EVERYONE Can Plant a Seed in December (Cold, Mild, and Warm Climates)

Foreign. So that means the garden is completely closed down, right? Not if you watch this entire video. Because over the next few minutes, I'm going to show you at least five things you can plant this month. That's right in the middle of December, no matter where you live. So let's first talk to our warm climate friends. So this is everyone who is living in a place where maybe you have a slight chance of frost or. But it's pretty warm where you live. In fact, you may not have any frost at all. So let's kick it off with things you can grow in your garden. Right now. You know that I love teaching about leaves and roots and fruit, so let's start first with leaves. You cannot. You cannot live in a warm climate and not grow this. This is spring mix. This is what everyone buys at the grocery store for $7 and ends up throwing away about seven, seven days later. Instead, you're going to plant these seeds directly in your garden. And these things are going to thrive all season long. So make sure you grow some spring mix. If you live in a warm climate, this is your moment to do it. Don't wait. Planted this month. Now onto the roots. This is a fast growing root. In fact, it might be the fastest growing root, and that is radishes. These are going to have plenty of time through December and January to grow to give you the most beautiful, crunchy and delicious tasting roots. And you'll get these out of the garden before it's time to move on to the warm season. Now, one of the reasons why we might be a little bit envious of you guys is that you're actually getting to grow fruit in the middle of winter. But right now, this is a fruit that all of you guys can be growing in the middle of winter in your garden. And these are sugar snap peas. These are the most delicious thing. They cost a ton of money at the grocery store and they're not nearly as delicious as they are. So straight from your garden, you can have peas growing on all kinds of trellises and vines all over your garden all winter long if you live in a warm climate. And two other surprising fruits that you can grow in a warm climate actually need to be planted indoors. Wait, what? That's right. Tomatoes and peppers. Tomatoes and peppers need to be started in December in order to be out in your garden by February if you live in a warm place. Fertilizer. February is when the temps are going to start rising and it's going to be time to plant tomatoes and peppers outdoors. So that means Right now, it's time to start these indoors. So you've got your leaves, your roots, and your fruit. You guys are going to have the most packed gardens in December. Like I said, I'm going to try not to envy you. Too bad. But I also want to give you a bonus. You've got to grow nasturtium. This is the perfect time to plant nasturtium. If you live in a warm climate, these flowers thrive when it's not too hot and not too cold. And so you're going to have these huge flowers just flowing over your entire garden beds. Plus, these flowers offer pest protection. Now, if you just listened to that list and it made you absolutely disgusted, because you know you cannot grow any of those things because when you look outside, your ground is completely frozen. You're sitting in the middle of a snowstorm. Don't worry. I've got some green things for you, too. Let's start with my favorite, broccoli sprouts. Let me tell you, if you want to stay healthy this winter in this cold place that you're living in, you've got to grow some broccoli sprouts. These are so nutritious. Studies have shown that a broccoli sprout, just a little bitty sprout that you grow in a little sprout container, is going to contain more nutrients, more antioxidants for you than you can get in an entire broccoli head. What? So all of our friends down south who are having a great time outside in their garden, at least they're not getting the nutrition we're getting. Right? So you can grow these right on your kitchen sink, kitchen counter. All it takes is rinsing them once a day, and every five to seven days. Days, you'll get a harvest that you can eat. Broccoli sprouts, do not sleep on this one. Next up is alfalfa sprouts. All you need is a package like this. Put it in a sprouter. Every five to seven days, you get a huge harvest. You're going to feel like you're a farmer, but you're just growing these things right on your kitchen counter. But don't worry, you can grow more than sprouts. You can grow microgreens, which are basically grown up sprouts. They're like teenager sprouts. All right, so two flavors you have to grow in December to make you so happy. Are you our first cilantro? Now, I know, I know some of you don't like cilantro, so skip this one, all right? Grow beet microgreens instead. And next is basil microgreens. Same idea. Basil totally screams summertime, right? And so if you grow basil microgreens in the middle of December again, it's going to give you that warm, fuzzy, I'm on the beach, I'm in the middle of summer feeling even though you're freezing cold. And by the way, all the seeds you use for sprouts and microgreens are the same exact seeds, seeds you use to grow the full mature plant. You just catch the plant a lot earlier in its stages of growth. And by the way, all these seeds are available for you inside the gardenary shop. We'll put links to all these seeds so you can get your own this month right below this video. And last but not least, you can actually grow some bigger leaves. You can grow spinach indoors. I started doing this my second winter in Chicago because I was, ah, super depressed. I went all out to, like, help myself survive winter that year. And one of the ways I did it was by growing lettuce indoors under lights. And for all my friends who live in mild climates like me here in Nashville, Tennessee, there are a lot of things that we can be growing indoors and out. So this would be if you're in a place where there's a chance of frost, and you're probably going to have frost, but it's not going to be like a killing frost or just absolutely frigid like it is in the North. So this month, believe it or not, is the perfect time to be starting your perennial herbs and your annual herbs indoors. I know it seems crazy, but this is the time to start those herbs indoors so you can save money when it comes to February. And it's time to put those herbs into the garden. So two seeds I would highly recommend that are easy to start indoors but take a long time to grow are these. First is sage. Of all the perennial herbs in the mint plant family, sage seeds are the biggest. They're the easiest to separate and to get started. And I found the most luck growing these from seed indoors. Next up is parsley. Parsley is a cool season herb that can last for a couple years in the garden, but parsley takes a really long time to grow from seed. And I found the plants I buy at the nursery. They're not that great. They often don't transplant very well. So. So parsley is a great herb for you to start indoors right now. That'll give it a complete two months to get going before we move it out into the garden in February. And you'll have much healthier plants than you would if you bought it from the store. Plus, you're going to save money. My favorite, absolute favorite green to grow in the early part of the new year is Napa cabbage. This stuff is so delicious. I love making salads with this, stir fries with this. You know, I'm obsessed with Asian food. And this cabbage is a steak staple in almost every recipe I love to make at home. Now let's move on to the roots. This is the best month for us in a mild climate to start onions. Onions grow so well from seed, but it takes time. They are a slow growing seed. So if you start your onion seeds right now, this month, grow them under lights, by the time we roll around to February, you're going to have super healthy onion starts that you can move into the garden and grow your own onions from seed. And finally, one more seed to start indoors in a mild cl, and that is Calendula. Calendula is one of my favorite flowers to grow in the early spring. It can tolerate frost, it doesn't mind the cold weather, and it is a fantastic trap crop. Listen, gardening is not something we just do in the summer. And if you do it a little bit every single day, your time really adds up. That's why I wrote my new book called the Five Minute Gardener. The five Minute Gardener is all about gardening. The way I talk about here. Just gardening a little bit at a time, a little bit every day. So I would super duper really appreciate it if you would check out the book at the link right below this video. Share it with your friends and family. Maybe even pre order a few for your friends for holiday gifts. It literally would mean the world to me. Thank you so much for your support. All right, now I want to know from you, what are you going to plant this month? I know even as I made this video I was like I better get over there and start planting some seeds. So I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. What are you going to plant and what questions do you have about what you're growing? I would love to make videos to follow up with this and show you exactly how to grow all these things. So let me know what video I should make next. And while you're at it, please subscribe. Please like this video and please, please please share this with all your friends and family so we can get every single person in the world to start a garden this month. Thanks for watching. I love you so much. Have a great December. I'll see you in the garden. Thanks so much for listening to the Grow youw Self podcast. 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