Take care when pruning freeze-damaged plants
Although we expect this winter to be dryer and warmer than usual, this doesn’t preclude an occasional freeze. As a result, don’t prune freeze-damaged plants until spring. The damaged parts do provide some insulation against possible future freezes. Additionally, pruning may cause plants to send out leaves during warm days this winter. If another freeze arrives, this new greenery will die, and the damage may kill the plant as well.
Plant spring-flowering bulbs this month. In southeast Texas, the ground generally does not freeze, even though we may have freezing temperatures above ground.
Weeds in December
Mow winter weeds before they go to seed. Most of these weeds are annuals and propagate by spreading their seeds instead of root systems.
Cold weather vegetables
If you have a winter vegetable garden, make sure they get enough water and fertilizer. Pull winter weeds from the garden as quickly as they emerge. Cover tender crops in the event of freeze.
Frost-susceptible crops (those which will be killed or injured by temperatures below 32 degrees F) include bush beans, summer squash, cucumbers, sweet corn, lima beans, okra, peppers and charry tomatoes. Also, cantaloupes, eggplant, Irish potatoes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon, and winter squash.
Frost-tolerant crops (those which can withstand temperatures below 32 degrees F) include beets, lettuce, mustard, radish, spinach, turnips, turnip greens, broccoli, carrots, Chinese cabbage, green onions, kohlrabi, parsley, Brussels sprouts, bulb onions, cabbage, cauliflower, and garlic.
Remember your backyard friends during December
Don’t forget your backyard friends. Put out bird feeders, and add a birdbath. Birds particularly need water during the winter months. Plant a small pollinator garden so that bees, butterflies, and other desirable insects can feed.
Ordering Seed Catalogs are a MUST December chore
Although most seed companies have online catalogs, many gardeners like the old-fashioned paging through seed catalogs made of paper. Now’s the time to order them.
- Texas Home Landscaping by Greg Grant and Roger Holmes
- Perennial Garden Color by William Welch
- Native Texas Plants by Sally and Andy Wasowski
- Month-By-Month Gardening by Robert “Skip” Richter
- Gardening in The Humid South by Edmund N. O’Rourke and Leon C Standifer
- The Louisiana Urban Gardener by Kathryn K. Fontenot
- Maverick Gardeners by Felder Rushing
Other gifts might include a drip irrigation system. They are inexpensive and easy to install – Garden tools and Seeds are other potential gifts
