‘He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter’ is a quote from John Burrows.
As we enter the Winter Season in the UK, temperatures have dipped and light levels have reduced to 8 hours.
There are still things that can be planted in December.
Berries
December is the perfect time to get berry planting. Berries like blueberries, blackberries and Loganberries can be planted as a bare root or from a small plant from December to Spring.
I have one of each of these berries growing in the garden and the LoganBerry is last years addition to the collection and is the best producer of fruit by a mile.
Thinking of Growing Berries? Here’s what you’ll need:
- Berries on Bushes – Blueberries are a great fruit to grow, absolutely no maintenance, leave them to grow on their own, they just need acidic (Ericaceous) compost in pots to grow. Blackberries & Logan berries like garden soil or normal compost.
- Berries on Vines – Want to grow blackberries or Logan berries? These are long vines that need supporting along a fence with eye hooks and a tension wire and tying in the vine to the wire. Warning! the Logan berry needs a long fence or wall as it is a vigorous grower.
- Upright Fruit Canes – Raspberries come in bare root canes and can be summer or autumn planting. They also need supporting to keep them upright as they grow to stop them sprawling and bending over.
- Dwarf or Patio Fruit Trees – Apples, pear, plum and cherry trees are available as bare root trees on a dwarf rootstock in December from online and stores like B&M and can be planted in the ground until February.
Windowsill Winter Herbs
I don’t know about you, but I love seeing things growing even in the Winter. By growing herbs on your windowsill, you will get a win, win, by nurturing herbs indoors out of the harsh winter cold until Spring.
Top Tips for Windowsill Growing
- Most herbs need a windowsill with lots of light.
- The soil in windowsill pots has to have some grit for drainage so the plants don’t become waterlogged.
- You’ll need a tray for pots to sit on the windowsill.
- The quickest herb to grow indoors is Dill and then Basil meaning within 5 weeks you’ll have herbs to harvest.
The Best Herbs to Grow Indoors for Winter
- Basil
- Chives
- Dill
- Mint
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Sage
Garlic and Onions from Sets
I planted my Garlic and Elephant Garlic on 3 November and only this week, that’s 4 weeks later the shoots have come through the ground.
There is still time to plant Garlic and Onions until January.
Here’s my Garlic Planting Video if you need to see how to plant it in your raised bed. I also popped some I had spare into a container.
Planting Elephant Garlic, Have you tried it?
Seeds To Sow by Month Series:
Find out what Vegetables to Sow in the following months: