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 large Mortgage Lifter Tomato is an heirloom plant that has the best yields for beefsteak type varieties. The large, pink smooth tomato that reaches to be 1 pound! This variety was developed by M.C. Byles "Radiator Charlie", who had no formal plant breeding experience, and created this legendary tomato by cross-breeding four of the largest tomatoes he was able to find over six years. Once he got a stable variety, he offered it to the public saying that "one tomato could feed a family of 4." Gardeners drove from far away places just to get their hands on this variety! He sold each plant for $1 each and was able to pay off his $6,000 mortgage on his house, hence giving this tomato its name. The slightly flattened, pinkish-red tomatoes ranges from 1 pound all the way to 3 pounds and are meaty, very flavorful and only have few tomato seeds. The Indeterminate Mortgage Lifter is vigorous and one of our best sellers.

A classic disease resistant tomato! The Celebrity tomato plant is as close to perfect as you can get! This plant produces perfectly shaped 8 ounce fruits with excellent flavor. Chosen as the AAS winner this tomato is easy to grow and very disease resistant. No cracking and fruits keep coming over a long garden season. The Celebrity is a proven home tomato garden favorite.

The Halloween Mix contains a "spooky" mix of purple, yellow, black and white radishes. These radishes are mildly spicy and only 5 centimeters in diameter. Everyday can be a scary fun holiday if you succession plant this mixture every two weeks throughout the spring and fall! This radish mix will bring lots of colors to your dishes.

This cabbage is known for its solid head and excellent flavor. Late Flat Dutch is a big cabbage, it is a good keeper and the standard late season variety. Heads form up to 12 inches and weigh as much as 15 pounds. Late Flat Dutch has an excellent flavor.

The classic Burpee's Bush Big Boy Tomato is the same large, juicy favorite but has been made even better, especially for small-space gardeners. With this variety, you get the same number of tasty, big red tomatoes (10 to 11 oz. each), with the same sweet, aromatic, melt-in-your-mouth juiciness as the original, but the compact plants are only half the size!

The Big Beef Tomato is an All American Selection winner beefsteak tomato variety that has been a farm favorite for a reason! This tomato variety produces delicious 12 ounce, deep oblate to globe shaped red fruits. This high yielding, high quality tomato is crack and highly disease resistant.

The Golden Helios Radish is named after the Greek god of the sun. This olive-shaped radish is bright yellow with a crispy white flesh and is truly one of the most beautiful radish! Not only is Helios a beauty, it is also tasty with a sweet and mild flavor.

The Roma is a popular heirloom elongated tomato preferred for cooking, canning and making a spectacular Italian paste. This variety has very thick flesh, low seed count and produces high yields of up to 200 fruits on each plant. The Roma VF also has great disease resistance to verticillium and fusarium wilt. These strong vigorous plants can be grown outdoors or in a greenhouse.

The Red Grano is a medium sized onion with crisp and mild flavor! This delicious variety is perfect for salads or hamburgers. Red Grano Onion is resistant to pink root and has a mid-range storage period.

The Tall Utah 52-70 celery is a very dependable celery variety for home gardens! Tall Utah 52-70 is a fresh celery is so much tastier than store bought. This celery has dark green stalks and a very compact habit.  Start seeds when weather has warmed so crop matures in fall.

The Alaska Pea is a super-early variety that thrives in colder temperatures! This pea is a semi-dwarf variety that grows to an average height of 3' and is a decent producer once flowering begins. Alaska's pods produce 5-7 peas per pod that offers a sweet and delicious flavor.

Perfect tomato for slicing and sandwiches. With a 4-5 week harvest window, these dark red fruits grow on a compact, uniform plant and offer good resistance to multiple diseases common to homegrown tomatoes.

The Jalapeno M Pepper is a high yielding middle of the road hot pepper. This pepper variety has an average hotness level that tastes great in many dishes. Jalapeno M has thick walls with a spicy pungent smell!

The Brilliant celeriac is a large round root related to celery! This celeriac plant produces a a large round root with dark green celery-like leaves and a white flesh. Brilliant is a great addition to any meal as it adds a great flavor!

The Green Sprouting Calabrese produces very large dark green heads bursting with flavor. Produces compact dark green central head, with many lateral or side shoots over a long season. Good in short season areas with cool nights. Slow bolting with great flavor and popular among gardeners.

The Kuroda Shin is a popular Oriental carrot with a nice sweet flavor. This variety is a great addition to any Oriental dish. The Kuroda Shin carrot's deep orange, stubby roots are mild and sweet. This is an excellent carrot for juicing as well. Grows well in many climate conditions, good for home or market.

Sugar Ann is a 1984 All America Selections winner! This snap pea variety has an edible pod that offers earliness, productivity, and a compact growth habit. The crisp, sweet succulent 3 inch pods are ready to eat in just 10 to 14 days ahead of the original Sugar Snap, and remain in prime eating condition for days.

The Heirloom Collection is a mixture of some of our favorite and best tasting heirloom tomatoes. These old fashioned, great tasting heirloom tomatoes are sure to please your tastebuds! We have chosen the most popular, tried and true heirlooms around. These tomatoes have been passed down for generations because of their exceptional taste, growth habits, yield, disease resistance and more! The collection includes a packet of each of the following: Delicious - Once held the world record for largest tomato grown. A huge beefsteak that is large and fairly crack resistant. Black Cherry - One of the most delicious cherry tomatoes around! The only truly black cherry tomato. Chocolate Stripes - Mahogany color with dark brown stripes. A luscious bicolor tomato with a sweet earthy flavor. Cherokee Purple - A purple tomato that is a favorite heirloom amongst gardeners. Absolutely the best taste of any tomato around. Costoluto Genovese - An old Italian preserving tomato. Works great for sauces and paste. German Giant - A giant potato leaf heirloom tomato. A deep pink fruit that grows up to 30+ ounces.