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.

King Richard is a newer leek variety that grows well throughout the United States. This leek variety is a summer type, non-bulbing leek that grows to 12" in length. King Richard has green leaves with white inside. This leek is a very early maturer and is not sufficient for overwinter growing.

The 7 Pot Douglah is one of the hottest and rarest of the 7 pod strains available! This pepper variety is characterized by a dark brown flesh that has wrinkles all over the surface. 7 Pot Douglah starts out green and matures to the dark brown. When you slice a fresh Douglah open, you will immediately see pools of liquid capsaicin oils that give this chili so much heat and has an excellent flavor fresh or as a powder! Use with caution, extremely hot!

The super-hot Dragon's Breath pepper might be tiny, but it is out of this world! Ranking 2.48 million Scoville heat units, this 1/2 inch pepper is the second world's hottest pepper after Pepper X! The Dragon's Breath 7-24 times hotter than a habanero and 2-3 times hotter than the spicy ghost pepper. These small crazy hot peppers mature to a fiery red color matching its flavor!

Napoli is a very early Nantes type carrot! This carrot has a bright orange color with a length of 7-8 inches. Napoli's roots are slightly tapered and have an excellent sweet flavor. This carrot is also fantastic as an early bunching carrot. It can be over-wintered or grown in high tunnels for a spring harvest.

The Orange Banana Tomato is one of our favorite paste tomato varieties for home and market growers to dry, can and make pastes. This tomato variety is an orange colored, banana-shaped paste tomatoes that have a wonderful fruity sweetness. The Orange Banana Tomato is delicious and fresh, making it great for specialty markets.

The Rio Grande Tomato produces a huge harvest of popular pear shaped, paste type of tomatoes that will thrive in hot climates! This tomato variety produces large, deep red 4 inch long blocky tomatoes that are favored for its versatility. The Rio Grande is a great tomato for sauce or juice.

The Dixie Red Tomato is a delicious hybrid that consistently produces high yields of vibrant red tomatoes with excellent disease resistance. This tomato plant variety produces large, firm, deep oblate-shaped fruits that are great for both market and home gardens. The Dixie Red thrives in the Southern heat, but does well in other places.

The Mushroom Red Pepper gets its name as it is a bell-shaped hot pepper that will ripen from a lime green to a bright red. This variety is great for pickling or drying and will add a nice hot kick to any dish. This pepper is great for a small garden as it does well in containers. These productive little peppers thrive in tropical regions, but will grow just about anywhere.

The Pineapple Tomato is a large, rich yellow-gold beefsteak variety that has a wonderfu very sweet, almost fruity, flavor. This tomato variety contains very few seeds and more solids, giving you more for your money. The Pineapple tomato is a high yielding tomato plant. The Pineapple gets its name for have a flavor that is sweet and fruity with a tangy, meaty after-bite.

The Pink Oxheart Tomato is a beautiful pink oxheart shaped variety that has vigorous vines that produce plenty of attractive and tasty tomatoes. The tomatoes weigh in at about 16-32 ounces. This variety has a sweet and juicy flavor that will have you growing them for years and years. The Pink Oxheart is just perfect looking!

The Rudolph Radish is known for being a "cute" smaller variety that has a very deep red hue and a nice uniform globe shape. It is only 1.5 inches round! Rudolph might be tiny, but it is bursting with lots of flavor! These crisp, sweet radishes will give any salad or dish an extra kick.

Holy Mole! The Holy Mole is a F1 Pasilla-type All American Selection Pepper! This high yielding pepper is used for making mole sauces and different dips. This 8" long pepper variety has a very tangy flavor. These compact 3' tall plants are perfect for the patio. 1,300 Scovilles.

The Anna Russian Tomato is a delicious and beautiful heirloom oxheart-shaped tomato that was brought over from a Russian immigrant in the 1980's. This large tomato variety is early maturing for an oxheart variety. The beautiful pink-red fleshed Anna Russian can weigh up to 1 pound. This superb old-fashioned tomato gives off rich tomatoey flavors with lots of juice.

The Yellow Bhut Jolokia Pepper is a spicy yellow Ghost Pepper, which is among the World's Hottest Pepper! This wrinkled yellow pepper is 125 times hotter than a Jalapeno pepper! This Bhut Jolokia variety is a rare, natural variant of the Red Bhut Jolokia. Ghost peppers can reach over 1,000,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Use with caution!

Oracle is a high yielding Spanish Hybrid with a high level of consistency. Oracle has nice upright tops that are glossy and vigorous. These traits combined with a robust disease package make this hybrid grower friendly. Oracle is also an excellent choice for mechanical harvesting and long term storage. Disease Ratings: High tolerance to Pink Root, Fusarium and Bolting.

Chocolate Stripes tomatoes are a visually stunning heirloom variety known for their striking appearance and rich flavor. Originating from a selection of striped, heirloom varieties, these tomatoes are celebrated for their unique color pattern, which features a deep, chocolate-brown skin with vibrant green and red stripes. When fully ripe, they reveal a rich, earthy-red interior. Chocolate Stripes tomatoes are medium to large in size and are prized for their complex, sweet flavor with hints of smokiness, making them a delightful addition to salads, salsas, and fresh dishes. They typically take about 75 to 85 days to mature and exhibit an indeterminate growth habit, meaning they continue to produce fruit throughout the growing season. The plants are vigorous and benefit from staking or caging to support the weight of the abundant fruit. With their eye-catching coloration and exceptional taste, Chocolate Stripes tomatoes are a favorite among gardeners and chefs seeking both aesthetic appeal and culinary excellence.

The Rutgers Tomato produces an intense, red colored, round fruit that is a proven variety that excels at canning and slicing. This highly productive, open pollinated heirloom tomato is one of the earlier maturing tomato varieties and has been around since 1934. Rutgers grows on a strong vine and can weigh anywhere from 6-12 ounces. The first maturing tomatoes tend to be smaller while later maturing tomatoes are larger. This tomato has a beautiful flesh inside with a good ratio of flesh to gel with a few seeds for each slice. This variety holds well when sliced making it great for sandwiches! The Rutgers tomatoes were originally developed by a Rutgers University scientist named Lyman G. Schermerhorn in co-operation with the Campbell's Soup Company. The tomato was developed by crossing Marglobe with a variety called JTD. As time went on, the Rutgers became the most famous tomato worldwide and once made up over 70% of the tomatoes being processed in the United States.

The Red Beefsteak Tomato produces an extra large, meaty fruit that is very popular among home gardens used for adding to sandwiches other dishes. This beefsteak variety is not grown commercially as often as the smaller types. The Red Beefsteak is describes as being a solid, meaty and juicy tomato that is an excellent slicer.