December gardening checklist

Christmas is just around the corner and the holidays are in sight enjoy your downtime but don’t forgot about your crops. With the weather growing warmer, enjoy the fruits of your labour and remember to ask a neighbour to water your garden if you are going away.

Key gardening tips for December:

• Strawberries will start to ripen in December, protect them from birds and ensure they get plenty of water.
• Keep planting salad crops for summer harvesting.
• Protect vegetable crops from white butterfly and insects.
• Continue to plant colour in pots and the garden for Christmas and summer displays.
• Sow seeds of summer flowering annuals.
• Plant swan plants to attract butterflies into the garden.
• Indoor plants are a great Christmas gift. Poinsettias are a traditional favourite.
• Holiday time, check watering systems are working or install new ones.
• Water less often but more thoroughly, the water needs to reach the subsoil where the plants can use it. Take your time and check that the soil is wet to at least 5cm.
• Water in the early morning or early evening to reduce evaporation.
• If you are going to be away, harvest as much as you can. Weed, feed and water well before you go
• Watch out for pests and take action as soon as possible to prevent them becoming a larger problem. Use an environmentally friendly spray around your vegetables if they become a problem. Spray late in the day when the bees have gone home.

What vegetables to plant in December

December is a productive month in the vegetable garden, with many spring crops starting to harvest. Freshly picked beans, lettuce, tomatoes, beetroot, spring onions, snap peas, silverbeet, zucchini, cucumbers and sweetcorn taste far better straight from the garden.

Vegetables to plant in December:

• Basil
• Beetroot
• Beans
• Capsicum
• Carrot
• Celery
• Chilli
• Coriander
• Zucchini
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Leek
• Lettuce
• Mesclun
• Parsley
• Parsnip
• Pumpkin
• Radish
• Silverbeet
• Spring onions
• Sweetcorn
• Tomatoes

Additional vegetable tips for December

• Continue to stagger plantings of green salad crops like mizuna, lettuce and mesclun every few weeks for a constant supply through summer.
• You can still sow seeds directly into the garden where conditions suit, and seedlings of summer favourites and Asian greens can also be planted now into well-prepared, fertilised soil.
• Work in a slow-release fertiliser and water the bed thoroughly a few days before planting. Spacing your plantings over several weeks ensures a steady harvest well into the season.
• Tomatoes will benefit from regular care, feed them every fortnight, stake firmly, water consistently and remove side shoots while they’re small.
• Potatoes should be mounded as they grow, side-dressed with blood and bone, then watered in.
• Avocados can also be planted this month; choose a well-drained spot, add a stake at planting and mulch to help conserve moisture.

What vegetables are in season in Summer

During Summer in New Zealand, there are many vegetables in season. The cheapest summer vegetables during this time are avocados, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, kumara, onions, lettuce and radishes. In season vegetables during summer include:

• Avocado
• Beans
• Beetroot
• Broccoli
• Butternut
• Capsicum
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Green cabbage
• Kale
• Kumara
• Lettuce
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Parsnips
• Peas
• Potatoes
• Pumpkin
• Radishes
• Silverbeet

What fruit to plant in December

December brings the first of the stone fruit harvests, with cherries ripening early in the month, followed by apricots and early plums.

This is also a great time to pick blueberries, strawberries and a variety of summer berries from previous months. Plant new grapes, kiwifruit, tamarillos, rhubarb, passionfruit, strawberries and summer berries now, enriching the soil with compost as you plant.

Best fruits to plant in December are:

• Strawberry
• Blueberry
• Passionfruit

Citrus and passionfruit benefit from consistent watering as the weather warms up. Remember to apply mulch around the root zone to retain moisture, keeping the mulch clear of the trunk.

To help protect fruit, spray citrus and passionfruit again this month with copper oxychloride. These steps will keep your fruiting plants healthy and productive through summer.

Fruits in season during Summer

Fruits in season during summer in New Zealand include:

• Apples
• Apricots
• Blackberries
• Blackcurrants
• Boysenberries
• Cherries
• Gooseberries
• Grapefruit
• Green kiwifruit
• Honeydew
• Lemons
• Nashi pears
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Plums
• Raspberries
• Redcurrants
• Rock melon
• Strawberries
• Tangelos
• Valencia oranges
• Watermelon

What herbs to plant in Summer

Summer is an ideal time to grow a wide range of herbs that thrive in warm, sunny conditions.

Herbs to sow or plant in Summer include:

• Basil
• Coriander
• Parsley
• Chives
• Mint
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Sage

For tender annuals like basil and coriander, choose a spot with some afternoon shade to prevent bolting in the heat. Regular harvesting encourages leafy growth and keeps your herb garden productive all summer long.

Tips for planting flowers in December

• Keep your pots well watered, they will dry out quickly, water daily if necessary. Add a water retention product to the soil to help retain moisture.
• Plant for bees: pineapple sage, bergamot, lemon balm, blue salvia, coreopsis, gaillardia alyssum, rosemary. They love these simple flowers.
• Sow seeds. In most areas seeds can be planted directly in to the garden: aster, cosmos, cornflowers, petunia, marigold, phlox, portulaca, and verbena.
• Plant seedlings: aquilegias, aster, chrysanthemum, cosmos, dahlia, dianthus, nasturtium, marigolds, petunia, phlox, portulaca, salvia, verbena, viscaria and zinnia.
• Plant perennials, keep new plantings well watered.
• Keep an eye on your roses and spray with an insecticide to prevent pests and diseases if required. Spray late in the day when the bees have gone home.

Lawn & garden maintenance tips for December

• Watch out for insects and use the appropriate sprays. Apply when the bees have gone home.
• In humid areas keep an eye out for mildew, black spot and other diseases that thrive in this environment.
• Keep on top of the weeding and feeding.
• Continue mulching around shrub beds, trees and rose bushes, it will help conserve moisture while you are away.
• Raise the cutting height on your lawn mower. Avoid mowing your lawn too short as longer grass shades the roots and helps prevent drying out.
• Summer is also a good time to leave the grass clippings on the lawn; they act as mulch conserving water.