Seasonal Action Guide
What to Do in the Garden in December (Warm-Climate US)
The short answer
December in zones 8-10 is a live gardening month. The cool-season vegetable garden — broccoli, cabbage, greens, carrots, lettuce — is still growing and still being harvested, citrus is at peak, and UF/IFAS lists winter herbs to plant now: parsley, thyme, sage, dill, and cilantro, alongside winter annuals. In mild-winter areas you can still slip in cool-season transplants all month.
The two discipline items: protect on freeze nights (water ahead of a hard freeze, cover tender plants and young citrus down to the ground), and resist cleanup pruning — UF/IFAS says to wait until warm weather returns to cut back cold-damaged plants, because damaged top growth insulates what is below and early pruning invites more injury. Fill spare hours with next year's plan, a soil test, and bare-root catalog orders.
Plant and sow
- Plant winter herbs: parsley, thyme, sage, dill, cilantro (UF/IFAS December list).
- Zones 9-10 and the low desert: keep planting cool-season vegetables — lettuce, greens, brassica transplants — all month.
- Set out winter annuals like pansies, violas, and snapdragons.
- Plant trees, shrubs, and bare-root roses in the lower South as dormant stock arrives late in the month.
- Order seed now for the January-February spring startup — southern spring planting comes early.
Maintain and protect
- Watch freeze forecasts; water the garden a day ahead of a hard freeze and cover tender plants and young citrus to the ground.
- Do not prune cold-damaged plants — wait until warm weather returns (UF/IFAS December rule).
- Keep winter vegetables and annuals watered during dry, windy cold spells.
- Take a soil test and sketch next year's garden while beds are visible.
- Move sensitive container plants close to the house or indoors on freeze nights.
Harvest
- Pick citrus at its peak — satsumas, navels, grapefruit — across the Gulf citrus belt and low desert.
- Keep cutting broccoli, cabbage, collards, kale, lettuce, and chard through winter.
- Dig carrots, beets, and turnips as needed; cold sweetens them in the ground.
- Harvest winter herbs regularly to keep plants producing.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.
- UF/IFAS Extension — North Florida Gardening Calendar (EP451) — December: plant winter annuals and cool-weather herbs (parsley, thyme, sage, dill, cilantro); wait until warm weather returns to cut back cold-damaged plants
- UF/IFAS Extension — Central Florida Gardening Calendar (EP450) — October-December: cool-season crops and winter annuals continue; prepare for cold protection
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Travis County) — Monthly Gardening Calendar for Austin Area — Central Texas December checklist: winter vegetable care, freeze protection, and dormant-season planting
Keep going
Garden Tasks for January (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for February (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for March (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for November (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for April (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for August (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for December (Cool-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide
Garden Tasks for July (Warm-Climate US)
Seasonal Action Guide