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.

Organic - Anaheim is a meaty hot pepper that is great for stuffing. This pepper variety has a mild to medium heat for a chili pepper. Each of these plant produce an abundance of spicy chili peppers that are 5-8" long. Anaheim Chili is great for roasting, stuffing, stews, sauces and eaten raw! A farmer back in the early 1900s bought some of these pepper seeds in Anaheim, California thus giving them the name they have today. Anaheim Chili peppers can be harvested while green or for more spiciness let them turn deep red. Conventional seed available.

The Corno Di Toro Mix Pepper is an old-time Italian sweet frying pepper! This pepper is nicknamed the "bull's horn" for its distinctive horn shape. This pepper variety plant bears 8" fruits mature to red (Rosso) and yellow (Giallo). The Corno Di Toro Mix is a combination of Corno Di Toro Giallo and Corno Di Toro Rosso. The Corno Di Toro Mix is a great cooking pepper variety!

The Corno Di Toro Giallo Pepper is a great cooking variety, as it is an old-time Italian sweet frying pepper! Corno di Toro peppers, also known as "Bull's Horn" peppers, are a prized variety cherished for their impressive size, distinct shape, and exceptional flavor. These peppers are characterized by their elongated, tapered form, resembling a bull’s horn, and their vibrant yellow color when ripe. Known for their sweet, mild taste with just a hint of spice, Corno di Toro peppers are versatile and can be enjoyed both raw and cooked. Their thick, meaty flesh holds up well in grilling, roasting, and stuffing, making them ideal for a range of culinary applications. Beyond their culinary uses, these peppers are also valued for their high yields and productivity in the garden, thriving in warm, sunny conditions with well-drained soil. Corno di Toro peppers not only enhance the flavor of dishes but also add a striking visual element with their unique shape and vibrant hues.

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 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 Danver 126 is a great tasting favorite that is now also available as organic! This carrot was bred for heat resistance and will produce high yields. This carrot has a beautiful bright color with smooth skin. The Danver 126 is perfect for home gardeners and market growers alike.

The very sweet Red Creole Onion is the perfect variety for home gardens! This short day onion is great for the South and Mid-West climates and is also a good keeper. The solid, flat bulbs of the Red Creole has a spicy, red flesh that makes it a good cooking onion and is also great raw in salads.

The Scarlet Bandit Onion is a bunching variety that produces a beautiful scarlet red hue with flecks of white, making any salad or dish pop! This bright variety can be planted in either the spring or fall and will overwinter. The scarlet red of the slender bulbs will intensify with cold weather. The Scarlet Bandit can be used like an other bunching onions, or scallions, in several dishes.

Tall Utah is very dependable celery variety for home gardeners and market growers alike! This celery is a favorite that now comes in organic seeds. Tall Utah has dark green stalks that pacts in a crisp delicious flavor. Start seeds when weather has warmed up so that the crop matures in fall.

The Sub Arctic Plenty is the world's fastest growing heirloom tomato, in just 42 days from transplant you will have fresh vine ripe tomatoes! This variety is a great tomato to grow in Northern areas where the season is short. However, this is also great for Southern locations where you can harvest the crop before insects and disease start to take over. The Sub Arctic Plenty is a bush variety that needs no staking, as it is great for hanging in baskets.

The Caspian Pink Tomato is a beautiful tomato variety that originally comes from Russia and was brought to America shortly after the cold war ended. This tomato has a sweet and rich flavor that is often compared to the Brandywine. The early maturing medium sized pink beefsteak tomato averages 10-12 ounces in size. The Caspian Pink plant has regular leaves.

Lutz Green Leaf Pink Stem beet seeds are prized for producing beets with distinctive characteristics and exceptional flavor. This variety features vibrant green leaves with a striking pink stem, which adds a splash of color to any garden. The beets themselves are known for their smooth, round shape and tender, sweet, deep red to purple flesh. Lutz Green Leaf Pink Stem beets are valued not only for their aesthetic appeal but also for their excellent taste, making them a popular choice for salads, roasting, and pickling. They are known for their adaptability, growing well in various soil conditions, and for their relatively long harvest window, allowing for a prolonged period of fresh, nutritious beets. Additionally, the green leaves are edible and nutritious, providing a dual-purpose crop that enhances both the visual and culinary appeal of your garden. This variety is a "winterkeeper" beet that has a long standing storage capability. The Lutz Green Leaf Pink Stem has 6 inches in diameter roots, make sure to thin them out to 4-6 inches.

The Crosby Egyptian Beet, a classic heirloom variety, has a rich history dating back to the late 19th century. Originating in Egypt, it was introduced to the United States in the 1860s and quickly gained popularity among gardeners and farmers. This beet variety has stood the test of time due to its exceptional taste and versatility in the kitchen. Crosby Egyptian Beets are known for their sweet and tender flesh, making them a favorite for both raw and cooked applications. They have a distinct earthy flavor with a hint of sweetness, making them perfect for salads, pickling, roasting, and even juicing. These beets typically mature in about 55-60 days, making them a relatively quick-growing option for gardeners. In terms of appearance, Crosby Egyptian Beets are small to medium-sized, usually reaching about 2-3 inches in diameter. They have a round to slightly flattened shape and a vibrant deep red or purplish skin. Disease resistance is moderate, with some resistance to common pests and diseases like aphids and leaf miners. In terms of yields, you can expect a good harvest of beets from each plant, especially if you space them adequately (about 2-4 inches apart) in well-drained soil with full sun to partial shade. These beets thrive in cool weather conditions, making them suitable for spring and fall planting. With its rich history and delightful flavor, the Crosby Egyptian Beet continues to be a treasured addition to vegetable gardens.

The hardy American Flag leek is a good variety for both home and market growers. The attractive uniform leek has blue green leaves and white stalks. The American Flag variety has a very nice sweet flavor. This leek can be enjoyed during fall and winter. Certified Organic. Learn more about our organic seeds.

The Ghost Mix is a blend of some of the world's hottest peppers! Use with caution! This mix is a wonderful blend of red, yellow, purple, white and chocolate Bhut Jolokia (Ghost) pepper seeds that can reach over 1,000,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU).

The Yellow Brandywine Tomato is a customer favorite heirloom tomato with an attractive bright yellow-orange skin and flesh. This Brandywine is a large, beefsteak-shaped tomato that grows upright on large leaved plants. This favorite tomato has a delicious sweet taste and meaty flesh with only a few seeds! This indeterminate tomato will ripen later than most, but will produces 10-20 ounce tomatoes until the first frost of fall.

Don't let the "Peach" in the Peach Habanero fool you, this pepper variety has plenty of heat! The Peach Habanero is a high yielding plant that bears large crops of crisp, golden fruits that blush with color. This flavorful habanero pepper is perfect for any hot pepper lover as it is a great for container plantings and patio gardens!