December is a busy time of year for all of us. And it’s easy to disregard chores, especially if the weather is cold and wet.
But spring is right around the corner and now is the time to start getting ready for your spring garden. Get your seed catalogues and order the seeds you want as soon as possible. Remember that.
Find out what vegetables to plant and when to plant them. View The Gulf Coast Garden Vegetable Planting Chart.
Order garden catalogues. Here’s a list of some good seed suppliers:
Planning your garden
Although it’s easy to just plop plants down anywhere. But creating a plan can not only make planting easier, but by using this plan, you can figure out how to rotate crops. Drawing a garden plan does not need to be an art form. Just sketch out a plan on a piece of paper. Then write where the tomatoes, the beans, the cucumbers, etc., are going to go.
- Take some time and figure out where the spring sun is going to move across your garden and plant accordingly.
- Make sure you have a water source nearby.
- Measure your garden. You might want to take a photo.
- Make sure you rotate your crops when planning your summer and fall gardens. Rotation means moving the location of vegetables in your garden each year to help prevent pests and disease, and to maintain soil fertility.
- Remember that the USDA Cold Hardiness chart has changed, as of October, 2023. Check the dates for first and last frost dates in your USDA Cold Hardiness zone here.
- Sketch your beds. Here’s an example of a garden plan:

- If you’re a little more fastidious, you can develop a more sophisticated plan.

- If you really want to get fancy, there are garden design software that allows you to design your garden.
1. And lastly, there are a great number of garden design books available.
Just do a computer search for “garden plans” and you’ll find a list of books that will help you learn about garden design.