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 Fancy Nantes carrot gets its name for its very smooth skin and fancy cylindrical shape. These carrots can grow up to 8" long with a very sweet and crisp flesh. For smaller, "fancier" look and great flavor try harvesting at 45-50 days when 4" long! They can store for months and also do great being left in the ground over winter.

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 fine smooth texture of the Nantes carrot makes it perfect for fresh eating, freezing or juicing! This bright orange carrot is a garden favorite. Nantes has an excellent sweet flavor as an early baby carrot. It can be over-wintered or grown in high tunnels for a spring harvest. Certified Organic. Learn more about our organic seeds.

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 Yolo Wonder Pepper is a great new and improved tasty pepper for home gardens. This variety is a top quality very well shaped pepper with thicker walls and a very blocky shape with 4 lobes. The Yolo Wonder Pepper will give great high yields!

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.

Green Arrow peas are a classic heirloom variety valued for their exceptional taste and reliable performance. Originating from the United Kingdom, this variety has been a staple in gardens for many decades. The Green Arrow pea plant is known for its vigorous, upright growth habit, typically reaching heights of 2 to 3 feet, making it suitable for small to medium-sized gardens and easy to manage without extensive support. The peas themselves are distinguished by their smooth, bright green pods and plump, tender peas that offer a sweet, fresh flavor. These peas are primarily used for fresh eating, though they are also excellent for freezing. They are generally harvested when the pods are fully formed but still tender, usually in late spring to early summer. The Green Arrow variety is appreciated for its high yield and disease resistance, which contribute to a bountiful harvest. With its sweet flavor, productive growth, and ease of cultivation, Green Arrow peas remain a popular choice among gardeners seeking a dependable and delicious pea variety.

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.

Musk Strawberry (Fragaria moschata), also known as Hautbois strawberry, is an old European heirloom dating back to the Renaissance, prized for its intense, musky-sweet flavor and rich aroma. The small to medium-sized berries are soft, juicy, and deep red when fully ripe, with a complex taste often described as a mix between strawberry, raspberry, and tropical fruit. Plants grow 8–12 inches tall with spreading runners and thrive in full sun to partial shade in fertile, well-drained soil. Sow seeds indoors in late winter, lightly pressing them into the surface, and transplant outdoors after frost; consistent moisture and mulching help maintain fruit quality. Taking about 150–180 days to mature from sowing, Musk Strawberries are ideal for fresh eating, gourmet desserts, preserves, and adding an old-world delicacy to the garden.

The Premier Kale, or also known as Early Hanover, is a high yielding kale with delicious and nutritious green leaves. This kale is early maturing that produces high amounts of smooth, dark green leaves. Plant Premier in the fall so that it produces higher yields and resists bolting 4 weeks longer. This kale's taste is a favorite and is extremely high in antioxidants and beta carotene!

The Dazzling Blue Kale is a beautiful, cold-tolerant lacinato-type that produces large blue-green leaves with deep purple veins. This kale is sure to add a delicious pop of color to any salad! This variety will survive freezing temperatures better than other lacinato types and will even intensify with cool temperatures.

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.

The Dickinson is a smooth large pumpkin perfect for pies! The large buff colored rind is an attractive addition to any pumpkin patch or garden. The sweet orange flesh is wonderful for canning, soups and pies. The nearly round to elongated pumpkin can weigh up to 40 pounds.  Certified Organic. Learn more about our organic seeds.

The Parks Whopper is one of the juiciest, best tasting tomatoes around and a must-have staple for home gardens! This Improved CR tomato has been the standard for taste, size and production for many years. This improved Parks Whopper offers an earlier (5 days) harvest and a more diseases resistant tomato.

The Lacinato Kale is an old Italian heirloom kale that has very large tender leaves. This favorite is now available in organic seeds! The Lacinato, or also known as Dinosaur kale, Black Magic or Toscano, is popular for home gardening and fresh markets. Its scaly, bumpy leaves are large dark blue-green and very delicious. Pick young for the most tender leaves. The Lacinato produces high yields and can be harvested continually. Certified Organic. Learn more about our organic seeds.

Black Krim tomatoes are a cherished heirloom variety celebrated for their deep, rich color and complex flavor profile. These medium to large tomatoes are distinguished by their dark, purplish-brown skin with greenish undertones, which ripens to a deep mahogany color. The flavor of Black Krim tomatoes is renowned for its bold, smoky sweetness and a slight tanginess that makes them a favorite for fresh salads, salsas, and gourmet dishes. They typically reach maturity in about 75 to 85 days, and the plants have a vigorous, indeterminate growth habit, meaning they continue to produce fruit throughout the growing season. Their robust, sprawling vines require staking or support to manage the weight of the fruit and ensure a plentiful harvest. The combination of their distinctive color, exceptional flavor, and productive nature makes Black Krim tomatoes a standout choice for any garden.

Shishito peppers are a popular menu item that appear in many Asian dishes. These plants produce a large amount of peppers over a growing season. The plants are compact, bushy plants that produce 4" wrinkled peppers that turn red when overly mature. When eaten in the early stages of maturity the fruits are green and offer a crunchy bite. A mild to moderately hot pepper that also has a sweet and tangy flavor. Perfect for frying.

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.