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 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 perfect size, shape and taste for a pickling pepper! This pepper variety is covered with thick-walled, sweet, 2-inch tapered peppers that grow in a variety of colors. The Sweet Pickle is one of the best picking peppers around!

The Tasty Evergreen Tomato is a green fleshed heirloom with a tasty, strong sweet flavor. This tomato was introduced by Glecklers Seedmen of Metamora, Ohio in 1956. This delicious large heirloom ripens to grapefruit yellow with a lime-green flesh, giving it a very sweet flavor. This very productive, medium-sized beefsteak grows well throughout the United States. The Tasty Evergreen produces a continual harvest throughout the season.

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.

The Paul Robeson Tomato is an old fashioned Russian heirloom that has a very tasty flesh that is juicy with a great acid and sweet balance. This deep maroon colored variety is slightly flattened and round and grows up to 4." The Paul Robeson Tomato is an excellent choice for cooler growing regions.

The Ponderosa Pink Tomato is an extra large and tasty beefsteak with a bright pink hue that is perfect for fresh eating as well as cooked for sauces! This 16 ounce, beefsteak type is almost seedless with low acid.

A unique lemon color inside and out! These plants produce medium-sized fruits with beautiful and unique lemon yellow skin!

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 Pepperoncini Italian is a popular Italian pepper that is a favorite for pickling, cooking or eating fresh. This small bushy plant produces 3-5" wrinkly fruits that have thin walls and a sweet, mild heat. This variety is a delightful all-purpose pepper that can be enjoyed in numerous ways! Pick this pepper at the yellow-green stage for pickling or allow them to ripen greenish-red for eating raw or cooking! This is one of the lowest heat "hot" peppers that we offer, as it has a very slight heat with a more sweet flavor. When the Pepperoncini Italian is pickled, they become addicting!

The Hungarian Sweet Wax is a great pepper for pickling and adding into salads or sandwiches. This pepper variety produces light yellow peppers that can be picked early or let ripen to a orange-red color.

The Philadelphia White Box Radish is a tiny, round white variety that is the perfect choice for a container or garden bed! This radish might be small, but it has a big spicy flavor and crispy texture that is wonderful when eaten fresh. The Philadelphia White Box can enjoyed by both home growers or market growers. This variety is a heavy yielder of little, uniform radishes!

The Trip-L-Crop Tomato is an extremely long and productive heirloom tomato plant variety that thrives in a greenhouse setting! This tomato produces huge yields on a 15 foot vine that needs a trellising. The large 1-2 lb. tomatoes are red, meaty and great for canning.

The Chef's Choice Orange is an All American Selection winner that is a prolific producer of juicy, bright orange tomatoes. The bright neon orange color of this unique variety spreads throughout the entirety of the tomato. The Chef's Choice Orange is not only popular for its unusual coloring, but also for having a wonderful flavor.

Dill's Atlantic Giant Pumpkin plant can produce some of the largest pumpkins in the world! This variety has been a past winner for the world record size of 1,810 lbs! This pumpkin will easily produce 300-500 lb. fruits with ease. Pumpkins have rough skin and beautiful ribbing. The Atlantic Giant will grow at an astonishing pace if given adequate nutrients and spacing. Sow the seeds outdoors when danger of frost is past, or start indoors in peat pots.

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 Homestead Tomato is a very heat tolerant tomato, making it perfect for growing in southern and hotter climates. The luscious and meaty 8 ounce mid-sized tomatoes have a bright red smooth skin. The Homestead tomato variety is semi-determinate.

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.

The Pink Summercicle Radish will bring you an endless summer with its bright pink color, sweet taste and popsicle-like shape! These 5-6 inches long roots have a crisp white inside with an extra sweet flavor. This very adaptable variety is best when grown in the early spring or fall. Enjoy the Pink Summercicle in salads or stir-fries!