfect for hot sauces, salsas, and bold spicy dishes. Similar in flavor and fire to Chocolate Scotch Bonnet, this variety is powerful—use with care and enjoy in moderation.