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.

This Guinness World Record holding tomato plant set a record for yielding over 340lbs of fruit. This plant will produce an abundance of bright red, 10+oz. (455-g) fruits perfect for slicing, canning and making into sauces. First introduced by plant breeder John Peto as a hybrid between the Teddy Jones heirloom tomato and an unknown red variety. Their flavor is well-balanced, combining sweetness with a hint of acidity, making them perfect for fresh eating, salads, and sauces. These indeterminate plants continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the season, often reaching heights of 4-6 feet, necessitating staking or cage support. They thrive in warm climates and require full sun, ideally being planted after the last frost. With a growing period of about 70-75 days to maturity, Better Boy tomatoes are usually ready for harvesting from mid-summer through fall. Their robust nature and disease resistance make them a favorite for gardeners seeking a reliable and delicious crop.

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.

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.

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 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.

Golden Cal Wonder peppers are a popular choice for gardeners due to their vibrant color and high yield. This variety thrives in warm, sunny climates and prefers well-drained, fertile soil. Typically, the plants grow to a medium height and produce large, thick-walled peppers that ripen from green to a striking golden yellow. Golden Cal Wonder peppers are relatively easy to grow, making them ideal for both beginner and experienced gardeners. They require regular watering and should be spaced about 18 inches apart to allow room for their wide branches. These peppers benefit from consistent sunlight and can be grown in raised beds, containers, or directly in the ground. With proper care, they produce an abundant harvest, often with several peppers per plant. Not only do they add a beautiful burst of color to the garden, but their sweet, mild flavor makes them a garden favorite for fresh eating, cooking, and canning.

Napoli F1 carrot seeds are a popular variety known for producing high-quality, uniform carrots with excellent flavor and texture. This carrot has a bright orange color with a length of 7-8 inches. This hybrid variety is prized for its smooth, cylindrical shape, bright orange color, and sweet, crisp taste. Napoli F1 carrots are well-suited for both fresh market sales and processing, offering consistent size and a strong resistance to diseases like alternaria and bacterial blight. They are fast-growing, with a relatively short maturation period, making them ideal for growers looking for early-season harvests. With their attractive appearance and superior taste, Napoli F1 carrots are a favorite among farmers and gardeners seeking a high-yielding, reliable carrot variety.

Yellow Sweet Spanish onion seeds grow into a classic heirloom variety that dates back to the early 20th century, prized for its large, globe-shaped bulbs and mild, sweet flavor. These onions typically reach 4–6 inches in diameter and feature golden-yellow skin with crisp, white flesh inside. They thrive in full sun and loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter, requiring consistent moisture and a long growing season of about 110 days. Seeds can be started indoors 8–10 weeks before the last frost or sown directly once the soil warms. The resulting onions are excellent for fresh eating, caramelizing, or adding a subtle sweetness to soups, salads, and sandwiches.

The Rainbow Blend contains a kaleidoscope of orange, purple, red, white and multi-colored beet varieties that will make any dish pop! This colorful variety not only produces the brightest colored beets, but also the tastiest. This blend is a great addition to any garden, especially a container garden. Enjoy this beet blend in a salad, or roasted for a mouthwatering colorful plate.

Orange King is a deliciously sweet and tangy orange pepper. This blocky, thick skinned pepper turns from green to a bright orange when mature. Its plants produce average yields of 4-5 lobed block peppers that mature to 4x6." This pepper variety is the sweetest bell pepper we have tasted to date! Orange King is perfect for fresh eating, dips, salads, stuffing, stir fries and sandwiches.

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 White Sweet Spanish Onion is a long-day, standard large sweet onion! This variety is a variation of the Yellow Sweet Spanish, but has a sweet flavor and very little of the sharpness that some other onions have. The White Sweet Spanish is great for soups and salads that require a slight onion flavor. This onion has short storage.

Ruby onions are a vibrant variety of red onions known for their striking color and sweet, mild flavor. Characterized by their deep purple skin and crisp white flesh tinged with red, Ruby onions add a pop of color to salads, salsas, and various dishes. They are typically medium to large in size, making them versatile for both raw and cooked applications. Originating from traditional onion cultivation, Ruby onions are prized for their ability to balance sweetness with a subtle bite, enhancing the taste of many recipes. They are often used in fresh preparations like salads and sandwiches, but they also caramelize beautifully when cooked, bringing out their natural sugars. Harvesting typically occurs in late summer to early fall, about 90-100 days after planting, when the tops begin to yellow and fall over. Ruby onions thrive in well-drained soil and full sun, making them a popular choice for home gardeners. Their attractive appearance and delicious flavor make Ruby onions a favorite in both home kitchens and commercial markets.

A dark rich red color characterizes this hybrid on the outside, and inside it has distinct ring development. Purple Haze has a good combination of maturity and bulb size. A good disease package compliments this vibrant and vigorous hybrid. Disease Rating: High tolerance to Pink Root and Bolting and Good Tolerance to Fusarium.

The Merlot Pepper produces huge yields of big peppers on tall healthy plants! This hybrid pepper is a tall plant that is highly resistant to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and bacterial leaf spot (BST). This variety produces huge pepper yields on lush foliage that offers good protection for the newly formed bells. The Merlot begins off green, turns white, and finally begins to turn merlot purple when mature.

Big Max pumpkin seeds are celebrated for producing some of the largest pumpkins available, making them a favorite among growers aiming for impressive, eye-catching results. These seeds produce pumpkins that can reach weights of 50 to 100 pounds or more, with their vibrant orange skin and smooth, rounded shape. The Big Max variety is known for its robust, sturdy vines that support the hefty fruit, and it generally requires a long growing season to achieve its full potential. Ideal for autumn decorations, Halloween displays, and giant pumpkin contests, Big Max pumpkins offer a dramatic presence with their substantial size and striking color. The seeds are relatively easy to cultivate, making them accessible to both seasoned gardeners and enthusiastic novices eager to grow a standout pumpkin.

Cherokee Purple tomatoes are a revered heirloom variety with a rich history and exceptional flavor. Originating from the Cherokee Nation in the southeastern United States, this variety has been passed down through generations for its unique attributes. Cherokee Purple tomatoes are known for their dark, dusky purple-brown skin and deep, red interior, which provides a striking contrast and a visually appealing fruit. They are medium to large in size and have a complex, rich flavor with sweet and slightly smoky notes, making them ideal for fresh salads, sandwiches, and gourmet dishes. Typically, these tomatoes reach maturity in about 75 to 80 days and feature an indeterminate growth habit, meaning they continue to produce fruit throughout the growing season. The plants are vigorous and require staking or caging to support their sprawling vines and the weight of the heavy fruit. With their historical significance, unique color, and robust flavor, Cherokee Purple tomatoes are a cherished choice for gardeners and culinary enthusiasts alike. This plant produces large vines with large beefsteak fruits that average 8-20 ounces.

The Tango is a reliable and fast growing celery variety! Tango celery is a great improvement over older celery varieties, as it is more tolerant of less than ideal conditions. This hybrid produces dark green, thick stalks with lots of great celery flavor. Certified Organic.